🚔 New Precinct In Flushing + Bayside Student Pepper Sprayed Cafeteria

Good morning, Queens! 😎

• 🚨 Queens lawmakers are calling on NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell to open a new police precinct in Flushing after the area saw an alarming 81 percent increase in crime in the past year.
• 🌶 A student at a Bayside high school pepper sprayed the cafeteria, forcing an evacuation and requiring over a dozen students to receive medical attention. Let's hope this painfully inventive method of skipping class does not catch on.
• 🎃 For some reason, the NYPD has opened a haunted house in Bayside inside a formerly abandoned parks building. It's filled with 30 police officers pretending to be zombies, ghosts, killer clowns, and demon spawns. Thank you for your service, officers, I guess...?

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⛅️ Partly sunny; 🌬 breezy, cooler. High: 60 Low: 47.

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Here are the top stories today in Queens:

1. In response to the alarming rise in crime in NYPD's 109th Precinct in Flushing, elected officials in Queens are calling on NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell to create a new police precinct to oversee the neighborhoods of College Point, Whitestone and Bay Terrace. Currently, these communities fall within the 109th Precinct's jurisdiction, but because the area is so large, and its population is growing, residents have described the region as neglected and underserved by the department. In the past year, crime has increased by an alarming 81 percent within the 109th Precinct.

Queens Courier

2. A student at Benjamin N. Cardozo High School in Bayside blasted a substance believed to be pepper spray in the school's cafeteria on Friday, forcing an evacuation and requiring over a dozen students to receive medical attention. "After a pepper spray-style device was discharged in the cafeteria today, the space was evacuated and the school was placed on a hold which has now been lifted," said Jenna Lyle, a spokesperson for the city Department of Education. "We are working closely with the NYPD and FDNY on their investigation and will provide the necessary support and follow-up actions." This incident comes hot on the heels of a similar situation in a Manhattan subway station on Friday morning wherein someone shot off pepper spray, prompting an evacuation and at least one person being hospitalized.

New York Post ; Patch

3. Outgoing U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney is facing an ethics investigation by House Ethics Committee for unspecified reasons, according to a press release published Friday. The investigation into Maloney had been referred in June from the separate Office of Congressional Ethics and does not mean that "any violation has occurred." The committee said it will announce its final course of action by Nov. 21.

Patch

4. Homeowners who live near Kissena Park in Queens aired their concerns during a packed town hall on Thursday night to discuss flooding during storms that not only fills the streets but also inundates their homes. One homeowner said the flooding is costing her family tens of thousands of dollars, and that she is reluctant to file a claim with her insurance company for fear of her policy being dropped. "We expect home to be a place of comfort, where you can relax and not worry too much," New York State Sen. John Liu said. "Too many families in this area have to worry every time it rains. I mean, what kind of life is it when you have to worry about it when it rains?"

CBS New York

5. The NYPD's free haunted house "Terror on Totten" opened for spooky season on Thursday at Fort Totten in Bayside. The scary spectacle is open to the public on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays in October from 4 to 11 p.m. NYPD TARU Inspector Frank DiGiacomo is the mastermind behind the eerie attraction, which takes him and his team of 15 NYPD officers a year to design and build. The haunted house itself is located in an old parks department building that was abandoned for 45 years. "Obviously, we have a full-time job. So, when we can, we build on our downtime," DiGiacomo said. "A lot of my guys are very talented. I have electricians, I have plumbers, I have carpenters, so we're able to build this great place for the community." Thirty NYPD officers are contributing their frightening acting talents to the attraction, which includes zombies, ghosts, killer clowns, and demon spawns, and comes alive with the sounds of chainsaws, screams, and thunderstorms. Last year, "Terror on Totten" welcomed 14,000 visitors. DiGiacomo hopes they can beat that number this year.

amNewYork

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🗞 Hungry for more news?🍴Snack on these headlines:

• In Search of Queens' Best Street Food With the New York Mets' Resident Foodies (GQ)
• NYC launches first ever all borough composting program in Queens (CBS News)
• Jamaica and Far Rockaway recreation centers to offer extended evening and weekend hours (Queens Courier)
• Cops bust moped driver in fatal Queens quadruple shooting: NYPD (New York Daily News)

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🗓 To Do Today in Queens:

• Saint Luke's Church Rummage Sale (10 a.m.)
• Hellgate Farmstand (10 a.m.)
• Yoga: Songs of Love Foundation (11 a.m.)
• EEEEEATSCON NY 2022 (12 p.m.)
• Children's Harvest Festival at Far Rockaway Farms (1 p.m.)
• Bunker Launch Bonanza: Brass Queens Performance (6 p.m.)
• Festa di Italia Pasta Night (7 p.m.)

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🗣 Queens Chatter:

• 👂 Listen up teens: "Teens: Join this conversation with an expert! College Essay Guy will teach you how to create an outstanding personal statement for your college applications that demonstrates your core values and intelligence. Join us on Tuesday, Oct. 11 at 6 p.m. https://queenslib.org/3Uw0WfW" (Queens Public Library via Facebook)
• 🚲 New bike lanes!: "A big win for #BikeQns : @DOT announced upcoming protected bike lanes and shortened pedestrian crossings in Woodside, on 34th Ave. from Broadway to 69th Street! There will also be new standard bike lanes on 59th Street and 60th Street between 34th Avenue and 39th Avenue." (Council Member Julie Won via Twitter)
• 🔋 Get rid of your harmful products: "#NYC: we know you have harmful products to get rid of, so let us handle it! Bring your items to our SAFE event tomorrow, in Cunningham Park 10 a.m.-4 p.m. See what you can bring & tag someone: http://nyc.gov/safeevents #queensnyc" (NYC Sanitation via Twitter)
• 📺 Free moving image technologies class: "In this free class, parents will explore fun, therapeutic activities using moving image technologies, learning new media and games that are easily teachable to kids. Over the course of five Wednesday sessions starting Oct 12, parents will use digital media to animate, collage, interview, edit, and connect with other parents. Limited spaces left, sign up today!" (Museum of the Moving Image via Facebook)
• 🌽 This weekend looks like a perfect one to spend on the farm: "Skies are clear and it's going to be a beautiful long weekend on the Farm! Bring your picnic blanket and enjoy the crisp fall air by exploring our 47 acres of historic farmland and all it has to offer. For more info, visit https://www.queensfarm.org/october-on-the-farm/" (The Queens County Farm Museum via Facebook)

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Events:

• JUST LISTED FOR RENT! "Whitestone's Finest Waterfront Retreat" (October 8)
• Saint Luke's Church Rummage Sale (October 8)
• EmblemHealth Healthier Futures Wellness Expo: Free Live Music & More! (October 8)
• Celebrate Free Laundry Day at 4 Clean Rite Center locations (October 10)
• "Fence Your Best" Film Screening (October 12)
• City Gate Productions Presents: Rabbit Hole by David Lindsay-Abaire (October 14)
• Poppenhusen's Fall Festival (October 15)
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• Behind The Scoreboard — Mini-Pitch Soccer Arrives in Yonkers (Details)
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You're all caught up for today! I'll see you back in your inbox tomorrow morning with your next update.

— Emma Radu Fighera

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Queens Daily? Contact me at queens@patch.com