Page 2 - QT Eedition #28 July 10, 2025
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PAGE 2 THE QUEENS TIMES THURSDAY, JULY 10, 2025
Attorney General James Urges New Yorkers to Take
Advantage of New “Click-to-Cancel” Rule
(Continued from page 1) is truthful, clear, and easy to find. In November 2024, Attorney
Attorney General James encour- General James won a lawsuit to
time canceling a subscription to ages New Yorkers who experience stop SiriusXM from trapping
report it to my office, and I will issues canceling a subscription New York customers in unwanted
continue to make sure companies to contact her office by filing a subscriptions. In December 2023,
throughout our state are following complaint online. Attorney General James secured
the law.” Attorney General James con- $740,000 from the online mental
In addition to requiring simple sistently fights to protect New health provider Cerebral for its
cancellation, the Click-to-Cancel Yorkers from companies offering burdensome cancellation process.
Rule requires companies to make costly recurring subscriptions that In June 2023, Attorney General
sure that people know what they are difficult to cancel. In May, James led a bipartisan group of 26
are agreeing to before they sign Attorney General James secured state attorneys general in submit-
up for a subscription that renews $600,000 in penalties from Equi- ting a comment letter to the FTC
automatically. Companies must nox and refunds for consumers in support of changes to its exist-
also make sure that important for making it hard for New York- ing rule. Those changes resulted
information about the subscription ers to cancel their memberships. in the new Click-to-Cancel Rule.
Congresswoman Grace Meng Fights For
Money For Maspeth Firehouse
A & F Auto Repairs, Inc. (Continued from page 1) been allowed to fall into deplorable ment to ensuring the safety of our
General Auto Repairs U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D- states, but this funding would go City’s Bravest.”
a long way towards righting the The Congresswoman’s funds
(Foreingn and Domestic) Queens) renewed her fight to help wrongs at the Squad 288/HazMat 1 would go towards replacing the
Accessories overhaul the FDNY’s Squad 288/ house,” said New York City Coun- firehouse’s apparatus floor and
• Tires • Batteries HazMat 1 firehouse in Maspeth, cilwoman Joann Ariola, Chair of overhauling its electrical and
• Electronic Tune-ups Queens, following a report about the City Council’s Committee on mechanical systems. The ap-
• Inspection Station the need to revamp the facility. Fire and Emergency Management. paratus floor is the main space
• Towing Over the past year, the Con- “Our heroes deserve safe, structur- of the firehouse that includes its
ARIS & FRANK gresswoman has been working to ally sound firehouses to go back to specialty vehicles, bunker gear,
43-05 111th Street • Corona Heights, NY secure federal funding to upgrade when they aren’t saving the lives workbenches, tools, equipment
the firehouse. She recently ob-
of their fellow New Yorkers. This and all other necessary items. With
Greek, Spanish and Italian Spoken tained $2 million in a key spend- investment would help give that the firehouse dating back to 1914,
(718) 592-7470 (718) 699-2499 ing bill that would pay for critical to the men and women of Squad these types of financial invest-
renovations in the building, and 288/HazMat 1, and ensure that ments are essential to ensuring the
the money continues to move they can continue protecting the facility’s longevity, and sustain-
through the legislative process. people of Maspeth and beyond for ing the services that Squad 288/
Read Our Paper Online Visit our “We need to ensure that our many years to come. Thank you to HazMat 1 provides.
website: www.queenstimes.com brave firefighters have the re- Congresswoman Meng for work- During her visit, Meng toured
or scan QR code sources they need to keep us safe ing so hard to secure this funding the firehouse, spoke with firefight-
and save lives, and that includes and improve the lives and safety ers and saw the way the money she
those at Squad 288/HazMat 1 in of New York’s Bravest.” is seeking would be used. Joining
Maspeth,” said Congresswoman “The UFA appreciates Con- her were Fire Commissioner Rob-
Subscribe to the Meng. “During my recent visit gressmember Meng’s efforts to ert Tucker, Chief of Department
Queens Times to their firehouse, I saw firsthand secure funding for the necessary John Esposito and other FDNY
how repairs and improvements and long overdue repairs to the officials.
are necessary, and I will con-
quarters of Squad 288 and HazMat Squad 288 and Hazmat 1 share
tinue pushing this crucial funding 1,” said Uniformed Firefighters the same firehouse at 56-29 68th
Your Local Newspaper-One Edition for All Of Queens through Congress until it reaches Association (UFA) Vice President Street. HazMat 1 also serves as
the finish line.” Robert Eustace. “We applaud her the HazMat headquarters for the
Just $36.50 per year... and have the paper “Our firehouses have sadly sense of urgency and her commit- FDNY.
delivered to your door by US Mail
State Health Department Slow to Inspect Violations at Adult
Please Enter my Subscription For One Year
Care Facilities, NYS Comptroller Dinapoli’s Audit Finds
Name ..............................................................................
(Continued from page 1) • Staff still uncertified in basic held accountable, risking patient
Address .......................................................................... first aid more than 13 months after safety.
functioning, no clear emergency being cited; and Complaints Mishandled
City..................................................Zip........................... shelter plans or the presence of • A half-empty vodka bottle in DOH received 7,440 complaints
Please make check payable to: Queens Times and mail to: mold, mice or bed bugs. a medical room and marijuana and completed 6,498 complaint
investigations from 2018 through
11-20 154th Street, Whitestone, NY 11357 Delayed Inspections paraphernalia in an administra-
The audit found DOH failed to tor’s office. 2023. Auditors found DOH failed
complete inspections within the At one adult care facility that to fully investigate some com-
required 12- to 18-month time- had not received a full inspection plaints or adequately document
frame at 70% of the 30 sampled in nearly two years, auditors found its investigations. In a sample of
facilities, with some delayed by issues that posed immediate risks 130 complaints, 18% of allega-
as much as five years. Three of to residents’ health and safety. tions had no evidence they were
the state’s four regional oversight DOH officials were notified and investigated. This includes three
offices had inspection backlogs immediately performed a full complaints with 25 allegations
– New York City, Long Island inspection of the facility, resulting that did not have evidence of
Published every week by CT Publishing Corp. and Western New York – while in a total of 54 violations and 12 any investigation at all. These
Executive Office: 102-54 Nicolls Avenue, Corona Heights, NY 11368 Central New York had no backlog. findings. complaints included allegations
Operations: 11-20 154th Street, Whitestone, NY 11357 Auditors conducted site visits at Violations Not Fixed of poor care, such as residents
Phone (718) 592-2196 • FAX (718) 357-3682 20 of the sampled adult care facili- DOH failed to document wheth- confined to their rooms and wait-
Web Site: www.queenstimes.com ties across the state and found a er facilities corrected violations ing in hallways for long periods
email: editor@queenstimes.com range of serious health and safety identified in prior inspections. Of of time for assistance, a lack of
issues, including: the 89 violations reviewed in 30 resident supervision and dirty or
James C. Lisa .........................Publisher/Editor • Crumbling stairs and walk- inspection reports, auditors found poorly maintained facilities.
Lew Scala .............................. Associate Publisher/Webmaster ways; no evidence DOH took correc- Recommendations
Lou Duro ...............................International Correspondent • Dishwashers that didn’t reach tive action. At 18 of 20 facilities The audit recommends that
Nicole Rescigno.....................Office Manager safe temperatures; visited, problems cited in earlier DOH improve procedures to
Joseph V. Dorsa ...................Photo Journalist • Refrigerators that weren’t cold inspection reports were not fixed. ensure timely inspections, follow-
Joseph Natalle .......................Photojournalist enough; and In some cases, DOH inaccurately up on violations, complete and
The Queens Times, USPS # P127 AIC060 is published weekly by CT Publishing Corp. • A lack of regular fire drills. recorded partial inspections as full document complaint investiga-
for an annual subscription charge of $28.50, mail subscription request to Queens Times, Auditors also found additional ones, causing further delays in tions and communicate findings
11-20 154th Street, Whitestone, NY 11357, Periodicals Postage at Flushing, NY. unresolved problems: oversight. Without proper follow- promptly. It also calls on DOH to
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Queens Times at 11-20 154th Street, • Expired medication present up, violations may continue for
Whitestone, NY 11357 four years after a prior citation; years and facilities may not be (Continued on page 3)