High Tide
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Happy Thanksgiving. We are grateful for having loyal readers and simply awesome customers who have been so supportive this year (and every year!). We wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving.
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Don’t expect any final call on the NYS Assembly race between Stacey Pheffer Amato and Tom Sullivan this week. Ballots are still being counted and with this being a holiday week we expect no news on that front. The Queens Chronicle reported that just seven (7!) votes separate the two. Being so close, and with a lawsuit filed by Amato’s team, a recount is also expected. Let’s hope it’s sorted out soon, though calling the Queens Board of Elections doesn’t instill much confidence in the process. We asked one person for info on the race, and she said, “I have no idea” and transferred our call. The next person said, “they’re still counting.” When we asked when that would end, we got another “no idea.” Want to try it yourself? Call 1-718-730-6730.
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Ho, ho, ho. Santa Claus is coming early this year. The Little North Pole lights up this Saturday, November 26, just a couple of days after Thanksgiving. The fun starts off with a pre-show at 3:30 p.m. with the show of shows at 4 p.m. The fun will be emceed by Joe Causi and co-hosts Sid Rosenberg and Todd Wharton. The holiday tradition, the 27th annual, is a seasonal highlight in Rockaway and best of all, funds raised goes to JDRF (the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation). Joe Mure and his band of merry volunteers deserve heaps of praise.
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Help us hit some milestones. The Rockaway Times Facebook page has 23,355 likes and we’re aiming for 24,000. Can you give our page a like? The RT Instagram account has a healthy 12,500 followers and we’d love a follow. And all this Social Media stuff reminds us to remind you: join our weekly email blast and get the full Rockaway Times in your inbox. Shoot us an email at Mail@Rockawaytimes.com and we’ll sign you right up.
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Over the summer, to fend off soaring gas prices, Governor Hochul and state lawmakers agreed to a suspension of New York State’s gas tax, helping drivers save about 17 cents per gallon. With gas prices on the rise again over the last couple of weeks, there’s a push by lawmakers to extend the gas break past the original December 31st deadline. Coulda fooled us, we thought the taxes had to be back on already, with prices so high.
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Another plus for Beach 116th…The Rose Den, a new DIY cocktail bar with food, art and entertainment is opening at the old Lola Star location (174 B. 116th). They’ll be hosting an open house event on Wednesday, 11/23 from 5 p.m. on.
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It feels like it gets dark right after lunch these days, so it was a welcome sight to see Beach 116th getting festive as holiday lights were strung up last week and brightened the street. Much thanks for the merchants and supporters of Beach 116th who helped make it happen!
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Want to skip Black Friday and maybe do something that’s basically on the other end of the spectrum? Go to Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge: Winter Plant ID tour. No flowers? No leaves? No problem! Learn some simple techniques to help you identify trees, shrubs and all types of plants even in the winter. The free tour starts Friday at 12:30. Space is limited so please call (718) 318-4340 to make a reservation.
