December 2006 Juniper Berry Magazine

December 2006 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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New Absurd Times: 1.5 million dogs, give or take a million

Off-leash dog defecates on field while owner ignores him Robert Marino, President of NYC DOG, cites the ASPCA as his source for the dog population statistic that he tosses around with frequency. He claims that the ASPCA told him that there were 1.5 million dogs in our city.

Letters to the Editor December 2006

Our community is very fortunate to have an association as caring as you. A "Thank You" is not enough for your support and ideas in helping us manage to deal with the misery of the development next to our home.

NYC Conspiracy of Overdevelopment

Illegal apartments are not on the radar screen of the Department of Buildings, a city agency intentionally understaffed so that there can be a ready-made excuse for lack of building code enforcement.

Where have you gone, Commissioner Richard Murphy?

These days Richard Murphy is definitely enjoying life. He certainly earned that luxury. As Queens Borough Parks Commissioner for nine years he had the tough job of maintaining 7,000 acres of parkland with a paltry budget.

How Low Can a Publisher Go?

Apparently, Walter Sanchez didn't learn any lessons from his last major embarrassments. But, fraud is part of his business model and to date many other persons have suffered the consequence of his underhanded tactics.

Juniper Park's Upper Ball Fields are "for the birds" this winter

As winter approached, Mr. Scully thought the small triangle between the upper ball fields, which are closed for the season for reseeding, would make a good refuge for the birds that decide to stay at or pass through Juniper Park.

HOLIDAY SHOPPING: BE CAREFUL!

Here we are again, another busy shopping season. The best news would be that we all experience a safe, harmless time this year. But, we all know that we have to be alert to accomplish that goal.

Crisis of Confidence

President Roosevelt knew that if the public lost faith in the honesty of democratically elected officials, then they could lose faith in democracy itself.

Winter Waters

In winter, it is difficult for many residents of Queens to contemplate spending a day at the shore, much less entering the water. But they should rest assured that, in the bays which gird both shores of the borough, there are fish that have no such qualms.

St. Saviour's Update

A year after St. Saviour's Church and Parsonage were taken over by a developer with plans to demolish them and build on the grounds, the structures are still standing and the property remains a green space.

Maspeth Bird Haven

Maspeth Bird Haven is a not-for-profit two-person venture, run by the husband and wife team of Gayle & Barry Schwartz out of their Ridgewood Plateau home.

The Wild Parrots of New York City

A lot of people are surprised when they hear that there are wild parrots living in New York City, but several hundred of them have been living here for many years in Brooklyn, the Bronx, and in Queens.

Holden, Franco, Bellas Honored

The Greater New York Sandlot Athletic Alliance has honored Robert F. Holden, President of the Juniper Park Civic Assoc. and founder of the Midville Dodgers Baseball Program, for his longtime commitment to youth baseball and to his community.

JPCA's Gloria Simile Passes Away

The Juniper Park Civic Association is sad to announce that longtime community resident, activist and volunteer, Gloria Simile, passed away on Thursday, November 9th.

Penelope Avenue House of Horror Raided by Cops

Police from the Queens Narcotics Squad together with the 104th Precinct Narcotics team raided a Middle Village house on November 9th and found what was described as a house of horrors. According to Captain Matthew Hyland of Queens Narcotics, four people at 84-35 Penelope Avenue were arrested.

JPCA & Juniper Juniors Participate in It's My Park Day

On the beautiful autumn day of October 21st, 2006, Juniper Park Civic Association and Juniper Junior volunteers participated in "It's My Park" Day, an event sponsored by the City Parks Foundation and the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation.

Juniper Park Halloween Festival a Giant Hit!

Hundreds of kids and adults took part in a fun night of free entertainment featuring country & classic rock music, prizes, games and contests on Halloween night 2006 from 4:30-8:30pm at Juniper Valley Park. The evening was sponsored by: Juniper Park Civic Association, Juniper Juniors, NYC Department of Parks & Recreation, Senator Serphin R. Maltese and Commerce Bank.

Meet our new 400-million-year old neighbor!

On October 24th, a contractor excavating a street for a new sewer line in Fort Greene, Brooklyn unearthed an enormous boulder. Without ceremony, he set it down upon quiet, tree-lined Vanderbilt Avenue next to a curb. However, when word got out about its discovery, it quickly became the center of attention.

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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Press Releases

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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.