May 5, 2021 By Christina Santucci Community Board 1 voted to approve a plan last month that calls for an additional floor to be built at an Astoria middle school. The board, by a vote of 21-17, approved an application filed by Trinity Lutheran Church to add an extra floor to its three-story school building… Read more »
May 4, 2021 By Ryan Songalia Two city council members seeking higher office exchanged endorsements on Tuesday. Jimmy Van Bramer, who represents the 26th District in western Queens, and Brad Lander of the 39th District in Brooklyn cross endorsed in their races for Queens Borough President and City Comptroller, respectively. Both are term-limited in their… Read more »
May 4, 2021 By Christian Murray A 22-year-old Asian man was assaulted in an unprovoked attack in a Long Island City subway station last month—and police are investigating the incident as a hate crime. Police released video today of the suspect who allegedly approached the victim from behind at the Queens Plaza subway station and… Read more »
May 4, 2021 By Christina Santucci Lime – a micro-mobility company that operates e-scooter and bike rental programs – recently began its rollout of electric mopeds in several parts of the city, including western Queens. The company plans to initially deploy 100 mopeds in lower Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, and a spokesperson said that number… Read more »
May 4, 2021 By Christian Murray The state senate passed a bill last week that mandates that all drinking fountains at public parks be tested for lead on an ongoing basis. The bill, sponsored by State Sen. Mike Gianaris, would require that drinking fountains in all city, state and local parks across New York be… Read more »
May 3, 2021 By Ryan Songalia Queens Borough President Donovan Richards has endorsed Eric Adams in the race to be mayor—backing the only candidate in the mayoral contest who is a borough president. Richards, who is deep in his own reelection campaign, gave a vote of confidence to Adams, the Brooklyn Borough President, calling him… Read more »
May 3, 2021 By Christina Santucci A GoFundMe for the delivery worker killed when a driver plowed into an outdoor dining structure in Astoria Thursday has raised more than 10 times its original goal in less than 48 hours. The fundraiser, which was setup by Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani to collect donations for the family of… Read more »
May 3, 2021 By Christina Santucci A slew of elected officials were joined by thousands of supporters in downtown Flushing Sunday afternoon – in a show of solidarity against hatred and bias directed at Asian Americans. The event, called “We Belong Here: Queens Rises Against Hate March,” began with remarks from politicians and community leaders… Read more »
April 30, 2021 Op-ed by Dietmar Detering The decision to close Indian Point, the nuclear plant located 35 miles north of NYC, is wrongheaded, and will result in more pollution for residents of western Queens—setting New York back decades on climate action. One might think that with passage of New York State’s celebrated Climate Leadership… Read more »
April 29, 2021 By Ryan Songalia State Sen. Jessica Ramos was among the first to endorse Scott Stringer when he announced his candidacy last year for Mayor of New York City. On Wednesday she became the first to withdraw her support, rescinding her endorsement just hours after Jean Kim, a political consultant, accused him of… Read more »