On Friday, Rockaway commemorates the 25th anniversary of 9/11. See our special section this week in the centerfold with a variety of stories surrounding that tragic day and how the community was impacted. Rockaway will Never Forget.
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Help us tell Rockaway’s stories. As The Rockaway Times continues to grow—this week’s edition is 56 pages—we need more writers to help us share unique accounts of life on our peninsula. If you have experience as a writer and are interested in penning articles on a freelance basis, please send a letter to editor@rockawaytimes.com.
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Dirt-Bike Devils. A United States Park Police officer was badly injured in Ft. Tilden last week when his ATV flipped while trying to pull over three dirt bikes. At least one of the bikes collided with the ATV causing it to flip, according to the National Park Service. The three bikers then fled to Brooklyn and were last sighted on Nostrand Ave. The officer was taken to the hospital in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries. The USPP released photos of the accused on Saturday.
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Last Swıngs of Summer. The NYC Parks Department will run its first annual wiffle ball tournament on the sand on Beach 81st Street on Sunday, September 13. The six-team double-elimination tournament will begin at 9 a.m. Each game will be 45-minutes long. There will also be activities for children ages 7-13, including a Dizzy Bat Competition and base running relays.
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Mother Nature has given us a challenging end to summer. In addition to strong thunderstorms, the beach has had a larger than usual number of jellyfish and sand flies recently. The jellies include red jellies that can deliver a painful sting. Experts say rinse the sting with large amounts of white vinegar, but few of us pack vinegar for the beach.
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Today is the first day of school for NYC Public Schools. (Parochial schools started yesterday.) Good luck to all the students, teachers and parents throughout this new year of learning.
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No School for AI. Last week, NYC officials announced a moratorium on the use of artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT, Grok and Claude in elementary school. The new policy bans the use of AI by students to generate images, reports, video and computers during the 2026-27 school year.
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The latest incarnation of the Subway Series begins tomorrow in the Bronx. In years past, a September showdown between the Yankees and the Mets would have been electric but with the Mets almost eliminated and the Yankees all but guaranteed a spot in the post season, not much is at stake. Still, our local sports bars should have plenty of diehards rooting for the blue and orange or the pinstripes. Check the Rockaway Time app for featured locations.
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Kudos to the Parks Department and the Friends of Tribute Park for working hard over the last week to prepare the Park for tomorrow’s September 11 ceremony. Special thanks to Rockaway WISH for placing red, white and blue bows around the park and Glen and Mike for repainting the exterior wall. Mike, a retired firefighter, painted the wall when Tribute Park was opened in 2005.
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On Tuesday, the tickets were pulled for the Tribute Park Mosaic Restoration raffle. The grand prize winner was Kara Brady, the wife of late Firefighter Patrick Brady.
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Partied Responsibly. Thank you to the Sunday partygoers on Beach 131st Street. Beach parties on Labor Day Sunday always go late into the evening. This group did a great job cleaning up after themselves and left at least eight full construction bags neatly stacked for the Parks Department to remove the following day.
