1991
War protesters rallied outside Borough Hall shortly after the start of Operation Desert Storm. |
War, its build-up and beginning, dominated the opening month of 1991. While most in Queens — and in the nation — seemed to agree turning Operation Desert Shield into Desert Storm, there were dissenters. Police were called to Martin Van Buren High School when students staged walkouts to protest war policies. A small, dedicated band of anti-war protesters braved a snowstorm to picket outside the Forest Hills office of Rep. Gary Ackerman, the lone Queens congressman to support the President’s Shield-to-Storm shift. Rep. Thomas Manton, said he and his constituents were “not convinced all of the alternatives to war have been exhausted.”
As Tribune staffers put finishing touches Wednesday night, Jan. 16, on its next-day issue, the sounds of the Gulf War bombings beginning and sirens wailing came through radio and TV news broadcasts. In the days that followed, reservists began assembling in ever increasing numbers at Fort Totten, Bayside, home of the 77th Army Reserve Command, for deployment to the Persian Gulf and elsewhere….
DA Richard Brown poses with confiscated Drug Paraphernalia. |
A Tribune investigative team penetrated Queens airport perimeter fencing and — without disclosing in print the precise locations – called attention to the need to close such security gaps…A special report by the newspaper spotlighted the adverse economic impact that Middle East developments were having on the air travel industry in general and Queens airport-related employment in particular… Civic groups joined the Uniformed Firefighters Association (UFA) to fight for the restoration of Engine Company 294, based in Richmond Hill. Less than a week after the Co. 294 shutdown, two brothers died in a blaze that gutted their home only blocks away from the firehouse…
Capt. Mario Fajardo of Flushing, an Ecuadorian who became a U.S. citizen, and graduated from the Citadel Military Academy, became the first Operation Desert Storm combat fatality from Queens. He was killed dismantling mines inside Iraq, a mission for which he volunteered in order to spare the men under his command…
UFA fights for the restoration of Engine Company 294. |
The mayor lent the prestige of his office to the U.S. Tennis Association proposal to expand U.S. Tennis Open facilities in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park from 17-acres to 31 acres, including three new stadiums.…
In March, Queens learned of a second Desert Storm combat fatality from the county: Sgt. Patvouvier “Bobby” Ortiz, 27, who grew up in Richmond Hill. He had been killed on a rescue mission behind enemy lines….
The federal tax evasion case against Rep. Rev. Floyd Flake and his wife caved in after the judge ruled that the congregation of the Allen AME Church in Jamaica had set up a church account for the minister’s use….Nancy Reagan, who would not comment on whether she was a native daughter of Queens, apparently was. She was born on July 6, 1921, as Anne Francis Robbins of Flushing. The Tribune reproduced the birth certificate showing her address as 417 Amity St., which in today’s street and house numbers and names, translates into 149-04 Roosevelt Ave. in Flushing.…
Judge Richard Brown before he was appointed DA. |
In May, taking a verbal swing at the news media, DA John Santucci announced his resignation as the county prosecutor after 14 often-stormy years…New City Council lines gave Queens five new seats, expanding the county delegation from nine in the outgoing 35-member municipal legislature to 14 in the new 51-member body….
In June, Gov. Cuomo appointed Appellate Justice Richard Brown as interim DA to serve out the remaining term of retiring DA Santucci….
Stroehmann Bakeries of Horsham, Pa., announced plans to shut down its landmark Taystee Bread plant in Flushing alongside the Van Wyck Expressway….
Mickey Z
Mickey Z : From his first days as a reporter for the Queens Tribune to his books and Web site devoted to exposing truth in context of history, Mickey Z has been an advocate for openness in government, religion and any other hot button issue that makes people mad. |
I first wrote for the Queens Tribune some 15 years ago...reportage, editorials, whatever they asked me to write.
Even after I moved on, the Trib never failed to give mention to my myriad efforts and offer support to a native son.
In the ensuing years, I’ve had four books published, with two more due out this year. I’ve lectured across the nation, including Yale and MIT, appeared on C-Span, and I now maintain a popular website: http://www.mickeyz.net.
Not bad for a high school grad from Astoria, huh?
Happy anniversary, QT. |
