Sept. 28, 2020 By Allie Griffin Cyclists and pedestrians took over the south outer roadway of the Queensboro Bridge Sunday to demand that it be converted from a car lane into a pedestrian pathway. Bike advocates and several elected officials are calling on the Department of Transportation (DOT) to convert the lane into a pedestrian-only… Read more »
Sept. 28, 2020 By Allie Griffin Queens Congresswoman Grace Meng has received a barrage of racist and anti-Asian voicemails after passing a resolution in the House of Representatives earlier this month condemning such behavior. Meng introduced the resolution to denounce anti-Asian sentiment related to the coronavirus pandemic in March and the House passed it on… Read more »
Sept. 28, 2020 By Allie Griffin Coronavirus cases are continuing to surge at an alarming rate in Kew Gardens and have now begun to spread into adjacent neighborhoods such as Rego Park and Kew Garden Hills, new data shows. City health officials identified Kew Gardens, Far Rockaway as well as six Brooklyn neighborhoods as COVID-19… Read more »
Sept. 25, 2020 By Allie Griffin Two Queens police precincts welcomed new commanding officers earlier this week. Both the 104th Precinct and the 114th Precinct got new leaders on Monday. The 104th Precinct, which covers Ridgewood, Middle Village, Maspeth and Glendale, welcomed Captain Louron Hall on Monday. Hall most recently served as the commanding officer… Read more »
Sept. 25, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City’s popular outdoor dining initiative will now be year-round and permanent, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today. The “Open Restaurants” program, where restaurants can set up outdoor dining on sidewalks and streets, will continue into the fall and winter months, de Blasio said. The “Open Streets: Restaurants”… Read more »
Sept. 24, 2020 By Allie Griffin Queens State Sen. Jessica Ramos and City Comptroller Scott Stringer are calling on the city to make its Open Streets program a year-round initiative. The officials penned a letter to the mayor Thursday asking him to extend the program that turns specific streets over to pedestrians and restaurants beyond… Read more »
Sept. 24, 2020 By Allie Griffin A 27-year-old Woodside deliveryman died after he crashed his Yamaha scooter into a minivan in Astoria Wednesday night. Mariano Canales, who lived on 58th Street, was driving a blue Yamaha Chappy Scooter east down 24th Avenue when he ran into a white Chrysler Town & Country which was crossing… Read more »
Sept. 24, 2020 By Allie Griffin Astoria Council Member Costa Constantinides introduced a number of bills Wednesday that he says will make New York a greener, storm-resilient city. The first bill would require the city to create a set of resilience design guidelines for its capital projects, so that city buildings and infrastructure would be… Read more »
Sept. 24, 2020 By Allie Griffin The Queens Memory Project, an ongoing community archiving program supported by the Queens Public Library and Queens College Library, will celebrate its 10-year anniversary next week with a Facebook Live event. The project, in which volunteers record interviews with Queens residents, has collected more than 600 oral histories of… Read more »
Sept. 23, 2020 By Allie Griffin More than 9,000 city employees will be furloughed as the city faces a major budget deficit spurred by the coronavirus shutdown, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today. Thousands of managerial and non-union city employees must take five days of furlough between October and March, which will save the city… Read more »