April 27, 2020 By Allie Griffin Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that 100 miles of New York City streets will be turned over to pedestrians as the coronavirus pandemic continues into warmer months. The announcement follows weeks of pressure from the City Council and advocacy groups who have called for car-free streets amid the outbreak…. Read more »
April 27, 2020 By Allie Griffin Two Muslim women running for elected office were kicked of the ballot by the Board of Elections Thursday — and several of their supporters say the ruling was based on xenophobia. The BOE removed Mary Jobaida, who aims to unseat Cathy Nolan in Assembly District 37, and Moumita Ahmed,… Read more »
April 26, 2020 By Michael Dorgan A Manhattan-based civic group has called on President Donald Trump to shut down the subway system to protect riders from rising crime and COVID-19. The group, the Central Park South Civic Association, is making its request a week after four council members—including three from Queens—urged the MTA to shut… Read more »
By Jose Martinez, THE CITY This story was originally published on 4/26/20 by THE CITY At the Fort Hamilton Parkway stop in Brooklyn, a “naked individual” delayed F trains while “chasing someone on and off the train.” At Rockaway Boulevard in Queens, two A train riders squared off, one swinging a heavy chain, the other armed… Read more »
April 25, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Governor Andrew Cuomo has canceled the special election for Queens Borough President that was scheduled to take place on June 23. The governor made the announcement by executive order Friday. The race was being held to replace Melinda Katz, who stepped down on Jan. 1 to become Queens District… Read more »
April 25, 2020 By Michael Dorgan (Update: April 26) A 23-year-old EMT worker was found dead with a gunshot wound to his head in an apparent suicide floating in the East River Friday night, according to police. Police discovered the body of John Mondello, 23, after responding to a 911 call at around 6:50 p.m…. Read more »
April 25, 2020 By Michael Dorgan City lawmakers have introduced legislation that would better protect whistleblowers from speaking out about safety practices at the workplace during COVID-19. The bill – which was introduced by Councilmembers Ben Kallos, Brad Lander and Speaker Corey Johnson at Wednesday’s City Council meeting – looks to protect essential workers from… Read more »
April 24, 2020 By Allie Griffin Mayor Bill de Blasio is pushing for a rent freeze for New York City’s one million rent-stabilized tenants. The mayor is calling for a range of measures to assist New Yorkers unable to afford their rent amid the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting shutdown. He is also urging the state… Read more »
April 24, 2020 By Christian Murray The House of Representatives passed the $484 billion relief package yesterday that was supported by every House Democrat except for Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Ocasio-Cortez, who represents New York’s 14th Congressional district–the hardest hit district by COVID-19 in the nation, took exception to the bill arguing that it did little… Read more »
April 24, 2020 By Allie Griffin Dozens of poets have put together an illustration of the beauty and resilience of Queens with an interactive recorded poetry project. Queensbound, founded in 2018 by writer KC Trommer, collects poems about the borough — from Long Island City to Jamaica — and embeds audio recordings of each at… Read more »