April 29, 2021 By Allie Griffin New York City plans to “fully reopen” on July 1, more than a year after the pandemic halted life in the city that never sleeps. “It’s time to set a goal for a full reopening in New York City and that goal is July 1,” Mayor Bill de Blasio… Read more »
April 27, 2021 By Allie Griffin Mayor Bill de Blasio released the city’s executive budget for Fiscal Year 2022 Monday and included millions of dollars in funding for speed cameras, open streets and bike lanes among other items. The $98.6 billion “Recovery Budget” has been padded with federal stimulus money to help New York City… Read more »
April 28, 2021 By Allie Griffin A slew of state-imposed COVID-19 restrictions on bars and restaurants will be lifted next month. Previous executive orders that Governor Andrew Cuomo imposed on the businesses at the height of the pandemic — such as curfews, the required food with alcohol purchase rule, and the suspension of bar service… Read more »
April 28, 2021 By Allie Griffin Students attending St. John’s University in the fall will need to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 before class begins. The university announced last Wednesday that all students who plan to attend in-person classes next semester will be required to be fully vaccinated. COVID-19 shots are now available to all… Read more »
April 27, 2021 By Allie Griffin A bill that would ban the sale of cats and dogs at pet stores in New York is making headway in the state legislature. The legislation — sponsored by Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal and State Sen. Michael Gianaris — is set to move for a full vote on the… Read more »
April 26, 2021 By Allie Griffin It could have been a whole lot worse. The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that New York State will be losing one seat in the House of Representatives. The decline was less severe than many New Yorkers feared, with many expecting the state to lose two seats. The loss… Read more »
April 26, 2021 By Allie Griffin Astoria residents will have the chance to receive a tote bag filled with goodies if they shop at eight or more local stores in the neighborhood this week. The giveaway is part of a spring “shopping crawl” hosted by the organization Shop Small Astoria. The crawl, which began today,… Read more »
April 26, 2021 By Allie Griffin The entrance to Borough Hall has been adorned with a new address to greet visitors for years to come. Queens Borough Hall has been given a new vanity address in honor of late Queens Borough President Claire Shulman. The address of the Kew Gardens building, where Shulman served as… Read more »
April 19, 2021 By Allie Griffin More than 40 public schools in western Queens will receive a collective $33 million in funding from the recently-passed New York state budget, State Sen. Mike Gianaris announced Friday. The schools will gradually receive their portion of the funds on a monthly basis beginning in September, Gianaris said. The… Read more »
April 16, 2021 By Allie Griffin Thousands of residents fled western Queens in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report published by the real estate group CBRE. The report — which analyzed 29 million USPS address changes across the nation — found that nationwide people last year vacated large, costly cities in much… Read more »