Author: schnepsrestagent

Queens DA Katz cruises to victory over two challengers to win second term

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Katz

Nov. 8, 2023 By Bill Parry Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz secured a second term as the borough’s top law enforcement official cruising past two challengers on Tuesday, Nov. 7, with nearly 67% of the vote with more than 97% of the scanners reported, according to unofficial results from the city’s Board of Elections. Howard Beach resident and criminal attorney Michael Mossa finished second with just over 27% on the Republican and Conservative party lines, while retired Judge George Grasso of Douglaston finished third with just over 5%, appearing on the “Public Safety” line. “First and foremost, I want to…
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Average rental price in Queens increased year-over-year nearly 3% in October 2023: report

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Nov. 7, 2023 By Ethan Marshall There was a 2.94% increase in the average rental price in Queens in October 2023 compared to the same month last year, according to a report from the MNS Real Estate firm. The year-over-year increase came despite the fact that rental prices for two-bedroom units actually went down 0.48%, from $3,441 to $3,424. This is largely due to more significant increases experienced with studio (5.40%) and one-bedroom (5.46%) units. Rental prices increased in studio units from $2,140 to $2,256 and in one-bedroom units from $2,588 to $2,729. Despite the significant increase in the average…
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Cops dismantle interstate gun trafficking ring; deals done in Astoria parking lot to Staten Island

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Nov. 6, 2023 By Iryna Shkurhan A seven-month investigation into an interstate gun trafficking ring spanning from Cincinnati to an Astoria parking lot resulted in the seizure of over 100 guns and the indictment of three individuals.  Over the course of five meetups with an undercover police officer at the P.C. Richard & Son parking lot on Steinway Street in Astoria this summer, the defendants sold a total of 97 firearms, including 17 assault weapons. The purchases by the plainclothes cop totaled $124,000 at approximately $1,200 per gun.  “Guns and the recovery of weapons on the streets of Queens are…
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Queens real estate group CEO noticing trend of looks of home being prioritized over amenities

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Nov. 6, 2023 By Ethan Marshall There appears to be a growing trend of prioritizing the looks of a home over its amenities among potential home buyers across the United States. Eric Benaim, the founder and CEO of the Queens real estate group and brokerage Modern Spaces, points to people’s desire for attention on sites like Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok for playing a big role in this growing trend. “We’re definitely seeing an uptick of people looking for apartments and homes where the developer has put a focus on design details,” Benaim said. “In the planning stages, we are working…
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One in three NYC homes on the market don’t sell: report

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Nov. 6, 2023 By Ethan Marshall A study conducted by the New York City real estate firm StreetEasy concluded that 35.7% of previously-owned New York City homes on the market don’t get sold. StreetEasy also concluded that the average listing spends a median of 89 days on the market in New York City, compared to…
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Budding business: Astoria’s first legal dispensary opens after months of legal woes

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Oct. 17, 2023 By Dean Moses Jeremy Rivera wept on Tuesday afternoon after cutting the ribbon on his new business: Astoria’s first legal adult-use cannabis dispensary. The shelves of Terp Bros sat full of marijuana flowers, edibles, pre-rolls, and various other CBD products as local elected officials flocked to the new shop at 3610…

New Council bill would delay Local Law 97 penalties on thousands of condos and co-ops for a decade

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Queens City Council Member Linda Lee.

Sep. 29, 2023 By Ben Brachfeld A new bill introduced in the City Council Thursday would relieve thousands of condo and co-op owners of penalties associated with Local Law 97, the landmark building emissions statute, for an additional decade if it becomes law. The legislation, Intro 1197, sponsored by Queens Democratic Council Members Linda Lee…