Dateline: May 12, 2000 – We were the new kid on the block . . . heck, we were the only kid on the block!

A headline on the front page of the first PRESS of Southeast Queens read, "The Latest Buzz In Southeast Queens. . ." it was a reference to a feature story about a toxic leak in St. Albans, but it could have been about the "buzz" that followed the PRESS into local neighborhoods.

Finally, a publication by, about, and for the people of Southeast Queens!

We introduced a column by the Rev. Floyd Flake. . . in "Flake’s Take,"
the Reverend examined the growth and development of Southeast Queens . . . newscaster Gary Anthony Ramsay spoke out about
his "spin" on the area in
"1 Perspective," a column of
"News Briefs" gave readers from around Queens on area topics and
in "Borough Beat" we told the top stories of the day tidbits.

Readers saw themselves – in living color – in "PRESSPix," a weekly photo-journal of community goings-on . . . news of local schools would fill the "Notebook" column, and the PRESS "Faith" column told the story of local houses of worship . . . "People From The Hood" gave a close-up view of the accomplishments of local people, and in "What’s Up" we listed a calendar of events to come.

The PRESS "Action Desk" gave readers a new link to municipal agencies, "Queens Today" provided the most comprehensive listing of borough happenings, and "A&E" showcased the arts and culture of Southeast Queens . . . all this, and complete, comprehensive coverage of the news . . . no wonder the PRESS disappeared from distribution sites in record time!

We presented the city’s first face-to-face interview with the new School’s Chancellor Harold Levy in May, reported on a City Council-sponsored forum on police-community issues, and examined a $2 million makeover of Sutphin Boulevard.

PRESS Associate Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Marcia Moxam Comrie filled her weekly column with her thoughts on the "month of wonderful insanity" that preceded the first issue of the paper. . . Rev. Floyd Flake gave us his take on proposed Charter Schools, the Police Blotter gave a rundown on crime and criminals.

A PRESS deadline story examined "The Plane Facts About (Airplane) Noise," introduced the winner of the NYPD "Commissioner For A Day" in southern Queens, and outlined a plan for additional parking in downtown Jamaica.

Anita Smith and Jean Auguste of Southeast Queens . . . shot dead, execution-style. Ja Quione Johnson and Patrick Castro were survivors of the nightmare in a basement freezer at a Wendy’s restaurant on Main Street . . . the night of May 24, 2000 has been recorded as "the bloodiest" in the history of New York City homicides . . . the PRESS provided comprehensive coverage of the Wendy’s massacre, including a first-person account of the incident through an interview with a survivor, and an hour-by-hour "anatomy" of the police search for the killers – and their capture 36 hours after the massacre.

After 30 years in business Pooor Freddie’s on Merrick Blvd. burnt down in December.

Parents of students in Southeast Queens attended a Town Hall meeting with the new schools chancellor in June, and a year of bickering ended with a developer’s withdrawal of plans for a multiplex theater in Springfield Gardens . . . construction finally began of sewers in St. Albans, for years a flood-prone neighborhood . . . construction of the AirTrain continued, despite bitter protests by local residents, and politicians got ready to join in groundbreaking ceremonies for a new shopping mall in Jamaica.

A PRESS feature examined the problem of drug treatment centers in Southeast Queens, someone set fire to a crane at the AirTrain construction site, and we reported on a rise in reading scores of local students . . . we exposed a Jamaica water tower site that was rated one of the most chemically toxic in New York State.

Wendy’s victim Anita Smith was memorialized through a scholarship in her name, sponsored by Quality Services for the Autistic Community, where Smith worked on her "off" days.

JULY, 2000

A PRESS feature, "Southeast Queens On Ecstasy" examined the use of the designer drug that "frazzles young minds" . . . we reported on failures in Southeast Queens classrooms, where more than half the students tested flunked the standardized math test . . . a Queens Grand Jury indicted the Wendy’s killers in a 50-count decision . . . we applauded a fourth-grader from Jamaica who scored "perfectly" on a New York State reading exam. . . residents in Springfield Gardens blasted the city for ignoring their pleas for a traffic signal at a deadly intersection. . . a PRESS feature examined the progress of construction on the AirTrain, and reported on Congressman Gregory Meeks probe into health care in southern Queens.

AUGUST, 2000

A PRESS feature examined "Kids Teaching Kids," through a Police Athletic League program that encourages teens to mentor youngsters . . . gifted students from throughout Southeast Queens joined a county-wide summer school enrichment program at St. John’s University and a debate continued with legislators trying to hammer-out a solution to ridding south Queens neighborhoods of toxic sites.

School District 29, at 1 Cross Island Plaza, became a center of controversy following the indictment of the School Board’s former superintendent connection with and the building’s landlord in computer bid-rigging scandal. PRESS Photos By Ira Cohen

A PRESS front page shouted the question, "Are You Registered?" . . . an article examined a sharp decline
in voter registration in Southeast Queens and a paroled career criminal shot and killed his boss at a St. Albans veterans home following a dispute . . . the gunman fled after the shooting . . . the battle over a superintendent for School Board 29 continued, and a strike by Verizon telephone workers almost put all of us on hold.

Former Assemblywoman Cynthia Jenkins was removed from the ballot for a Southeast Queens Senate seat after she was charged with petition fraud in Queens Supreme Court . . . a PRESS feature examined the deplorable condition of cemeteries in Southeast Queens . . . detectives at the 113th Precinct tracked-down and arrested the parolee charged in the St. Albans veterans home murder, and the "Queens Jazz Trail" tour traveled through local neighborhoods.

We outlined plans for renovations at Southeast Queens Long Island Rail Road stations . . . Hillary Clinton brought her Senate campaign to a Jamaica senior center. . . residents in Cambria Heights balked at the construction of a school annex in a space that "was" a park . . . we featured a story on the changing face of Southeast Queens’ neighborhoods.

SEPTEMBER, 2000

A Southeast Queens congregation sponsored heart surgery for a two-year-old boy from Kenya – the PRESS featured the story . . . new plans for the AirTrain construction promised lane closings and traffic delays on the Van Wyck . . . bids went out for estimates on the reconstruction of the Queens Hospital Center . . . workers who lost their jobs protested outside a Hillside Avenue HIP Medical Center in September . . . the maintenance workers were replaced after their contract expired, and school bells rang out, calling youngsters back to severely overcrowded halls of learning in Southeast Queens.

The PRESS released its endorsements for candidates in primary elections, a federal grant provided almost $1 million for a new College of Aviation at York College, and a PRESS feature explored a new breed of thieves who use your identity to steal in "Who’s Got Your Number?" . . . we reported on the results of the primary election, and on an appeal to the courts by a Southeast Queens civic group to stop construction of the Air Train . . . a federal study revealed that toxins from a waste site had contaminated some local water . . . the Loews Valencia Theater was granted landmark status . . . teams prepared to get the bugs out of St. Albans and Hollis by spraying for West Nile mosquitoes, and road construction snarled traffic to a standstill in downtown Jamaica.

The "Jamaica Father’s Project" was featured in a PRESS front page story . . . a local Community Board approved plans for senior housing at a vacant lot on Merrick Boulevard and the new FAA Headquarters in Jamaica opened, amid speeches and applause by local politicians . . . local youngsters signed their names on a replica of the U.S. Constitution at the King Manor in Jamaica, and a group of Southeast Queens moms were featured in a PRESS front page article, "Mothers Against Guns".

OCTOBER, 2000

Residents in Queens Village protested the construction of a motel on Jamaica Avenue . . . former School Board 29 Superintendent Celestine Miller was indicted, along with five other people in a $1 million kickback scheme . . . a Hollis woman became the first confirmed victim of West Nile disease in Queens in 2000 . . . the PRESS reported on the arrest of a man in the murder of a 13-year-old Springfield Gardens runaway, who disappeared in 1999 . . . a new school, named for the late tennis great Arthur Ashe, opened in Richmond Hill.

The PRESS attempted to help parents find their missing children in November.

Funding was approved for renovations at a weather-ravaged St. Albans park . . . two toddlers were maimed when a stray Rotweiler attacked them at their South Jamaica Day Care center . . . a PRESS feature reported on "Queens Women: Taking Care of Business and Succeeding" . . . we got ready to rumble in a face-off between the Mets and the Yankees as the teams battled for the World Series championship.

Southeast Queens residents "got on the bus" in October to join in the Million Family March in Washington, D.C. . . . Delta Airlines announced plans for a $1.6 billion expansion of its facilities at JFK International Airport, and a PRESS feature, "Parenting and Education" took a look at programs, happenings and developments on the "kid-front" . . . the PRESS examined a new facility at JFK Airport that offers high school students a chance to learn about aviation . . . plans for an air cargo industrial park in Springfield Gardens were blasted by local Community Board members . . . and a PRESS feature dubbed "Historic Halloween" examined spooky goings-on at cemeteries in Southeast Queens.

NOVEMBER, 2000

A PRESS feature pleaded with Queens residents to give blood, citing an urgent need for donations . . . as Southeast Queens residents prepared to vote for a new president, the PRESS endorsed candidates in all local and national races . . . U.S. veterans called on the government at a St. Albans forum to provide more comprehensive health care, and an angry community spoke out about the indictment of School Board 29 officials in a scam that cost students valuable learning tools.

An out-of-control car driven by a 75-year-old man mowed down 27 people on Hillside Avenue in November . . . the PRESS was there . . . two black teens were beaten by a gang of youths in Oakland Park when they strayed from their church group while handing out "Get Out The Vote" flyers . . . residents complained that cement dust and noise-all-night was wrecking the quality of life in their Jamaica neighborhood, which is located adjacent to a construction project . . . a PRESS feature salutes Queens’ "sons and daughters" who serve the nation in the U.S. armed forces, and Gary Anthony Ramsay related the true tale of his "Fifteen Minutes Behind Bars" after he was arrested by police in Manhattan.

A Southeast Queens woman launched a foundation that searches for lost and missing children . . . the PRESS printed photos of some of the youngsters on its front page . . . local residents complained that construction plans at the Queens Hospital Center and at the site of a Springfield Gardens manufacturer were taking up too much space, and local residents voiced anger and concern over the Florida election fiasco that put the presidential race on hold.

A PRESS feature examined "The Cold Reality" of life on the streets for Queens’ homeless population . . . local youths dished-up Thanksgiving dinner at a Salvation Army center in Jamaica . . . the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation released plans to increase business on Sutphin Boulevard . . . a 71-year-old woman died after saving her family when a fire broke out in their Cambria Heights home.

DECEMBER, 2000

Congress allocated over $1 million for an examination of traffic woes caused by local revitalization projects . . . the PRESS featured "Victims of the Street" in a tribute to victims of violent crime, and Pooor Freddie’s Tire Shop – a 30-year staple on Merrick Boulevard – was destroyed in a fire . . . we reported on improvements at local schools and City Council efforts to rid local streets of gang-related violence.

A PRESS front page asked the questions: "Secretary Rev: A New Title For Floyd Flake?" . . . Flake was eyed for a cabinet slot by then President-elect . . . a Rochdale woman brought LIRR officials along for a frigid wait at a local commuter station, and we reported on improvements to pay phones at Queens subway stations . . . Jazz legend Milt "The Judge" Hinton passed away . . . a PRESS feature examined "Surviving Social Security in Southeast Queens."

JANUARY, 2001

We featured "A Seniors Survival Guide To Public Housing" . . . we reported on another drop in crime . . . the PRESS asked questions about 1 Cross Island Plaza following the indictment of School Board 29’s former superintendent, the landlord of the building and other in a multi-million dollar computer conspiracy . . . Rev. Floyd Flake turned down the cabinet post he was offered in December . . . we ushered-in a new year in Southeast Queens.

The PRESS reported on a proposed museum to honor black Americans and a U.S. postal stamp honoring Roy Wilkins . . . the fight continued as communities battled the Port Authority over airplane noise . . . we paid tribute to Martin Luther King . . . reported on a forum between parents and Schools Chancellor Harold Levy, and voiced local concerns over sidewalk merchants in southern Queens . . . stray dogs halted construction of the AirTrain, and community leaders cited their belief that a lack of parking was costing downtown Jamaica shopping revenues . . . a nursing strike loomed at Mary Immaculate Hospital, and a local community board vowed to not challenge the construction of a new school on Jamaica Avenue.

FEBRUARY, 2001

A PRESS feature zoomed-in on one of the men indicted in the School Board 29 scandal, and questioned why he is collecting rent from the School Board on a building in Rosedale . . . we examined a career center in Jamaica that assists local residents who are searching for jobs.

Five teens were rescued from icy waters in Baisley Park . . . the nursing strike was averted . . . plans were announced for a facelift on 160th Street in Jamaica, and a much-loved school crossing guard was killed in a traffic accident . . . as the AirTrain neared completion, the PRESS reported on employment possibilities that will open . . . defective windows in local schools were recalled . . . a controversial industrial cargo warehouse plan was approved, and a plan for the sale of TWA airlines was announced.

A PRESS expose on the truth behind a City Council move to eliminate term limits rocked City Hall – and local City Council offices . . . riders voiced hopes that a city study would ease problems on the Green Bus Lines . . . a move began to name a holiday for black heroine Harriet Tubman, and a retired Southeast Queens educator called for reparation for African American slaves.

MARCH, 2001

Plans began to take form for the renovation of a dormant church building slated for use as a cultural center in Jamaica . . . Wendy’s gunman Craig Godineaux was sentenced to five "life sentences" in a grueling hearing at Queens Supreme Court, where victims’ families battered Godineaux . . . riders of the Q42 bus were up in arms in March, when officials at the line moved a stop on Archer Avenue without prior notice . . . officials at the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation asked the city to designate their building as a landmark . . . renovations on the Queens Hospital Center neared completion, and City Council members from Queens responded to the PRESS feature on term limits.

A state grant and business loan gave a Jamaica-based Wonder Bakery outlet enough bread to stay in business . . . just as "Pooor Freddie" was raising cash to reopen his fire-ravaged business, the community activist passed away in his sleep . . . York College held an Open House in March . . . the city announced plans to renovate water mains in Southeast Queens . . . Census officials shocked area officials when they announced that Southeast Queens could lost major funding when the numbers are counted, the City Council Term Limit Repeal was defeated . . . Southeast Queens residents were offered help in preparing their taxes, and the Jamaica Police Athletic League opened its doors to seniors . . . a PRESS feature examined the state of "Megan’s Law" in Queens, and outlined programs that identify child molesters . . . Hollis mourned the passing of activist Don Daily, and the widow and children of a Chinese food deliveryman killed in September, 2000 got a new lease on life – and a new apartment in March . . . the first AirTrain cars were spotted in Jamaica – and on the front page of the PRESS . . . the city tightened its control of X-rated clubs in Queens . . . a city report card issued low grades to local schools, and a PRESS feature honored Queens’ first black Assistant District Attorney.

APRIL, 2001

Funds for the cleanup of toxic waste in Southeast Queens ran out, leaving the community frustrated – and afraid . . . a PRESS feature "Keeping Kids Safe" examined kids and predators on the internet – and identified ways for parents to make sure their children are safe while surfing . . . warned readers of possible phone scams . . . updated the condition of a St. John’s University student who was shot in a March incident, and asked "Is Southeast Queens Burning?" in a front page article on burning issues.

Borough President Claire Shulman called for the resignation of Queens Board of Education member Terri Thomson – a move that made PRESS publishers question Shulman’s reasons . . . we featured the well-dressed Southeast Queens women (and job-seekers) in a March 26 article "Getting Dressed For Success" . . . we reported on a new indictment that charged a Wendy’s massacre gunman with the murder of Anita Smith.

MAY, 2001

A PRESS front page read "Get A Job!" and outlined efforts by young people to secure summer jobs . . . officials at Jamaica Hospital expressed concern over ambulance delays along the Van Wyck Expressway during AirTrain construction . . . the steel frame of a new downtown Jamaica mall held a promise of greater economic stability along Jamaica Avenue, and we announced the winners of a "Mother of the Year" contest sponsored by the PRESS.

The "Friends of Baisley Park" sponsored a senior day on May 10 . . . a new school was announced for Jamaica Avenue . . . residents protested the return of the Concorde to JFK Airport, and York College honored "Black Women of Distinction."

As we bid farewell to the first year of the PRESS and celebrate our first anniversary, we realize it was a year of mixed emotions, pride and great expectations . . . as we take our first steps into our second year, we await any new challenges – certain of our ability to meet them head on . . . we hope that our contribution to the communities of Southeast Queens will open doors for local residents and make the road a little less rocky.

To our faithful, first-year readers, we say "Thank You" . . . to the people we have written of – to the new moms and dads, brides and grads, we offer our congratulations . . . to our National League Championship Mets – hey, ya gotta believe!

And to the families of Anita Smith and Jean Auguste we offer our sincere condolences for their incomprehensible loss . . . to Patrick Castro and Ja Quione Johnson, we wish a million more miracles, and time to heal.

To the entire PRESS staff and management, here’s to a job well done . . . and so it goes.