June 1, 2020 Staff Report Council Member Costa Constantinides, who represents Astoria and East Elmhurst, is running to be the next Queens Borough President. We spoke to Constantinides early last week, before the national outrage following the death of George Floyd took hold. The focus of the discussion was largely about the looming budget problems… Read more »
June 1, 2020 By Christian Murray Demonstrators came out in Queens over the weekend to voice their anger over the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer. Hundreds took to the streets of Jackson Heights Saturday in a protest that formed in Diversity Plaza. Protesters in Jackson Heights chanted “black… Read more »
June 1, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Hundreds of jobs are up for grabs Wednesday as part of an online recruitment fair. The virtual fair, which is being spearheaded by Acting Queens Borough President Sharon Lee, will take place via the video-conferencing application Zoom on June 3 between 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. The event seeks… Read more »
May 29, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City is on track to reopen in about two weeks, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced today. The city will begin reopening June 8, Cuomo said at his daily coronavirus briefing, where he was joined by the mayor via a live video feed. “We are on track to open… Read more »
May 29, 2020 By Allie Griffin The fifth annual LIC Post 5K kicks off next month with a “virtual run” supporting the Hunters Point Parks Conservancy. The 5K typically brings more than 1,500 runners to the Long Island City waterfront each year, as well as hundreds of kids who participate in children’s dashes along Center… Read more »
May 29, 2020 By Allie Griffin The City Council voted to axe the terms “alien” and “illegal immigrant” from all official city documents, laws and rules Thursday. The terms are offensive and discriminatory toward undocumented immigrants, said Elmhurst Council Member Francisco Moya, who introduced the bill in January. The term to replace the phrases will… Read more »
May 28, 220 By Michael Dorgan A popular Manhattan-based vegan and kosher restaurant chain is now delivering to sections of Queens for the very first time. Beyond Sushi, which has seven locations spread across Manhattan, launched a new delivery service to residents of Long Island City and surrounding neighborhoods on Thursday. The company will be… Read more »
May 29, 2020 By Allie Griffin Council Speaker Corey Johnson introduced legislation Thursday that would require the city to open up sidewalks and street space for outdoor dining, with the aim of helping restaurants get through the coronavirus pandemic. The legislation — sponsored by several council members including Donovan Richards and Jimmy Van Bramer —… Read more »
May 28, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York businesses will soon be able to turn away customers who aren’t wearing a mask. Governor Andrew Cuomo said he would be signing an executive order today giving businesses the right to boot out any customer who refuses to wear a mask. The new directive, referred to as… Read more »
May 28, 2020 By Allie Griffin The city is sending more police officers to patrol the bars and restaurants in Astoria and Long Island City to enforce social distancing. The mayor said that the two neighborhoods are among nine “bar-heavy” districts across the five boroughs that will see more cops. Last week Mayor Bill de… Read more »