Month: July 2013

Construction of outdoor movie set at Kaufman Astoria begins

July 24, By Bill Parry
The construction of an outdoor movie set began at the Kaufman Astoria Studios last week as Western Queens continues to take on more of a Hollywood flavor. The expansion, which was part of a thought-out process since the 1980s,…

Violent teens disturb Astoria parkgoers on Saturday

July 22, Staff Report
Five teenagers were arrested in Astoria Park for robbing two men on Saturday, according to police. The alleged incident took place at 6:50 pm after a teenage girl confronted two Hispanic men and demanded that one of them hand over his cell phone and mini speakers.…

Bohemian Hall teams up with Astoria Market vendors for outdoor, weeknight event

July 22, By Bill Parry
A group of local artists, bakers and designers set up shop outside the oldest beer garden in New York last Wednesday night for an event called “NY’s best browsing with brews” Nearly 20 vendors from the Astoria Market sold their wares outside the Bohemian Hall &…

Astoria musician gets some YouTube attention

July 16, By Bill Parry
An Astoria musician’s ode to summer fun is creating a buzz on YouTube with nearly 1200 views in two weeks. The song, “In the Summa”, is performed by Joe Summa, an alter ego of guitarist Joe Pepe.…

Two men break into Jackson Hole Diner, steal ATM machine

July 16, Staff report Police are searching for a pair of brazen thieves who entered the Jackson Hole Diner and walked out the door with the ATM. One of the suspects entered the 69-35 Astoria Boulevard diner at around 4:25 a.m.…

Vallone wants Ed Koch’s name gone from Queensboro Bridge

July 14, By Christian Murray
City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. wants Ed Koch’s name to be taken off the Queensboro Bridge. Vallone told the New York Post that he is drafting legislation to restore the crossing’s historic moniker and to name Manhattan’s Municipal Building after Koch instead.…

NYPD: Three men rob Astoria clothing boutique

July 12, Staff Reports
The police are searching for three men who held up an Astoria clothing store at gunpoint Wednesday and made off with $1,000 in cash and merchandise. The suspects entered Long Island City Kleaners, which is located at 45-03 Broadway,…

Bikini bar’s application for a liquor license is denied

July 9, By Christian Murray
The State Liquor Authority (SLA) turned down a liquor license application for a proposed bikini bar in Astoria last week. The operators of Racks, located at 19-26 Steinway Street, upset neighborhood residents last year when they refused to sign an agreement stating the club would not be turned in adult entertainment venue.…

Two new bookstores about to open in Astoria

July 7, By Bill Parry Astoria bibliophiles will have plenty to celebrate this summer. Enigma Bookstore will open at 33-17 Crescent Street next weekend. The neighborhood, which has been without a bookstore since Seaborn closed in 2011, will now have two,…