May 12, 2021 By Allie Griffin The city is expanding last year’s outdoor street dining initiative into a new program called “Open Boulevards” which will create multi-block restaurant street seating, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today. The program will create extra space for diners on roadways along 10 restaurant-heavy corridors across the city, including two… Read more »
May 12, 2021 By Allie Griffin Mayoral candidate Andrew Yang got a cool reception in Astoria Tuesday after he sent out an apparent pro-Israel tweet Monday night. Yang visited the neighborhood for an endorsement announcement and was then scheduled to join a local nonprofit to distribute groceries to families ahead of Eid al-Fitr, a Muslim… Read more »
May 12, 2021 By Christina Santucci The Queens Borough Board voted to approve plans for the first phase of Willets Point’s redevelopment Monday evening – which would include construction of 1,100 affordable apartments, public open space and a new public elementary school on six acres of land. The board, which is headed by Queens Borough… Read more »
May 12, 2021 By Christina Santucci In-person voting in New York City’s Primary Election gets underway one month from today. New York City voters will be able to fill in their ballots – for mayor, public advocate, comptroller, borough president and City Council – at the polls starting Saturday, June 12. The Board of Elections… Read more »
May 11, 2021 By Allie Griffin A minor fender-bender resulted in a violent assault in Jackson Heights Saturday, disturbing police video shows. The incident was sparked by a seemingly innocuous collision in which the driver of white Nissan Sentra pulled out of a parking lot on 70th Street at around 7 p.m. and hit a… Read more »
May 11, 2021 By Ryan Songalia Several elected officials gathered at a Rego Park playground Monday to show support for an Asian-American teen who was the victim of a hate crime and to promote legislation that aims to rehabilitate the perpetrators of such attacks. The officials held a press conference at Real Good Playground on… Read more »
May 10, 2021 By Allie Griffin A Long Island woman who allegedly drove drunk and killed a NYPD Highway officer on the Long Island Expressway last month faces up to 15 years in prison, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Monday. Jessica Beauvais, 32, has been indicted on charges of aggravated manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter and other… Read more »
May 10, 2021 By Allie Griffin The city will lower the speed limit on Astoria Boulevard, Woodhaven Boulevard and a number of other arterial streets in Queens in coming weeks, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday. The Department of Transportation (DOT) will lower the speed limit on more than 25 miles of roadway in the… Read more »
May 10, 2021 By Allie Griffin Students who plan to attend SUNY and CUNY colleges for in-person classes this fall will be required to be vaccinated for COVID-19, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Monday. The public state and city universities of New York are the latest in a growing list of universities that will require students… Read more »
May 10, 2021 By Christina Santucci Queens Congressmember Grace Meng announced last week that she has introduced legislation to promote education about the history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders – in an effort to combat anti-Asian racism. The bill, titled the Teaching Asian Pacific American History Act, aims to help eliminate discrimination and prejudice… Read more »