Nov. 16, 2023 By Nevine Salameh Beginning Saturday, Nov. 18 and continuing through next spring, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has announced upgrades aimed at improving the accessibility of the Queensboro Plaza station, causing changes to regular weekend services. The upgrades include the installation of a new platform mezzanine elevator shaft, mezzanine expansion by ceiling…
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Nov. 16, 2023 By Ethan Marshall New York City was named among the least affordable cities in the United States over the month of October, according to the latest National Affordability Report from the real estate firm RealtyHop. The Big Apple ranked as the fourth-least affordable city, moving up from the fifth place spot in the prior month’s report. The cost of a home in New York City ended up increasing, with the real estate value growing 3.8%. High interest rates and asking prices were cited as two of the main contributing factors to New York City becoming less affordable…
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Nov. 9, 2023 By Nevine Salameh As the days grow cooler, Queens continues to offer a variety of activities to consider for your weekend plans. Gather your family and friends for a mix of performances, comedy shows, a basketball clinic and a museum visit, ensuring there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Friday, Nov. 10 Museum…
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Nov. 9, 2023 By Ethan Marshall Around 100 members of Queens’ Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh and Jain communities, along with local leaders, gathered together to celebrate Diwali at the Helen Marshall Cultural Center in Queens Borough Hall on Wednesday, Nov. 8. Several Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh and Jain individuals and organizations were honored at the celebration as well. The celebration kicked off with the lighting of the Diya lamp, which is meant to symbolize the holiday’s message of the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. Those honored at the Diwali celebration with citations included Ram Hardowar, Harish Chander Puri,…
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Nov. 8, 2023 By Bill Parry Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz secured a second term as the borough’s top law enforcement official cruising past two challengers on Tuesday, Nov. 7, with nearly 67% of the vote with more than 97% of the scanners reported, according to unofficial results from the city’s Board of Elections. Howard Beach resident and criminal attorney Michael Mossa finished second with just over 27% on the Republican and Conservative party lines, while retired Judge George Grasso of Douglaston finished third with just over 5%, appearing on the “Public Safety” line. “First and foremost, I want to…
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Nov. 6, 2023 By Iryna Shkurhan A seven-month investigation into an interstate gun trafficking ring spanning from Cincinnati to an Astoria parking lot resulted in the seizure of over 100 guns and the indictment of three individuals. Over the course of five meetups with an undercover police officer at the P.C. Richard & Son parking lot on Steinway Street in Astoria this summer, the defendants sold a total of 97 firearms, including 17 assault weapons. The purchases by the plainclothes cop totaled $124,000 at approximately $1,200 per gun. “Guns and the recovery of weapons on the streets of Queens are…
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Nov. 6, 2023 By Ethan Marshall A study conducted by the New York City real estate firm StreetEasy concluded that 35.7% of previously-owned New York City homes on the market don’t get sold. StreetEasy also concluded that the average listing spends a median of 89 days on the market in New York City, compared to…
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Sep. 6, 2023 By Ethan Marshall Robberies, burglaries and other property crimes are dropping across Queens, according to a review of recent crime statistics covering the end of August and the start of September. The NYPD released its crime stats for its precincts in northern and southern Queens during the week of Aug. 28 to…
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Aug. 30, 2023 By Bill Parry An Astoria woman was arrested by federal agents and charged with assaulting one of their own with a karate chop that was caught on surveillance video at JFK Airport last week. Emilia Mathias, 57, of Steinway Street in Astoria, had just returned from a trip to Brazil and was making her way through Terminal 4 when she was stopped by a female U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officer on Tuesday, Aug. 22, according to the criminal complaint. The agent told Mathias that she could not enter the secured area and tried to get…
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May. 5, 2023 By Bill Parry Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz on May 5 announced the takedown of three illegal cannabis dispensaries and the arrest of five individuals from across the borough and Long Island for their roles in allegedly operating the illegal marijuana shops. The operation seized two mobile cannabis dispensaries operated out of…
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