Aug. 26, 2020 By Allie Griffin The city began inspecting air ventilation systems at classrooms Tuesday, with less than three weeks before public schools reopen, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced yesterday. Every classroom and space inside a school building will be inspected by a team of independent engineers, joined by the Department of Buildings and… Read more »
Aug. 25, 2020 By Allie Griffin Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney penned a letter to the City University of New York (CUNY) urging the administration to reverse its decision to layoff nearly 3,000 employees. CUNY decided to not renew the contracts of about 2,800 employees — mostly adjunct professors and part time staff members — across its… Read more »
Aug. 25, 2020 By Allie Griffin Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday that schools can apply to the City to hold classes outside in schoolyards, local parks and closed streets to limit the spread of coronavirus. Schools that don’t have usable outdoor space within their campuses, as well as schools in neighborhoods that were hit… Read more »
Aug. 24, 2020 By Allie Griffin The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released the draft environmental impact statement for the proposed $2 billion LaGuardia AirTrain plan Friday and has opened the public comment period. The FAA posted the draft review for the proposed 1.5-mile AirTrain from Willets Point to LaGuardia Airport online and concluded that the… Read more »
Aug. 24, 2020 By Allie Griffin The Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a serial 7-train window smasher. There have been more than 70 incidents involving broken subway windows since May, according to MTA and NYPD officials. The damage totals more than $300,000, MTA Chairman… Read more »
Aug. 18, 2020 By Allie Griffin Nearly 30 percent of Queens residents who have been tested for coronavirus antibodies appear to have been infected with the deadly virus at some point, new data shows. The NYC Health Dept released data today that revealed that 28 percent of the 477,450 Queens residents who have been tested… Read more »
Aug. 17, 2020 By Allie Griffin Work out aficionados can rejoice as gyms and fitness centers will be able to reopen next week after nearly five months of statewide closures, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced today. Gyms are permitted to reopen as soon as Monday, Aug. 24, subject to several restrictions. The operators, for instance, must… Read more »
Aug. 17, 2020 By Allie Griffin Former Queens Borough President Claire Shulman, the first woman to hold the position, died Sunday at the age of 94. Shulman, who served as borough president from 1986 to 2002, had long suffered from lung and pancreatic cancer. She died in her home Sunday surrounded by her children and… Read more »
Aug. 14, 2020 By Allie Griffin An Elmhurst man was arrested and charged with arson Thursday for setting a NYPD vehicle on fire last month in Manhattan. Sam Resto, 29, will appear in federal court later today for dousing a parked NYPD van with gasoline and setting it ablaze on the Upper West Side in… Read more »
Aug. 13, 2020 By Allie Griffin Forest Hills native Ray Romano and the Queens Chamber of Commerce released a video today that pays tribute to local business owners and their employees who have served the borough throughout the pandemic. Romano narrates the video that recognizes the extraordinary efforts made by essential workers, frontline heroes and… Read more »