Nov. 30, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City public schools will reopen in-person learning to elementary school students next Monday, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Sunday. Students in 3-K and Pre-K programs as well as those in grades K through 5 will return to school buildings on Monday, Dec. 7. Students with disabilities will… Read more »
Nov. 25, 2020 By Allie Griffin Ten Queens restaurants have received grants to help cover the cost of setting up their outdoor dining areas for winter weather. The eateries each won $5,000 to winterize their outdoor seating areas from the food delivery service DoorDash in partnership with the non-profit NYC Hospitality Alliance. The money can… Read more »
Nov. 23, 2020 By Allie Griffin State Senator Michael Gianaris is calling for the college entrance SAT exam to be held remotely amid rising coronavirus cases nationwide. Gianaris penned a letter to the CEO of the College Board — which administers the SAT exam to high schoolers — to advise against in-person testing. He called… Read more »
Nov. 23, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City’s Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg announced today that she is stepping down from the de Blasio administration. Trottenberg, who has served as the Department of Transportation (DOT) head since 2014, will leave her post in early December. During her seven-year tenure, the commissioner led the way on… Read more »
Nov. 23, 2020 By Allie Griffin The operators of an underground swingers club in Astoria were busted over the weekend for violating COVID-19 restrictions. Cops shut down the swingers meet-up at 40-19 20th Ave. where more than 80 people were found partying at the location in a COVID-19 yellow zone. Officers from the NYC Sheriff’s… Read more »
Nov. 23, 2020 By Allie Griffin A council member who represents parts of Brooklyn and Queens introduced a bill Thursday that would allow restaurants to add a 15 percent surcharge to the tab if they pay all their employees a base wage of at least $15 per hour. Council Member Antonio Reynoso, who represents parts… Read more »
Nov. 20, 2020 By Allie Griffin An innocent man who had been incarcerated for more than a quarter century was released from prison after a Queens judge tossed his 1995 murder conviction Thursday. Ernest “Jaythan” Kendrick became a free man after Queens Supreme Court Justice Joseph Zayas vacated the murder conviction and dismissed the indictment… Read more »
Nov. 19, 2020 By Allie Griffin Indoor dining will likely end and gyms will likely close in the next week or two as New York City looks to combat a second wave of the coronavirus, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday morning. The closures will come if New York City enters a state-mandated “orange zone,”… Read more »
Nov. 19, 2020 By Allie Griffin Forty-eight apartments in a newly constructed building in Long Island City are up for grabs through the city’s ‘affordable’ housing lottery — but only for those who make at least $73,920 a year. The building is located at 45-57 Davis St. and includes a mix of studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom… Read more »
Nov. 18, 2020 By Allie Griffin The Queens COVID-19 yellow zone has been expanded northward to cover parts of Astoria, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday. Cuomo said the COVID-19 positivity rate of Astoria reached 2.5 percent, putting it into a yellow zone — one of three zones where state-imposed restrictions apply to bring down the… Read more »