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Wow, we’d gotten used to the idea that the old Neponsit Home was going to be there like the Egyptian pyramids. But no, it’s coming down. As we reported, back in February, the NYC Health and Hospitals Corp handed over the Neponsit Home to NYC Parks which made plans to raze the structure which hasn’t had patients since 1998. Parks plans to select a contractor to do the demo by the end of the year.

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The New York State Independent Redistricting Commission is a bipartisan Commission responsible for drawing New York’s district lines after the 2020 Census. In recent draft proposals, first reported by the Queens Daily Eagle, the initial maps were hardly bipartisan and as a result two sets of draft proposals were released. One

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To our Jewish friends: Gmar chatima tova as they observe Yom Kippur.

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Our thoughts are with the friends and family of Mike Melfi, a young, local ironworker who died in a work-related incident on Tuesday. Melfi also bartended at Bungalow Bar and was known as the life of the party. He will be missed.

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This past September 11 was particularly hard for many people. The Friends of Tribute Park, the people who do so much to make that oasis a special place, deserve heaps of credit

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Happy Labor Day weekend.  Labor Day first became a federal holiday in 1894.

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Another comment about decrepit Riis Park. As bad as the concrete boardwalk is and as bad as the rest of the place looks, the most concerning thing is the disappearing beaches. The ocean regularly rolls right onto the boardwalk at Bay 4 and 5. National Parks had no interest in getting jetty protection and therefore Riis is a disaster waiting to happen. And that is a danger to the nearby communities. Riis

Well, how great was Katie McFadden’s story last week about George Johnson and his friendship with a Kentucky man, first begun when George was a bone marrow match with the young Forrest Nichols 25 years ago?  They loved it in Kentucky, too. A chain of Kentucky newspapers will run the story around September 11. 

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From our star marine reporter: The Jamaica Bay subway bridge, a swing bridge just east of the Cross Bay Bridge, has been stuck in the closed position since early July. When

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The seashell flag tribute on our cover was made by Editor Katie McFadden and her boyfriend, Paul Zinskie. It's surrounded by 20 flags to mark the 9/11 anniversary, and 13 at top as a tribute to the troops recently killed in Afghanistan. Check it out on Beach 127th.

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The twentieth anniversary of 9/11 is Saturday. “Never forget” is an appropriate term because we never will and never can. There is no right way to honor those who were taken that day. The day remains extraordinarily

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Life is a bit sadder around here this week with the heartbreaking news that Patricia McFadden, mother of Katie McFadden, our Managing Editor, and a great supporter of The Rockaway Times herself, died this week. Arrangements are pending.

 

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You know what they say, you don’t want to own a boat, you want a friend with a boat. If you’re short on such friends, you still have the option of renting a boat. And if you do, you can do worse than renting a pontoon boat out of Marina 59 in

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So Governor Cuomo gave a two week notice (thanks to Patrick Goldberg for that). Congratulations and best of luck to the next governor, Kathy Hochul (rhymes with local).

Kathy: End the toll on the Cross Bay Bridge!

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Mini photo contest. August flowers bring happy hours. Rockaway has some beautiful gardens. Send a photo of your garden or favorite flowers to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and Robin Shapiro of the Shore Garden Club will select a winner who will receive a $100 Gift Certificate

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