March 26, 2020 By Christian Murray Church parishioners throughout Queens and Brooklyn are contracting the coronavirus and the Diocese of Brooklyn is releasing the names of the churches where the sick recently attended. The diocese, which officially ended Catholic church services in Queens and Brooklyn on March 16, is making the announcements to let fellow… Read more »
March 26, 2020 By Allie Griffin A 43-year-old man was assaulted by a group of men who tried to steal his cell phone at an Astoria subway station last month. The victim was riding a northbound N train on Feb. 18 when several men approached him and started a dispute at around 11 p.m. The… Read more »
March 26, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City will release 300 more inmates from Rikers Island amid fears of the coronavirus spreading across the sprawling jail facility. The move comes after the mayor announced last week that 40 inmates from Rikers Island were set to be released on Friday. On Sunday he announced a further 23 prisoners… Read more »
By Yoav Gonen, THE CITY This story was originally published on 3/25/20 by THE CITY The city’s public Elmhurst Hospital in Queens has been overrun with seriously ill coronavirus patients — including 13 who died in a 24-hour span, officials said Wednesday. A spokesperson for the city public hospital systems said Elmhurst is “at the… Read more »
March 25, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City parks and playgrounds will continue to remain open — as long as people adhere to social distancing rules and avoid group sports, Governor Andrew Cuomo said today. Cuomo asked the City Council and Mayor Bill de Blasio to come up with a plan to patrol city… Read more »
March 25, 2020 By Allie Griffin Two Astoria advocates for small businesses have joined forces to support local restaurants, cafes and bars as the coronavirus pandemic takes hold of New York City. Neighborhood residents Jaime-Faye Bean and Jonathan Forgash launched “Astoria Together,” an initiative that updates the public on local restaurant hours, takeout and delivery… Read more »
March 24, 2020 By Allie Griffin The rate of new coronavirus cases is doubling every three days in New York State and the apex of the crisis is expected to hit in about two-to-three weeks, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced today. The State has failed to slow the spread of the virus, despite a near shutdown… Read more »
March 24, 2020 By Michael Dorgan A new hotline to report hate crimes and xenophobic-based incidents has been set up in the wake of the coronavirus spread and anti-Asian rhetoric. It comes after an uptick in the number of bigoted attacks against Asian Americans, according to Attorney General Letitia James, who announced the service Monday…. Read more »
March 24, 2020 By Allie Griffin Queens has the largest number of cases of coronavirus in New York City — which has become the epicenter of the pandemic in the U.S., according to New York City data released last night. There were 3,848 cases of COVID-19 in the World’s Borough as of 5 p.m. Monday…. Read more »
March 23, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York State will send hundreds of thousands of masks, gloves, gowns and face shields to New York City, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced today. The incoming supplies will ensure hospital staff in New York City can adequately protect themselves– and patients–as the number of coronavirus cases continues to rise…. Read more »