May 17, 2023 By Bill Parry An Astoria man was indicted by a Queens grand jury and criminally charged with murder for the fatal stabbing of a father of five and for allegedly assaulting the victim’s sister in the spring of 2020, according to the Queens District Attorney’s Office. Nathaniel Johnson, 57, of 12th Street… Read more »
May 17, 2023 By Bill Parry A couple from Astoria will take the stage at Carnegie Hall Friday, May 19, as the Syrian Music Preservation Initiative (SMPI) marks its fifth anniversary at Weill Recital Hall. The celebration begins at 8 p.m. and features SMPI’s Tak ht al-Nagham, an Arab chamber music ensemble led by artistic… Read more »
May 16, 2023 By Bill Parry NYPD detectives with the Regional Fugitive Task Force tracked down an Astoria Houses man in Boston who is suspected to be behind a fatal stabbing that occurred nearly three years ago. Nathaniel Johnson, 57, was brought back to the 114th Precinct in Astoria on May 15, where he was… Read more »
May 15, 2023 By Bill Parry A Brooklyn man was criminally charged with rape and assault in an attack on a woman in Woodside late last month, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. Tony Kempsey, 58, of Butler Street in Boerum Hill, was arraigned May 12 before Queens Criminal Court Judge Jeffrey Gershuny on… Read more »
May 15, 2023 By Julia Moro Police are searching for an unidentified individual who discharged a firearm multiple times toward a 36-year-old male victim’s vehicle in Sunnyside last week. Police from the 108th Precinct reported on Friday, May 12, at approximately 11:05 p.m., several rounds struck a vehicle at 42-02 Queens Blvd. The debris from… Read more »
May 15, 2023 By Gabriele Holtermann “Everything is bigger in Texas” — and so was this year’s annual Texas Chili Cook-off competition hosted by Texas Exes New York Chapter at Pig Beach BBQ in Astoria on May 13. The event drew around 500 people, who mingled in popular establishment’s the large backyard and sampled and… Read more »
May 11, 2023 By Bill Parry It has been nearly a year since Roe v. Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court and states around the country began implementing laws to criminalize people for their reproductive health care choices. Since then, New York has taken steps to protect reproductive freedoms, but vulnerabilities persist in… Read more »
May 11, 2023 By Michael Dorgan A family-run bus business in Astoria that has been in operation since the 1980s may have to close down after its premises were repeatedly broken into and its vehicles were damaged by youth vandals. A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to try to save the business. Astoria Express Transit,… Read more »
May 9, 2023 By Bill Parry A Maspeth woman was arrested and charged Tuesday morning for fatally striking a 7-year-old girl in Astoria in February. Claudia Mendez-Vazquez, 46, of Maurice Avenue was booked at the 114th Precinct in Astoria and was charged with criminally negligent homicide for allegedly driving through a stop sign at the… Read more »
May 8, 2023 By Bill Parry The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating an assault that occurred last month in Astoria. Police from the 114th Precinct say the attack went down on the evening of Friday, April 14, when a 35-year-old man was approached by three young Black men behind one of the new… Read more »