Oct. 16, 2020 By Allie Griffin Local elected officials and safe street advocates are calling on the Department of Transportation (DOT) to mitigate traffic issues along a busy roadway in Astoria where a restaurant deliveryman recently lost his life. The officials say a stretch of 24th Avenue near P.S. 85 is ridden with truck traffic,… Read more »
Oct. 15, 2020 By Allie Griffin Less than half of public school students in New York City are enrolled in blended learning, in which they combine in-person and remote learning. More and more students and their parents are opting out of the blended model in favor of fully remote learning, according to data released by… Read more »
Oct. 15, 2020 By Allie Griffin The City Council passed a bill today to extend New York City’s outdoor dining program through next September — and at that point make a variation of it permanent. The legislation extends the current outdoor dining program called “Open Restaurants” until Sept. 30, 2021. The current program allows eateries… Read more »
Oct. 14, 2020 By Allie Griffin New Yorkers — and all Americans — have just one more day to fill out their Census survey after the Supreme Court approved its early termination in a ruling yesterday. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of President Donald Trump Tuesday and allowed the administration to cut the count… Read more »
Oct. 13, 2020 By Allie Griffin Five EMS members of an Astoria squad recently tested positive for COVID-19. The five members are part of EMS station 49, located at 25-3 Hoyt Ave., and are out on medical leave as they quarantine and recover, according to an FDNY spokesperson. The spokesperson said that the department is… Read more »
Oct. 13, 2020 By Allie Griffin The popular Mexican food chain, Chipotle, is opening three new locations in Queens by the end of the year. Chipotle Mexican Grill plans to open a restaurant in Elmhurst later this month, having already just opened one in the neighborhood. The chain will also open restaurants in Astoria and… Read more »
Oct. 13, 2020 By Allie Griffin The Queens Public Library (QPL) is launching a free online book club so bookworms can connect safely to discuss their latest reads. Members of the book club will read one book every two to three months — with the first being “Hotel Angeline: A Novel in 36 Voices.” QPL… Read more »
Oct. 12, 2020 By Allie Griffin A massive mural featuring a giant heron, a cormorant and a glowing sunset is going up on a school building in Long Island City. The mural is being painted on the side of the Q404 Hunters Point campus building, which is located on Center Boulevard–across the East River from… Read more »
Oct. 12, 2020 By Allie Griffin A medical writer originally from Astoria will compete on Jeopardy tonight on ABC. Former Astorian Michael Zannettis will appear on the television quiz show hosted by Alex Trebek at 7 p.m. Monday. Zannettis will compete against returning champion Kevin Walsh, a story analyst from New Jersey, and another New… Read more »
Oct. 9, 2020 By Allie Griffin Astoria-native and New York Yankees pitching great Whitey Ford died Thursday night at his home on Long Island. Ford grew up playing ball in the sandlots of Astoria with the neighborhood’s 34th Avenue Boys and went on to spend his entire 16-year professional baseball career as a New York… Read more »