Jan. 18, 2019 By Meghan Sackman Community Board 1 resoundingly rejected a rezoning application earlier this week that would allow for a 14-story building to replace a string of businesses off 48th Street and Northern Boulevard. The board, in a vote of 31 to 4, opposed plans put forth by developers Ashley Young LLC and… Read more »
Jan. 16, 2019 By Meghan Sackman Socrates Sculpture Park is at last advancing on its longtime plans to bring its first permanent installation on site—staff office spaces made out of shipping containers. Plans were filed last week for a two-story structure at the park, situated at the intersection of Vernon Boulevard and Broadway, in a… Read more »
Jan. 16, 2019 By Christian Murray Governor Andrew Cuomo urged lawmakers to pass legislation this year that would charge motorists a fee for entering Manhattan below 60th Street. Cuomo said that the charge, known as congestion pricing, would help fund a crumbling subway system by raising $15 billion in coming years. He said it would… Read more »
Jan. 14, 2019 By Meghan Sackman An 88-year-old pedestrian was struck by a car at an Astoria intersection on Friday and was declared dead the next day. Miguel Hernandez, who was a few blocks away from his 33rd Street home, was crossing Broadway at Crescent Street on Jan. 11 when he was hit by a… Read more »
Jan. 14, 2019 By Nathaly Pesantez The NYC Ferry system is set to undergo a significant expansion in coming months, with the Astoria route, connecting the western Queens neighborhood to Wall Street, getting a new stop at the Brooklyn Navy Yard this spring. Mayor Bill de Blasio, in his State of the City address delivered… Read more »
Jan. 14, 2019 By Meghan Sackman Police are looking for a 78-year-old man who was last seen entering the Ditmars Boulevard train station on Saturday. Police say Paraskevas Kokkinakos, who lives near 48th Street and Ditmars Boulevard, was last spotted at 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 12 at the station, where he was supposed to board… Read more »
Jan. 12, 2019 By Meghan Sackman A new Mediterranean restaurant opened in Astoria on Thursday. CimCim, located at 33-08 Ditmars Blvd, offers standard Mediterranean fare such as hummus, baba ganoush, falafel, beef and chicken shawarma, as well as shawarma bowls. The restaurant’s name CimCim is the Turkish word for ‘sesame,’ which is an ingredient used… Read more »
Jan. 10, 2019 By Christian Murray A liquor store operator who planned to set up a new store next door to a substance abuse clinic in Astoria was told by the State Liquor Authority yesterday to open up elsewhere. Xiao Wang, who operated the now-shuttered Baba Wine & Liquor at 3-15 27th Ave., went before… Read more »
Jan. 10, 2019 By Meghan Sackman A 24-year-old Brooklyn man who crashed his car on the BQE in 2017 and left a 25-year-old Astoria woman inside his burning vehicle to die was sentenced yesterday to four to 12 years in prison, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office. Saeed Ahmad, of Marine Park, was driving… Read more »
Jan. 8, 2019 By Meghan Sackman Council Member Costa Constantinides is set to introduce a new bill on Wednesday that if passed will mandate the city to determine the feasibility of doing away with its gas-fired power plants and opt instead for cleaner energy sources. The bill comes weeks after an electrical equipment malfunction at… Read more »