The Queens Courier Reporters LOOK BACK 

Expect West Nile Virus To Return In Summer
by HOWARD GIRSKY
Queens residents got a lucky break last year. They escaped serious illness or death from the West Nile Virus. But all indications from both the state and city health departments are that the West Nile Virus will be with us for years to come.
The City is now preparing for an outbreak next summer by studying the "potential impacts of pesticides for mosquito control."
We have not heard the last of the West Nile Virus.
Tragedy On The Boulevard
by Jessica Navay
Tragedy occurs on almost every street corner in the City, but Queens Boulevard has a death toll that outnumbers all others. The recent death of Sofia Leviyev, 14, raised an outcry from Forest Hills residents. While covering a march that demanded better safety measures for pedestrians trying to cross the boulevard, I saw a whole new side to the story. Instead of being just an observer, I became engrossed with the emotions of this little girls family. I could hear her mother from afar, coming through the crowd to see her daughters memorial. She screamed uncontrollably, as if she herself were hurt in the accident. In essence she was. Something has to be done. Screams like that should never be heard again.
Go Fight City Hall
by VICTOR ROSS
Queens is a county filled with activists often fighting lonely battles for lost causes. Douglaston locals proved that "fighting City Hall" is not an empty acronym. When Governor Patakis Transportation Department proposed to build two HOV lanes on the Long Island Expressway, which pushed the giant roadway virtually alongside their homes and into Alley Pond Park, they fought back and won. With the twin help of a lawsuit tendered by a bipartisan team of their elected officials and negative news stories, Governor Pataki relented and the project was cancelled.
The Story Of Elian
by ARLENE LEWIS
Elian Gonzales, the six-year-old boy, who miraculously survived the odds of a death-defying journey from Cuba to Miami’s shores became the object of battle between Cuba and the United States. The vendetta festering between the two since The Bay of Pigs in 1962 obliterated all sense of right, giving way to the nonsense of might. I applaud those rational, insightful individuals who separated themselves from the frenzy. Elian is home.