Already, there have been results since Mr. Smith’s intervention. Jerry Antonacci, one of the loudest critics of the city’s plans to transform Willets Point, signed the fifth land deal last week—to sell the 23,000-square-feet property housing his Crown Container waste transfer company. And business owners say progress has been made on other potential agreements.

Published by Crain's New York Business on August 28, 2008.

Nassau police have declined to reveal how much money he has stolen in order to discourage copycats. The bandit is also a suspect in two robberies in July of Chase branches in St. Albans and Flushing, both in Queens.

Published by WNBC on August 28, 2008.

The bandit is also a suspect in two robberies in July of Chase branches in St. Albans and Flushing, both in Queens.

Published by CBS News (Channel 2) on August 28, 2008.

Segundo Penafiel, 25, of 111-05 Roosevelt Ave. in Corona, Queens, was arrested on a bus headed for Mexico following a joint investigation by the New York City Police Department, the U.S. Border Patrol and U.S. Marshals, police said.

Published by amNY.com on August 27, 2008.

Like Jose Reyes trying to steal second, Mets fans looking to score their own Shea Stadium seats better get an early jump.

Published by amNY.com on August 26, 2008.

Just a couple of miles down Roosevelt Avenue from the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, a couple of Elmhurst, Queens, residents warmed up against a backboard.

Published by The New York Observer on August 26, 2008.

Police want to question Garcia's boyfriend, Segundo Penafiel, 25, of Corona, against whom she had obtained a restraining order.

Published by amNY.com on August 25, 2008.

Chicago-based Levy Restaurants, the company that runs the nine eateries and the food village for the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, is conducting on-site job fairs this week to fill out their roster of 1,500 hourly workers.

Published by Crain's New York Business on August 25, 2008.

On a routine ride-along in Jackson Heights, Queens, last week, Alvarado stumbled across a downed tree, potholes and walls covered in graffiti.

Published by New York Daily News on August 24, 2008.

Jerry Antonacci, owner of Crown Container, says he reached an agreement earlier this week to sell his 23,000-square-foot parcel on 34th Avenue and move to Maspeth, Queens, should the city’s proposal pass successfully through the land-use process.

Published by Crain's New York Business on August 22, 2008.

One of the most vocal critics of the proposed Willets Point redevelopment says he has inked a deal to sell his land to the city.

Published by Crain's New York Business on August 22, 2008.

It happened at the intersection of 126th street and Northern Boulevard in the Willets Point section just before 11 a.m.

Published by ABC News (Channel 7) on August 21, 2008.

A group of business owners opposing Mayor Bloomberg's rezoning plan for Willets Point slowed traffic around Shea Stadium before yesterday's Mets game by putting on the streets trucks carrying slogans such as "Hands Off Our Land, Bloomberg!"

Published by New York Sun on August 21, 2008.

The bandit got his start with a half dozen robberies in Queens banks -- in Forest Hills and Astoria -- then moved on to Brooklyn, committing his last 15 heists in that borough. He's hit banks in Sheepshead Bay, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, New Utrecht and Borough Park, and he's not picky about which banks he robs.

Published by SI Live on August 20, 2008.

Performance varied widely. Students at Flushing High School, for example, took 69 more exams this year than last, and passed 44 more, but students at the High School for Arts and Business in Queens passed 10 fewer exams in 2008 than in 2007. Program organizers attributed some lower scores to the departure of veteran teachers in those subjects.

Published by New York Times on August 20, 2008.

The Flushing, Queens, man was extradited from London last year after being accused of providing Al Qaeda terrorists with cash and military supplies to wage jihad against U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

Published by New York Daily News on August 19, 2008.

Last Wednesday the city held public hearings on three huge land-use plans, but only two of those were widely reported upon: the rezoning of the Lower East Side and the redevelopment of Willets Point. The third hearing concerned Hunters Point South (formerly known as "Queens West") and the development there of 5,000 units of housing, 60 percent of which, according to WNYC, would be set aside for residents who earn between $55,000 and $158,000 a year.

Published by The New York Observer on August 18, 2008.

Alke initially told police that victim Adrian Moldovan, 50, was visiting his Forest Hills apartment about 3:30 p.m. after the pair had been out drinking.

Published by New York Daily News on August 16, 2008.

Two unidentified men had accused Harris of molesting them 20 years ago when he was a teacher at Cathedral Preparatory Seminary, an upper West Side high school.

Published by New York Daily News on August 15, 2008.

Flushing construction worker Raymond Chen, sitting in the Chinese cafe, said he plans to root for the Baltimore native while revisiting his family heritage.

Published by New York Daily News on August 15, 2008.

Today there's word that our two forthcoming ballparks, the Mets' Citi Field and the new Yankee Stadium, will open within a couple of days of each other this coming spring. The Mets stadium will host its first game April 14th, while the inaugural game at the House that Ruth Did Not Build will happen April 16th.

Published by The New York Observer on August 15, 2008.

The Mets will play their first game at Citi Field on Tuesday, April 14, against the San Diego Padres, according to Major League Baseball's draft preliminary schedule for 2009.

Published by CBS News (Channel 2) on August 15, 2008.

Benjamin Chao, 52, of Maspeth, felt the same way - and hoped the end of the Olympics would bring a new appreciation of China.

Published by New York Daily News on August 15, 2008.

Mayor Bloomberg says his $3 billion plan for Willets Point in Queens will become a reality despite opposition from a majority of the City Council.

Published by New York Sun on August 14, 2008.

The area known as Willets Point occupies an oddly shaped triangle in northeastern Queens sandwiched between Shea Stadium and the Van Wyck Expressway, close to a stop on the No. 7 subway line.

Published by New York Times on August 14, 2008.

The legal lingo didn’t exactly match Wednesday’s boisterous chants, but a day after their protest outside a City Planning Commission meeting made headlines, opponents of the city’s proposal to redevelop Willets Point made another statement.

Published by Crain's New York Business on August 14, 2008.

Supporters and foes of the Bloomberg administration’s plan to turn gritty Willets Point in Queens into a $3 billion development of stores, offices and apartments faced off Wednesday in a confrontation that grew emotional and raucous at times.

Published by New York Times on August 14, 2008.

Supporters and foes of the Bloomberg administration’s plan to turn gritty Willets Point in Queens into a $3 billion development of stores, offices and apartments faced off in a confrontation that grew emotional and raucous at times.

Published by New York Times on August 14, 2008.

Mayor Bloomberg's plan to redevelop gritty Willets Point in Queens is "doomed" unless the city guarantees it will not use eminent domain to take people's land, a majority of the City Council said in a letter Tuesday.

Published by New York Daily News on August 13, 2008.

Representatives from the city are expected to argue that the 75-acre Willets Point site, which has no sidewalks or sewers, has fallen into such environmental disrepair that there is little alternative to a full-scale redevelopment project.

Published by New York Sun on August 13, 2008.

Councilman John Liu, who represents Flushing, the city's largest Asian community, is irate.

Published by New York Daily News on August 13, 2008.

Hoping the price is right, the New York Mets set that figure as the average cost for the best seats next year during Citi Field's first season. While that's a 79 percent increase over this year, it's a small fraction of the $2,500 for the top tickets at the new Yankee Stadium.

Published by ABC News (Channel 7) on August 13, 2008.

It's tough to get a parking spot in Jackson Heights, Queens - unless you are City Councilwoman Helen Sears.

Published by New York Daily News on August 13, 2008.

The plan would revitalize a neighborhood next to Shea Stadium, including new shops, jobs and apartments.

Published by ABC News (Channel 7) on August 13, 2008.

Citi Field, scheduled to open in April along with the new Yankee Stadium, has 42,500 seats, down from 57,365 at Shea Stadium. But there will be about 39 ticket prices, an increase from the current 29.

Published by ABC News (Channel 7) on August 13, 2008.

Feinstein owns an iron works company in Willets Point. He fears the city would use eminent domain -- the power to take land by force.

Published by ABC News (Channel 7) on August 13, 2008.

Here's what qualifies as a bargain in New York -- $495 for a seat at a Mets game. That's the cost for the best seats next year during the Met's first season at Citi Field. Citi Field. It's a 79 percent jump over this year, but nothing compared to the $2,500 for the top tickets at the new Yankee Stadium.

Published by WNBC on August 13, 2008.

Queens Crap scored a copy of the letter Council members opposed to the Willets Point redevelopment plan sent to City Planning Commissioner Amanda Burden yesterday afternoon. The missive says, in part:

Published by The New York Observer on August 13, 2008.

Met fans are going to face a 79 percent increase in the price tag of the choicest seats at the new Citi Field.

Published by New York Times on August 13, 2008.

Citi Field, scheduled to open in April, has 42,500 seats, down from 57,365 at Shea Stadium. Prices for the best seats behind the dugouts at Citi Field cost $495. All the most expensive tickets for next year have been sold.

Published by WNBC on August 13, 2008.

But the breakfast was nowhere near the 15th State Senate District, which stretches from Ozone Park and Howard Beach to Glendale and Maspeth

Published by New York Times on August 12, 2008.

A day before a City Planning Commission hearing on the Bloomberg administration’s plan to remake Willets Point, a majority of City Council members plan to send a sharply-worded letter to the planning commissioner opposing the project.

Published by Crain's New York Business on August 12, 2008.

At a rental in Forest Hills, Queens, four young men called the Myachi Masters practice their tricks — a cross between tai chi, three-card monte, Hacky Sack and juggling.

Published by New York Times on August 12, 2008.

Though Mr. Bloomberg is no laissez faire diehard by any means, the three projects—the revitalization of Coney Island; the redevelopment of the industry-heavy Willets Point area by Shea Stadium; and the creation of up to 5,000 units of mostly middle-income housing at Hunter’s Point South by Long Island City—seem to have far more city involvement and restrictions than those typical of the economic development agenda of the self-described fiscally conservative mayor.

Published by The New York Observer on August 12, 2008.

Mayor Bloomberg's plan to redevelop gritty Willets Point in Queens is "doomed" unless the city guarantees it will not use eminent domain to take people's land, a majority of the City  Council said in a letter Tuesday.

Published by New York Daily News on August 12, 2008.

A majority of the City Council signed a letter firmly opposing the Bloomberg administration's proposed redevelopment plan for Willets Point today, demanding more commitments to below-market rate housing and the creation of a broad relocation plan for the existing workers and employers.

Published by The New York Observer on August 12, 2008.

The letter, signed by 30 members of the Council, marks the planned 61-acre redevelopment by Shea Stadium with additional uncertainty as it moves nearer to the end of the city's seven-month public approval process [here's the letter as a Word file].

Published by The New York Observer on August 12, 2008.

The main Willets Point landowners group had planned a big truck rally at the Mets-Pirates game, planning to stop traffic as the contest came to a close, but now per an advisory, the group has canceled the event due to rain.

Published by The New York Observer on August 11, 2008.

His endorsement of the plan, issued today, comes as the City Planning Commission gears up for a mega-hearing Wednesday, with throngs of community members expected to deliver testimony on proposed rezonings of the Lower East Side, the planned middle income-intensive Hunters Point South development near Long Island City, and the proposed redevelopment of Willets Point by Shea Stadium.

Published by The New York Observer on August 11, 2008.

The New York State Board of Elections has ruled that Jun Policarpio, a Queens congressional candidate accused of forging petition signatures, will not be allowed on the Republican ballot.

Published by New York Sun on August 8, 2008.