Aug. 17, 2021 By Allie Griffin The state is establishing a fund in order to buy economically-distressed hotels and convert them into permanent housing for the homeless and people in need. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed into law Friday a bill called the “Housing Our Neighbors with Dignity Act” (HONDA), which calls for the creation of… Read more »
Aug. 17, 2021 By Christian Murray A man was robbed at gunpoint in Astoria early Sunday morning. Police said that a 39-year-old man was walking in the vicinity of 38th Street and 28th Avenue when two armed men approached him and demanded his property. The suspects took the victim’s jewelry and other personal property and… Read more »
Aug. 16, 2021 By Allie Griffin Business owners who operate a bar, restaurant, gym or similar establishment must require their customers and workers to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination in order to gain entry starting Tuesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today. The businesses that fail to comply with the vaccine mandate will face fines… Read more »
Aug. 16, 2021 By Allie Griffin Queens council candidates who won hard-fought primary elections in June are now starting to focus on the November general elections. Winners of the Democratic primaries who secured victories against often-long lists of candidates will now need to beat off Republican nominees and other challengers in the Nov. 2 general… Read more »
Aug. 16, 2021 By Michael Dorgan The city will begin spraying pesticides to keep the number of mosquitos at bay in parts of western Queens on Aug. 17. The spraying–which will be from trucks–will begin at around 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday night and will continue until 6 a.m. the following day, according to the NYC… Read more »
Aug. 16, 2021 By Allie Griffin The population of Queens swelled by nearly 8 percent in the last 10 years, new data from the U.S. Census shows. The number of borough residents increased to 2,405,464 in 2020 — up 7.83 percent from 2010 when the last census was conducted. “The large jump in our borough’s… Read more »
Aug. 13, 2021 By Allie Griffin All students, teachers and support staff at Catholic schools in Queens and Brooklyn will be required to wear masks inside school buildings when classes resume next month. The Diocese of Brooklyn, which covers both Brooklyn and Queens, announced the mask requirement Thursday ahead of the first day of school… Read more »
Aug. 12, 2021 By Michael Dorgan A popular Astoria restaurant has won an award for its outdoor dining setup, while an Open Street in Jackson Heights has also been celebrated for revitalizing a section of that neighborhood. Blend Astoria, a trendy Latin American-themed restaurant located at 37-17 30th Ave., was named as having one of… Read more »
Aug. 12, 2021 By Allie Griffin A fundraiser for a group of Sunnyside businesses that were damaged in a fire Thursday morning has raised close to $20,000 in less than 10 hours. The fundraiser was started by Sunnyside Shines BID just hours after a four-alarm fire tore through a one-story building at the corner of… Read more »
Aug. 12, 2021 By Allie Griffin Police are looking for a man who allegedly grabbed a stranger’s butt inside a Long Island City subway station last month. The suspect grabbed a 47-year-old woman’s buttocks as she walked up stairs inside the 21st Street-Queensbridge F train station on July 30 at 8:30 a.m., police said. The… Read more »