Jan. 20, 2022 By Michael Dorgan Andrew Bellucci, a renowned and controversial pizza maker, is opening a new restaurant in Astoria. Bellucci will open a new pizzeria next month at 37-08 30th Ave., which will be called Bellucci’s Pizzeria. He hopes that the new restaurant will cement his reputation in the pizza business. The Jersey… Read more »
Jan. 18, 2022 By Michael Dorgan A Forest Hills man has been arrested for repeatedly trafficking a 13-year-old boy to Queens and sexually assaulting him after they met online. Manuel Moretti, 39, was indicted in Brooklyn federal court Thursday on sex-trafficking charges after he allegedly lured the boy across state lines to his apartment on… Read more »
Jan. 14, 2022 By Michael Dorgan Queens Borough President Donovan Richards called for the establishment of a new office Thursday to centrally manage the city’s overall response to COVID-19. Richards proposed creating the “NYC Office of COVID Recovery” tasked with streamlining and improving the city’s COVID-19-related services. He said the office was needed to cut… Read more »
Jan. 14, 2022 By Michael Dorgan A pedestrian was fatally struck by an unlicensed SUV driver in Middle Village Thursday night. The victim, a 57-year-old man, was on the roadway in the vicinity of Metropolitan Avenue and Rentar Plaza when he was hit by a 2007 Cadillac Escalade driven by a 46-year-old man, according to… Read more »
Jan. 12, 2022 By Michael Dorgan The MTA has been sent more than $6 billion in COVID-19 relief funds from the federal government, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer announced Wednesday. The bailout, a near $6.2 billion lump sum, is the largest one-time payment ever awarded by the Federal Transit Administration, an agency within the U.S. Dept…. Read more »
Jan. 12, 2022 By Michael Dorgan Nearly $325,000 in funding to support senior services in Queens has been restored, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards announced Monday. The funding, which had been eliminated from last year’s city budget, will be allocated to senior centers and home care service providers in Queens. The funds are being allocated… Read more »
Jan. 10, 2022 By Michael Dorgan Two million Queens residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, Borough President Donovan Richards announced Saturday. Richards, citing Dept. of Health data, said Queens was the first borough in the city to reach the milestone for one shot being administered. “To all our neighbors who… Read more »
Jan. 10, 2022 By Michael Dorgan Green card holders and residents who are authorized to work now have the right to vote in local elections. Mayor Eric Adams, who had expressed concerns about a bill passed by the council last month permitting certain noncitizens the right to vote, decided not to challenge the legislation. The… Read more »
Jan. 7, 2022 By Michael Dorgan Drinks-to-go will be making a comeback. Governor Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday that alcoholic beverages will soon be available for takeout and delivery, marking the return of a provision that was popular for struggling bars and restaurants during the height of the pandemic. “We’re… going to do something bars and… Read more »
Jan. 7, 2022 By Michael Dorgan A new hookah lounge has opened in Astoria. Sands of Persia, which its owners tout as being upscale, opened on New Year’s Eve at 25-01 Steinway St. The operators have moved into a 1,850 square foot space that was previously occupied by Matigy, a Hookah lounge that closed in… Read more »