June 2008 Juniper Berry Magazine

June 2008 Juniper Berry

The Juniper Berry magazine has a rich tradition in the communities of Middle Village, Maspeth and Elmhurst. It was first published in 1938. The quarterly magazine is an all-volunteer effort and contains articles on crime prevention, neighborhood issues, meeting reports and notices, neighborhood history and photographs, guest articles, editorials and more.

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The Grand Avenue Bypass Plan – What's Taking So Long?

Tony Nunziato, owner of Enchanted Florist on Grand Avenue in Maspeth, is appalled at the constant stream of trucks that passes outside his store window. "The Department of Transportation was supposed to put an end to this problem more than 2 years ago," he says in frustration.

Letters to the Editor, June 2008

I have lived on 71 Street for 45 years. In the past 10 years there have been many changes. We have more fast food restaurants more banks etc. In the past couple of years they have built six 3 family homes on the corner of 71 Street and Cooper (Avenue).

Police Beat 104 – June 2008 – TELL THE MAYOR: INCREASE POLICE STAFFING

Job # 1 for any city government is safety. If any sacrifice must be made, let other departments make it. Perhaps the use of city cars and drivers could be a place to start saving. Perhaps the Community Assistance Unit (CAU) can be eliminated; its purpose is unknown.

"C" stands for Courage

In late May of 2007, during my daily shower, I discovered a small lump on my right breast. I wasn't completely alarmed given the fact that I was only thirty-seven and had no family history of cancer.

Articles from The Middle Villager

The following is a compilation of articles taken from the publication called The Middle Villager. They depict Middle Village "back in the day."

The Bus Stops Here

The MTA Bus Company has proposed extending the Q45 bus route past its current terminus, which is on 80th Street at Eliot Avenue in Middle Village. Under the proposal, the Q45 would continue south along 80th Street and would turn eastbound on Cooper Avenue to the Shops at Atlas Park where the bus would then turn around.

The Old Betts House

Newtown still retains two relics of the old Dutch Government, in the form of what is called the old Betts houses. One was the abode of Richard Betts, the founder of the Betts family. He was, according to local history, a most remarkable man.

St. Saviour's Finds Salvation

Bob pleaded with the owner of Sano, Vincent Oppedisano, to halt demolition until one of the owners of the site could come down and talk with him. Owner Tomer Dafna arrived at the site and nothing short of a miracle happened. After negotiating with Bob, he gave JPCA 30 days to remove the building from the property.

An Accidental Wilderness

Many people are astounded to learn that there is a teeming wildlife preserve in New York City. Ridgewood Reservoir on the Brooklyn-Queens border is an oasis where an amazing range of plant and animal species thrives in a verdant landscape of steep hills and narrow valleys amid the city's paved sidewalks.

Mayor Bloomberg Shows What He Thinks of Queens

So are you sick of what the neighborhood looks like yet? Blame Mayor Bloomberg. Because he wants 1 million more people to come to our city by the year 2030, rezoning efforts have been put on hold.

Maspeth Murder Mystery: What Happened to Lizzie Buhler?

The mystery surrounding the death of pretty Lizzie Buhler, who was found dead on the railroad tracks near Maspeth, L.I., on Saturday morning, is not yet cleared up. It seems more than likely, in view of yesterday's investigation that her death will prove to be accidental.

How the investigation would be handled today, part 3

The Coroner's finding of "Accidental" as to the cause of death to Lizzie Buhler is most likely consistent with the evidence available to Coroner Brandon. However, with the benefit of hindsight, we as readers could be forgiven if we have just a bit of cynicism or outright doubt to these findings.

Different Era, Similar Circumstances

An example that would be somewhat similar in nature to the Buhler accident/murder investigation was a death in Queens my squad was called to several years ago. As in our Maspeth mystery, we had a woman dead, seemingly accidental.

DON'T GET FRUSTRATED, GET EDUCATED

With government, you pay the bills. The government has no money until you pay a tax. Government has no power until you let it have some. Any government official is on your payroll, and should be humbly delighted to serve you.

Campaign To Save Our Historic Ridgewood Theatre

In 2006, many patrons, preservationists, and historians, began fearing that the development of Glendale's Atlas Park megaplex would offer competition to an unkempt Ridgewood Theatre, despite its historic charm. To their dismay, the Ridgewood Theatre shuttered in March 2008, which marked the end of its nearly 92 years as a first-run theater. Opening its doors on December 23, 1916, the Ridgewood Theatre held the record for "the longest continuously operating movie theater citywide," and potentially throughout the U.S.

Tale of the Wrong Way Oriole

A visitor to New York became lost in Manhattan this past winter but didn't seem particularly concerned about his predicament. A wandering Scott's Oriole had apparently flown thousands of miles across the country from a desert in either southern Arizona or western Mexico (where he should have been) and landed in Manhattan's Union Square in early December 2007.

Historic Districts Council Honors Juniper Civic for Efforts in Saving St. Saviour's

The following was the acceptance speech given by Christina Wilkinson, Chair of JPCA's Committee to Save St. Saviour's, at the Historic Districts Council's Grassroots Preservation Awards the evening of May 15, 2008 at St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery in Manhattan.

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT on Dennis Finneran

Our Community Spotlight for this issue of the Juniper Berry shines on someone who is no longer with us but who nevertheless left his mark on our neighborhood. His name was Dennis Finneran and he was born and raised in Middle Village.

JPCA Celebrating 70th Anniversary with Dinner/Dance, Nov 1.

The JPCA is celebrating its 70th year in 2008. We are in the throes of planning a dinner/dance at Abbracciamento's for Saturday, November 1, 2008, 7pm. Save the date.

Younger Views: Summertime

Summer is finally here and by the time you read this school will probably be out. It's time for fun and games, the familiar jingle of the ice cream truck, sleeping with the A/C on, going to the beach and so much more.

Neighborhood Hall of Shame, June 2008

Thankfully, the vast majority of property owners in Middle Village and Maspeth take pride in the appearance and well-being of our neighborhood. But a few property owners have a total disregard for the condition of their property. So we induct these properties into this month's Hall of Shame.

Yesterday and Today: Furmanville Avenue between 82nd Place and 83rd Street

You probably wouldn't be able to pinpoint the location of the top photo without being told the cross streets. In 1940, there were houses along the south side of Furmanville Avenue between 82nd Place and 83rd Street. Today, that land is occupied by graves and is part of St. John's Cemetery.

Local Hero in Famous Photo

One of the most famous photographs ever published by Life, "V‒J day in Times Square" was shot on August 14th, 1945. Alfred Eisenstaedt was in the square taking candids when he spotted a sailor "running along the street grabbing any and every girl in sight," he later explained. "Whether she was a grandmother, stout, thin, old, didn't make any difference."

THE JUNIPER BERRY

The Juniper Berry magazine, first published in 1938 is an all-volunteer effort containing articles on crime prevention, neighborhood issues, meeting reports and notices, neighborhood history and photographs, guest articles, editorials and more.

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NYC to be more attractive for criminals around the world

At a time when the people's trust in government is at an all-time low, our City Council Members have introduced legislation which increases the number of dangerous illegal immigrants in our neighborhoods. Under the recently passed law, Introduction 656, the New York City Department of Corrections will no longer cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents concerning approximately half of the illegal immigrants who get arrested in the City.

COUNCIL MEMBER ELIZABETH CROWLEY DASHES HOPES FOR ST. SAVIOUR'S PARK SPACE. Impetuous decision has dire consequences.

Last week, park and community advocates including the Juniper Park Civic Association, Newtown Historical Society and NYC Park Advocates were shocked to learn that the City's Department of Parks and Recreation and Council Member Elizabeth Crowley have dropped their bid to acquire the 1.5-acre former site of St. Saviour's Church in Maspeth, Queens. The groups had been working for 5 years to have this site converted into parkland before the decision to quit was made by city officials without any community notification or input.