In keeping with her 100 Day Plan, Councilwoman Joann Ariola met with several store owners along the Beach 129th Street business district. “It is important for me to have, in person, discussions with business owners along the peninsula,” Ariola said. “In meeting with the various store owners, I learned that they shared many concerns but also had issues that related to their specific business. Our small businesses are the economic engine that fuels the city’s economy. I will continue to be their

Reduce single-use plastic in the environment and give back to those in need in the local community, all while running routine weekly errands at the Stop & Shop on 253-01 Rockaway Boulevard, Woodmere, New York. RISE (Rockaway Initiative for Sustainability & Equity) has been selected by Stop & Shop store leadership as the benefiting nonprofit in the Stop & Shop Community Bag for the month of February.

“It’s more important than ever to help reduce single-use plastic in the

The New York State Senate is looking to honor local high school students who display exemplary academic achievements and who volunteer to do great work in their own communities. In a press release, State Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. announced his participation in this year’s New York State Senate’s Youth Leadership Recognition Awards program.

The New York State Senate’s Youth Leadership Recognition Award program honors outstanding students who will become our future leaders. Teachers and

 On the morning of January 9, while most were on their way to work or school, a horrific fire ripped through a Bronx high-rise apartment, killing 17 people, including eight children, with the youngest just two years old. However, that fire, the third-worst residential fire in the U.S in four decades and the deadliest fire in NYC since 1990, did not just rip through the building, leaving families broken and the Bronx community stunned. It ripped through the hearts of New Yorkers. Local principal

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How come no one ever mentions the dog days of winter?

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This year marks the 75th anniversary of Memorial Circle by the Belle Harbor Garden Club. The group hope to raise $15,000 to make the Circle beautiful. Contact Maureen Walsh, 347-731-0285, for more info and stay tuned for more news about this in The Rockaway Times.

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It might be the easiest raffle ticket in town to sell if we believe Rick Horan. The Graybeard tells us one little mention in The Rockaway Times made his

JANUARY 20

Carol O’Toole was born.

1964 -  The Beatles released their first album in the United States, Meet the Beatles.

1981 - President Reagan became the oldest president to take office (69 years and 349 days).

JANUARY 21

Al Caruso was born.

1793 - King Louis XVI was guillotined for treason.

1977 - President Carter pardoned most Vietnam War draft evaders.

JANUARY 22

Kieran Courtney was born.

1901 - Queen Victoria of England died after reigning for 63 years (the 4th

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How come no one ever mentions the dog days of winter?

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This year marks the 75th anniversary of Memorial Circle by the Belle Harbor Garden Club. The group hope to raise $15,000 to make the Circle beautiful. Contact Maureen Walsh, 347-731-0285, for more info and stay tuned for more news about this in The Rockaway Times.

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It might be the easiest raffle ticket in town to sell if we believe Rick Horan. The Graybeard tells us one little mention in The Rockaway Times made his

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“Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred…We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools…The quality, not the longevity, of one’s life is what is important.” – Martin Luther King, Jr., born January 15, 1929.

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It was so cold on Tuesday, there was something to talk about other than Covid and who tested positive. And speaking of the cold, here’s a winter reminder: if you’re big enough to drive a pickup

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Eric Ulrich has landed a Senior Advisor position at City Hall under new mayor, Eric Adams. That's gotta be good for Rockaway, right?

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Wait, can it be? Is this the end of an era? Although he has threatened to do it many times before, we hear Dan Edwards, the Fedex Man, aka Suntan Dan aka Jocko aka Jack Bauer is retiring from FedEx after 27 years serving Rockaway and Breezy Point. The legendary coach and occasional horse player (he made the cover of the RT a few years back when he

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Happy New Year! Well, it might not seem like 2021 was so great but, for most, it was better than 2020. So, we’re trending in the right way?? Here’s to a great 2022 (well, after the shaky start that’s sure to happen). This time next week, Eric Adams will have been mayor for six days already!

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Congratulations to Liz Hannah our The Rockaway Times Person of the Year! Time magazine’s got theirs; Sports Illustrated’s got theirs. We have ours! We should have thought of this years ago! 

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Merry Christmas! And here’s a gift: days are getting longer now. It’s officially winter but after the darkest day of the year, December 21, we’re getting about a minute a day more sunlight.

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With the omicron variant wreaking havoc here there and everywhere, we would like to see and hear more than just the number of cases. It’s an incomplete picture without the number of hospitalizations and deaths reported as well. Meanwhile, testing is proving a challenge and some urgent care

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Doesn’t it seem longer? Exactly a year ago, the first vaccines were distributed at St. John’s Hospital and it was front page news. There have been so many stops and starts, bumps and variants, mandates and masks, a Roaring Twenties hasn’t quite taken hold. 2020 was memorable; 2021 not so much.

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Outgoing city councilman Eric Ulrich spearheaded a drive to remove derelict boats from Jamaica Bay. With the help of NYC Parks, some were removed last week. Abandoned boats have been an

 Dear Editor:

I always read Kami’s articles. I have the most amazing little 6-year-old son who is also on the spectrum and she has enlightened me with her experiences and have made them so 100% relatable for me.

This week’s article hit close to home as she announced her 3 new year’s resolutions regarding her daughter’s autism. I decided a long time ago that in order to have people understand my SONshine and who he is I just have to educate them more on autism and how that makes him

 Dear Editor:

A Texas synagogue where Jewish worshippers were taken hostage was the latest incident of antisemitism in this country. The Asian American / Pacific Islander community has seen hate-motivated violence this weekend in Manhattan. Immigrants and people of color across our city face a lack of access to safe housing and working conditions, as seen in the deaths following Hurricane Ida, the recent Bronx fire, and the struggles of essential delivery and taxi workers who kept our city

 Dear Editor:

The fire that took place at Dayton is so unfortunate but luckily nobody was hurt, thanks in part to Mark Wade in apartment 9O, right above. He heroically alerted neighbors. His apartment is unlivable at this time due to no electricity, unsafe smoke residue and debris from broken windows and knocked out walls from firefighters (God bless them). I think Mark Wade needs a shout-out.

Carol Wade

 Dear Editor:

Each year on Martin Luther King Day, I’m accustomed to seeing a collection of feel-good quotes on social media about the reverend’s dream of achieving racial unity, if we could all just work together. While those pleasant quotes from MLK hold their own space in history and on our timelines, what a heartening change of pace to spot the bolder, more radical words of Martin Luther King Jr. posted around Rockaway this weekend (words that did his memory justice). In a neighborhood

 Dear Editor:

I read with great sorrow of the recent passing of Maxwell Mickey Cohen. Mr. Cohen was a notable member of the pantheon of great teachers we were blessed to have at the former Far Rockaway High School back in the ‘60s and ‘70s. His fantastic teaching style was instrumental in creating a true love of science through his biology teaching. He was responsible for many of his students taking advanced careers in science and medicine for which I am deeply indebted.

Andrew Gewirtz

 Dear Editor:

I just had to contribute to your mail bag and say—even though you may have tested positive—you are still in command of the English language and your Boyleing Points are always so entertaining—and ring true in a POSITIVE way. It makes you appreciate the things you have—and we have you and we thank God. Being "isolated" is a trial in itself. It takes away your choices (that we took for granted). Such true words... Thanks for sharing! And wishing you well!

Dorothy Fraher

I recently celebrated my marriage of 29 years, and I am still amazed at the actions of my spouse once in a while. How is it that after 29 years of marriage, you can still realize something new about your spouse and it can drive you a bit crazy? It can also add humor as some incidents become running jokes. 

Last September, we were driving out of a medical building where I had just seen a doctor. While we were exiting the parking garage, a large man was walking towards us. The man had bandages

I recently showed my Film and Literature students the film It’s A Wonderful Life. We first read an excerpt of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, and as we were watching, we compared and contrasted the Dickens’ work with Frank Capra’s film. It was so refreshing how much they enjoyed the film. What is even more interesting is many of my students do not even celebrate Christmas. One young man who is quite polite and enjoys the class usually comes only four days a week. When he entered the class

It is that time of year again where we will all be subjected to the crazy elf pictures when many of our social media friends try to outdo one another with their elaborate poses and shenanigans. Those of you with children that have been experiencing this for a few years, how do you keep it original?

For those of you like me who either have older children or no children at all, the Elf on the Shelf is a book that was published in 2005 by the genius mother-daughter team of Carol Aebersold and

Last week a friend forwarded me a Time magazine article titled, “Why Everyone Is So Rude Right Now.” Obviously everyone knows that I am obsessed with the behavior of my students, and people in general. The statistics in this article were staggering. One place where people have become ruder is the airline industry. According to the article, the FAA has fined misbehaving passengers over one million dollars so far this year. As I wrote in my restaurant etiquette column, restaurant managers are

Driving in New York City is a video game. It reminds me of the old video game Pole Position and the newer one Grand Theft Auto. My nephew, Tyler, plays a game where he drives like a lunatic and laughs. He runs things over, crashes and then can hop into a new car. It seems these games are becoming more real.

People in New York City, especially Rockaway and Broad Channel, need to learn how to drive. What people also need to do is to learn simple driver’s etiquette. PS: I really only drive from

Over the years my family, friends and I have all worked in the restaurant industry. I used to say everyone should have to do a semester of hospitality work to become empathetic with the workers and understand walking a mile in their shoes. Unfortunately, not everyone has taken that semester of working in the restaurant industry, so a lesson in restaurant etiquette is needed. Since I know so many people in the industry, I sent out a few texts to servers from local restaurants and this is what