Assembly District 38: A Manhattan federal judge sentenced Anthony Seminerio, a former state assemblyman from Richmond Hill, to six years in prison last Thursday for abusing his power as a lawmaker and extorting money out of hospitals, nonprofits and other groups in exchange for lobbying state officials on their behalf. Comment.

Queens: Haitian-American immigrants living in the United States can get free help applying for temporary protected status from U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Jamaica), his office’s executive director Brian Simon said Sunday evening at a gathering of Haitian churches in Hollis. Comment.

Queens: A bill sponsored by state Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi (D-Forest Hills) and passed last week by lawmakers attempts to give legislators a platform on which to build a more comprehensive alternative energy policy for New York, the Queens official said. Comment.

Council District 27: City Councilman Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans) joined Latino and black watchdog groups and other city leaders on the steps of City Hall last week to call on the mayor to stop fighting a court order that demands the FDNY improve its hiring practices for minorities. Comment.

Queens: The chief executive officer of the Queens Public Library and state Assemblywoman Michelle Titus (D-Far Rockaway) last week toured the renovations being made to the Arverne Library, which is set to open with a new look this spring. Comment.

Queens Borough President: A decade after the health care merger that brought St. John’s and Mary Immaculate hospitals under the aegis of St. Vincent’s and five years after that organization filed for bankruptcy, Borough President Helen Marshall’s office is disappointed with the outcome. Comment.

Queens: 2000 — St. Vincent’s Hospital in Manhattan merges with Catholic Medical Centers of Brooklyn and Queens, bringing together eight hospitals across the city. Comment.

Council District 19: Tension is brewing between City Councilman Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone) and Community Board 11 Chairman Jerry Iannece over Halloran’s role in appointing members to the board, which covers Bayside, Douglaston and Little Neck. Comments (2).

Mayor: A $750,000 personal campaign contribution from Mayor Michael Bloomberg that went through the state Independence Party and wound up in the hands of a firm headed by Queens Republican operative and Forest Hills resident John Haggerty is being investigated by the Manhattan district attorney’s office, the New York Post reported Tuesday. Comment.

Queens: TimesLedger Newspapers has moved into new offices on the same floor at its longtime Bayside headquarters at 41-02 Bell Blvd. following a two-month renovation. Comment.

Queens: Gov. David Paterson’s selection of Aqueduct Entertainment Group, which has strong ties to influential southeast Queens minister the Rev. Floyd Flake, to build and operate video lottery terminals at Aqueduct Race Track is being called into question by those who believe the pick may have been politically motivated. Comment.

Queens: From a gaming company to developers and construction firms, eight entities make up Aqueduct Entertainment Group, which was selected to install and operate 4,500 video lottery terminals and redevelop Aqueduct Race Track in Ozone Park. Comment.

Queens: February 2008 — Gov. Eliot Spitzer and legislative leaders select the New York Racing Association to continue its lease for Aqueduct Race Track, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course for another 25 years. Spitzer says negotiations are underway with interested parties for the video lottery terminal contract and the talks should be completed within a month. Comment.

Queens: Two top southeast Queens politicians’ involvement in a controversial charity group has put them in the spotlight of a federal investigation into the nonprofit, a published report said. Comment.

Queens: The 38-year Weprin legacy in the state Assembly will reach a 39th year after former City Councilman David Weprin soundly defeated Glen Oaks Village President Bob Friedrich in a special election Tuesday, according to preliminary results from the city Board of Elections. Comment.

Queens: The president of the New York Racing Association told a state Senate hearing on Long Island that the corporation would be forced to cancel the Belmont Stakes in June if it does not receive payments from the financially struggling New York City Off-Track Betting. Comment.