Feb. 25, 2019 By Christian Murray Two state legislators held a press conference in Manhattan Friday to announce the introduction of a bill that would stop landlords from raising the rent when they make capital improvements to their apartment buildings. State Sen. Mike Gianaris (D-Astoria) and Assemblymember Brian Barnwell (D-Maspeth) held a press conference to… Read more »
Feb. 22, 2019 By Meghan Sackman Community Board 1 voted earlier this week to revoke the liquor license of a Steinway Street bar after a slew of incidents on site since its opening only a few months ago. The board agreed to write a letter to the State Liquor Authority (SLA) requesting that the liquor… Read more »
Feb. 20, 2019 By Nathaly Pesantez A new Vision Zero plan released yesterday lists 21st Street, running between Astoria and Long Island City, among several priority corridors in the five boroughs that have proven dangerous and are now the focus of new safety initiatives by the city. The Department of Transportation added the 3.6-mile length… Read more »
Feb. 20, 2019 By Meghan Sackman Construction is expected to begin this fall on a 3-story addition to the main school building at P.S. 2 in East Elmhurst. The building will replace the beaten-up modular building that currently covers a portion of the school yard. The addition is expected to cater to about 120 of the… Read more »
Feb. 19, 2019 By Christian Murray Several state legislators will be reaching out to subway riders this week as they try to put pressure on their fellow lawmakers to include congestion pricing in the upcoming budget. The legislators, many from western Queens, want the senate and assembly to pass a budget that includes congestion pricing…. Read more »
Feb. 18, 2019 By Christian Murray The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn released the names on Friday of more than 100 priests credibly accused of child sex abuse. The diocese, which covers Catholic churches in Queens and Brooklyn, named 108 priests, many of whom have served at local parishes in recent decades. The priests spent… Read more »
Feb. 16, 2019 By Christian Murray Payless Shoes, which has about 15 stores in Queens, is closing all its United States locations. The company, known for its inexpensive footwear, announced Saturday that it would be liquidating all 2,100 of its American stores and winding down its online business. Payless Shoes has an enormous presence in… Read more »
Feb. 16, 2019 By Jon Cronin The first of seven buildings that will make up the massive Halletts Point development is complete and apartments are now available for rent. The first building, known as 10 Halletts Point, consists of two towers and 404 units, with studios starting at $1,895, one-bedrooms at $2,525 and two-bedrooms at… Read more »
Feb. 15, 2019 Staff Report Plans are underway to tear down an Astoria warehouse just off Vernon Boulevard to make way for a new eight-story residential development, according to building filings submitted in late January. The proposed building, put forth by BlueMountain Capital, would cover more than 33,000 square feet at 11-35 31st Dr., and… Read more »
Feb. 14, 2019 By Meghan Sackman An off-duty police officer from the 114th Precinct saved the life of a badly injured motorcyclist who had been struck by a tractor trailer on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway earlier this month. Officer Mandeep Kaur was driving to work on Feb. 6 when she spotted a 30-year-old female motorcyclist lying… Read more »