June 9, 2020 By Michael Dorgan State senator Jessica Ramos has introduced a bill this week that would prevent the police from using military-style weapons on civilians. Bill S.8516 bans law enforcement from using rubber bullets and tear gas on demonstrators. It also calls on law enforcement to destroy any chemical weapons in their possession. Ramos wants aggressive… Read more »
June 9, 2020 By Christian Murray A street in Queens is going to be co-named and painted to commemorate the Black Lives Matter movement, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today. The mayor said that a street in each borough will be co-named after the movement and the city will work with community activists to paint… Read more »
June 9, 2020 By Allie Griffin The Queens District Attorney’s office has launched a Major Economic Crimes Bureau to investigate and prosecute a variety of large-scale financial crimes, Queens DA Melinda Katz announced today. The bureau will target organized groups engaging in check-cashing and credit card fraud, fishing and identity theft schemes, auto theft, insurance… Read more »
June 9, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City’s health care program for low-income New Yorkers is coming to Queens as the city begins to recover from the coronavirus pandemic. The effort to guarantee health care for all New Yorkers called NYC Care is expected to reach 44,000 Queens residents. The program provides New York… Read more »
June 9, 2020 By Allie Griffin The number of New Yorkers testing positive for COVID-19 has dropped to almost zero. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today that only 1 percent of residents who took the test Sunday tested positive — the latest data available. “That is an amazing statement on what all of you have… Read more »
June 8, 2020 By Allie Griffin Hundreds of City Hall employees held a rally downtown this morning to protest the way Mayor Bill de Blasio and the NYPD have handled the demonstrations over the past week. The de Blasio staffers, consisting of both current and former employees, assembled at City Hall Park and demanded that… Read more »
June 8, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City started Phase 1 of its reopening today and city officials are calling on all New Yorkers to get tested. The city has significantly ramped up its testing capacity–as officials works toward a full reopening. Previously, only the elderly, those with underlying conditions, first responders and health… Read more »
June 8, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Mayor Bill de Blasio has vowed to slash funding to the NYPD and implement a series of reforms within the department. The killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis cop last month coupled with a series of recent NYPD beatings at protests has led to calls to defund the… Read more »
June 8, 2020 By Allie Griffin The Department of Transportation (DOT) will create four new bus lanes and five new busways throughout the city in the next few months — with the first to begin construction this month in Queens, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today. A .3-mile northbound stretch of Main Street in Flushing… Read more »
June 8, 2020 By Christian Murray Burglars have not been quarantining in many parts of northern Queens in recent months. The number of burglaries in many precincts in Queens North has undergone a significant spike this year, according to NYPD data. Reported burglaries from Jan. 1 through May 31 have jumped 46 percent compared to… Read more »