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Queens Voice  August 24, 2023 QUEENS - A Brooklyn man was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for beating Queens man to death with a baseball bat bringing an end to a 12-year-old cold case.  Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Gerald Griffin was sentenced to 25 years-to-life in prison for the murder of a 31-year-old man found naked and bludgeoned in 2011 in his Ridgewood home.  “We will pursue justice, no matter how much time has passed,” said District Attorney Katz said. “A murderer is going to prison and the victim’s family finally will have a measure of closure.”   Griffin, 46, of Sutter Avenue, Brooklyn, was convicted in May by a jury of three counts of murder in the second degree, two counts of burglary in the first degree, two counts of robbery in the first degree, robbery in the second degree, intimidating a witness in the third degree, attempted tampering with physical evidence, criminal possession of stolen property in the fifth degree and crimin

File photo Queens Voice  August 22, 2023 QUEENS - A baseball bat wielding skateboarder has been charged with attacking two people, one a 79-year-old man, with a baseball bat in a series of random attacks, prosecutors said. Matthew Lloyd was arraigned on charges of attempted murder and assault for allegedly clubbing two men with a metal baseball bat he wielded while riding a skateboard, said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. District Attorney Katz said: “The randomness of the attacks is as frightening as their brutality. As a city, we cannot concede our neighborhoods to those who would randomly attack. The defendant will be held to account for his alleged actions.”   Lloyd, 36, of 20 th Avenue in Astoria, was arraigned on charges of attempted murder in the second degree, assault in the first and second degrees, attempted assault in the first and second degrees and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree.  Queens Criminal Court Judge Anthony Battisti ordered L

Queens Voice August 21, 2023 QUEENS - Julio Fernando Pina-Illescas was sentenced to 17.5 years to life in jail for physically attacking a youngster relative throughout 10 years, starting when the young lady was 4 years of age. In a different case, Pina-Illescas has been accused of mishandling two other pre-high schooler young ladies, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced. “This defendant, now a convicted sexual predator, used his access and authority to prey on an innocent child,” Katz said.  “While we cannot take away the trauma caused by his acts, I hope the prison sentence provides a measure of closure to the young victim, who bravely stepped forward to tell us about the horrors she was forced to endure. My office will pursue full accountability in the separate indictment against the defendant.”  Pina-Illescas, 39, of Corona, was indicted last month by a jury on charges of ruthless rape of a kid and imperiling the government assistance of a kid, driving High Court

Health officials are urging New Yorkers to find ways to beat the heat. -Photo by VNSNY By Constance Washington, RN and Care Coordinator, VNS Health Plans  Queens Voice  August 15, 2023  NEW YORK - The record high heat this summer, alongside the number of days this season with dangerous air quality conditions , has many of us double-checking our calendars in the hopes that fall weather will soon be here.  Unfortunately, it has become increasingly common for elevated temperatures to go hand in hand with elevated levels of air pollution.  While we are all looking forward to temperatures going down, it has never been more important to take steps to lessen chances of overheating and limit exposure to poor air quality. Smog, ozone, and even smoke from distant forest fires can make breathing difficult and can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.  Having worked as a home health care nurse, and now as a Care Coordinator with the nonprofit VNS Health , I know firsthand how high

New York City Mayor Eric Adams hosts “Talk with Eric: A Community Conversation. P.S. 2, 122 Henry Street, New York, NY. August 10, 2023. -Photo Credit by Benny Polatseck/Mayoral Photography Office By Mayor Eric Adams Community Op-Ed Manhattan Voice August 11, 2023   NEW YORK - As mayor, it is my sacred duty to keep New Yorkers safe. I campaigned on making New York City a safer place to live, work, and raise a family, and now, after a little over a year and a half in office, we continue to see the results. Shootings are down an incredible 27% through the first 7-months of this year, and, so far this year, we have removed almost 4,000 illegal guns from our streets. Murder, robberies, and burglaries are all down, it is safer to ride on the subway, and hate crimes have declined.   This is the result of intervention–targeted, precision policing, but also a prevention-based approach to tackle the root causes of crime. The loss of even a single life due to violence is a t