New York Multilingual Newspaper Seeks to Bridge Diverse Cultures

24 March 2005 from Voice of America (voanews.com)
By June Soh (voanews.com version narrated by Amy Katz )

...The signs in various languages on this building in Jackson Heights, a neighborhood in Queens, also reflect its reputation as one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the world....

Cash and Curry

March 23, 2005 from washington post.com
By Jennifer Barger

...Turns out Jackson Heights isn't just a Little India these days. Arguably the most ethnically diverse section of New York's most ethnically diverse borough, it hosts significant populations from South America, Asia, even Russia -- a true example of the cliched melting pot. "Traditionally, Jackson Heights is where Indian women come to shop for clothing and jewelry before they get married, but the neighborhood has grown to something beyond that," said Lurie. "This really is a crossroads for Bangladeshis, Pakistanis, Chinese and South Americans."

Jackson Heights, located east of Astoria and south of LaGuardia Airport, began in the early 20th century as the first planned garden apartment community in the United States. In the past several decades, the neighborhood has morphed into a latter-day Lower East Side, a multi-culti mixing bowl where new immigrants live, work, shop and eat. "Nobody walks down the streets here feeling like a minority, because there isn't any dominant ethnic group," says K.C. Williams of the Jackson Heights Office of the Forest Hills Community House, which provides English classes and housing services to immigrants. "When you get off the train, you think, 'I'm in India!' Turn the corner, and you're in Ecuador, Peru or Mexico. There's such an international mix."...

Looking for a healthy balance

March 23, 2005 from Newsday.com
BY ALAN KRAWITZ

In a Jackson Heights shop devoted to Indian culture, Kumar Tailor advises patrons on Ayurvedic medicine

...The Butala Emporium on 74th Street in Jackson Heights has come to be known as a place to shop for all things pertaining to Indian culture, including books, newspapers and magazines, arts and crafts items, rugs and religious articles....

Crowley Brings Home $640K For Jackson Heights Roads

March 17, 2005 from Queens Chronicle
By Neille Ilel

..."It’s money well spent,” countered Crowley. He pointed out that Jackson Heights is a thriving business community that brings in millions of tax dollars for the city and needs to be less congested. “It’s an incredibly profitable block.” ...

House likely to pass $286B transportation bill

Thursday, March 10, 2005 from Newsday.com
BY J. JIONI PALMER, WASHINGTON BUREAU

WASHINGTON - The House of Representatives is expected to pass a $286-billion transportation bill today giving the green light to a host of regional projects, from the Second Avenue Subway in Manhattan to relieving traffic congestion in Jackson Heights to repairing roads in Lindenhurst....
...$16 million to refurbish and expand bus and subway interchange facilities in Jackson Heights and College Point....

Mumbai to Midtown, Chaat Hits the Spot

March 9, 2005 from THe New York Times
By JULIA MOSKIN
...But in the New York region that has finally changed. In Jersey City the Little India strip on Newark Avenue is lined with places for chaats and sweets, while only one restaurant serves the rich curries familiar to most Americans as Indian food. (Indians call those dishes Punjabi, after Punjab, the northern region where they originated.) In Jackson Heights, Queens, signs for new chaat menus flutter from many awnings, reflecting, according to Sanjiv Mody, an owner of Rajbhog Foods, a growing insistence by Indians in America on the authentic foods of home....
… some of the best places to taste chaat...

DELHI PALACE, 37-33 74th Street (37th Avenue), Jackson Heights, Queens, (718) 507-0666.

DIMPLE, 11 West 30th Street, (212) 643-9464; and 35-68 73rd Street (35th Road), Jackson Heights, Queens, (718) 458-8144.

MAHARAJAH, 73-10 37th Avenue (73rd Street), Jackson Heights, Queens, (718) 505-2680.

RAJBHOG, 72-27 37th Avenue (72nd Street), Jackson Heights, Queens, (718) 458-8512, and other locations; www.rajbhog.com.

Drive for licenses takes to streets

March 6, 2005 from The Daily News
By Leslie Casimir

..."Every day I have to drive - I'm a carpet installer," said Manuel Gonzalez, 32, who took part in the march and rally that wound through Corona and ended at Hart Park in Jackson Heights. "But now I cannot drive. I'm afraid. I'm scared."...

Airport area schools to be soundproofed by MTA

03/03/2005 from TimesLedger.com
by Philip Newman

The Port Authority plans to spend a record $48 million soundproofing
30 schools near airports in the New York metropolitan area, with 11 of
them in Queens.

The agency will spend $14.4 million of the total expenditure soundproofing Beach Channel High School in Rockaway Park.

"The Port Authority recognizes its responsibility to be a good neighbor to those who live, work and learn near its facilities," said Port Authority Vice Chairman Charles Gargano.

"Our children need school buildings that provide an atmosphere conducive to learning," he said. "The ongoing soundproofing program has benefited dozens of schools in New York and New Jersey and helped to ensure continued quality educational environments for our students."

Since 1983 the Port Authority has invested $319 million to soundproof 77 schools in New York and New Jersey. The $8 million just approved is a record amount for such projects.

The soundproofing program is a joint effort of the Port Authority and the Federal Aviation Administration, which contributes up to 95 percent of the costs through the Airport Improvement Program. The Port Authority administers the work and makes up the remainder of the cost.

Besides Beach Channel, other schools to be soundproofed and the amount of money to be spent on each project: PS 146 Q in Howard Beach $100,000; IS 189 Q in Rockaway Park $100,000; PS 195 Q in Rosedale $100,000; IS 198 Q in Arverne $500,000; St. Pius X in Rosedale $100,000; College of Aeronautics in Flushing $6.5 million; John Bowne High School in Flushing $5.9 million; Lexington School for the Deaf in Jackson Heights $100,000; Msgr. McClancy Memorial School in East Elmhurst $100,000; St. Michael in Flushing $100,000.

PA to limit jet roar at 19 schools

February 28, 2005 from The New York Daily News
By WARREN WOODBERRY JR. DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Nineteen schools in Queens, the Bronx and Nassau County affected by jet noise from Port Authority-run airports will receive millions from the Port Authority's Board of Commissioners to provide for quieter classrooms.

"The Port Authority recognizes its responsibility to be a good neighbor to those who live, work and learn near its facilities," said PA Vice Chairman Charles Gargano. "Our children need school buildings that provide an atmosphere conducive to learning."

The effort to soundproof local schools affected by aircraft noise continues a 22-year-old program. The Port Authority, which operates LaGuardia, Kennedy and Newark airports, has invested $319 million to soundproof 77 schools in New York and New Jersey since 1983.

"Providing our children with the tools they need to excel in the classroom is crucial to advancing their education," said Gov. Pataki. "This includes providing an environment that allows students to concentrate without the distraction of aircraft noise."

All schools in federally defined "noise-affected" areas around the Port Authority airports are being soundproofed. The agency's soundproofing program will continue beyond the initially designated areas, with future eligibility to be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Officials said the PA board's authorization is contingent on the continuing availability of federal funds. The soundproofing program is a joint effort of the Port Authority and the Federal Aviation Administration, which contributes up to 95% of the funding under its Airport Improvement Program. The Port Authority administers the program and provides the balance of the funding.

"This funding is a huge quality-of-life victory for the residents of Jackson Heights and East Elmhurst and the students at these schools," said Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-East Elmhurst). "As someone who has lived his entire life under the flight path of LaGuardia Airport, I know firsthand how the sound pollution from jet engines disrupts the quality of life for area residents."

Scientologists’ Stress Tests In Jackson Heights Raise Questions

February 03, 2005 from Queens Chronicle
by Neille Ilel, Western Queens Editor

Dipika Palit said she liked “Dianetics” because the techniques in the book helped her to concentrate. “There are lots of things (in the book) that help you not to think so much,” she said, noting that thinking too much is a major cause of stress.
Palit discovered L. Ron Hubbard’s tract on living a healthy life—part self-help, part religion and very much controversial—in the last few weeks when followers set up a table offering free “Stress Tests” at the 74th Street/Roosevelt Avenue subway station in Jackson Heights....

'Maria' co-star at home in Queens

11:18 PM EST, February 27, 2005 from Newsday.com

BY ROBERT POLNER, STAFF WRITER


...Tobón, who is known affectionately in his Jackson Heights community as "the mayor" for all his charitable efforts on behalf of new immigrants during 30 years, was interviewed by the director of the film, Joshua Marston of Brooklyn...


...In "Maria," Sandino Moreno, 22, plays Maria, a young pregnant Colombian girl. Faced with the chance for a better life, the character accepts a risky $5,000 offer to become a drug mule, smuggling to New York packets of heroin she has gulped. She ends up in Jackson Heights as she struggles to adjust to her new life...