High Tide

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there! We hope you have a nice, relaxing Sunday filled with hot dogs, cold beer, and good golf. Be sure to check out the great photos of all the dads we received on pages 18, 19 and 20.
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Congratulations to all the graduates of the peninsula and best of luck in all your future endeavors.
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Rockaway Warriors Weekend is coming! Mark your calendar for the welcome parade for Hope for the Warriors, on Thursday, July 11. At around 6:30 p.m., the parade is expected to pass through Rockaway, down Rockaway Beach Boulevard to Beach 120th Street and then up Beach Channel Drive to Roxbury and Breezy Point for the start of a weekend of festivities on the water.
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It sounded like the plot of “Speed” was brewing when a Citizen app notification said an MTA Bus was stolen from Beach 116th Street last Thursday morning. We reached out to the NYPD to learn that no bus was stolen, in fact. The MTA reported the license plate for the bus as lost but forgot to remove the second license plate from the bus, so when it passed by a license plate reader, it came up as a stolen vehicle.
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Shout out to Sean Green, our local 17-year-old who attends Archbishop Molloy High School, who will be traveling with his family this week to compete in the U.S. Olympics swimming trials in Indianapolis. Best of luck, Sean! All of Rockaway is cheering for you.
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There was a great turnout at Buckley’s—Kennedy’s Run last Sunday. Rockaway Gliders represented with Pat Kilgallen and Katie Thompson as the overall champions. Great runs by Tom Kennedy, Pat Goldberg, Jimmy Buckley, Tom Patchett, The Riches girls, Brianne Carroll, Mary Whelan and dozens more. There is a Father’s Day run this Saturday on the boardwalk. Track workouts Thursday, June 13 and 20, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. All are welcome. For more information, call (917) 287-7280.
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Next Wednesday, June 19, we celebrate Juneteenth. On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers arrived at Galveston, Texas and declared slaves free. The Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Lincoln, had freed slaves two years earlier but because it was during the Civil War, the confederate states did not honor the President’s order.
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This past Tuesday evening, Barbara Toborg passed away. Barbara was the long-time chairperson of the Broad Channel Historical Society and worked hard to collect and preserve our history — especially following Hurricane Sandy. She was an integral part of the American Littoral Society, deeply supported the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge and was a member of the Broad Channel Civic Association. A former editor of the BC Civic Association newsletter, she also produced the BC Historical Calendar for 25 years and wrote the forward for “Images of America: Broad Channel”, the first published history of our island community. She was a good friend, a good neighbor and truly loved and was devoted to Broad Channel.
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St. Francis De Sales Catholic Academy’s 2024 Summer Concert will take place on Friday, June 28 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., and will feature The Ronald Reagan’s Big ‘80s Band. Must be 21 and older. Tickets are $40 and can be purchased at: https://ticketstripe.com/SFDSCA_Concert_2024
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Last week, just weeks before Manhattan congestion pricing was to officially go into effect, Governor Kathy Hochul indefinitely halted the plan. Interesting timing as they had already put up the camera sensors all over the city. But, it looks like at least for the time being, it won’t costs us more to drive into the city. Fingers crossed that it stays that way.