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)
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