April 5, 2021 By Allie Griffin The New York City Department of Education (DOE) is revoking a controversial rule that closed public school buildings for 10 days if two unlinked COVID-19 cases were found in the school community. The DOE will no longer shutter schools for in-person classes due to two cases of the virus,… Read more »
April 5, 2021 By Christina Santucci Two progressive candidates announced Saturday that they are endorsing one another as they both seek political office in Queens. Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer, who is running for Queens Borough President, and Flushing City Council candidate John Choe said that they are supporting each other in their respective campaigns. Van… Read more »
April 5, 2021 By Christina Santucci A Queens state senator is calling on Major League Baseball (MLB) to bring its annual All-Star Game to Citi Field this summer. State Sen. and Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris penned a letter to the MLB commissioner Friday, encouraging him to relocate the showcase to Queens. Baseball officials had announced… Read more »
April 3, 2021 By Allie Griffin Mayoral candidate Andrew Yang is backing a developer’s plan to build a “green energy” hub on the Long Island City waterfront. Yang joined local leaders and community members in the neighborhood Wednesday to announce his support for the plan dubbed “River Green Power” that would provide power to the… Read more »
April 2, 2021 By Ryan Songalia Two city council candidates in the 26th district are teaming up to host a community event in Sunnyside this weekend that will celebrate Asian Americans. The event, called the Asian Solidarity: Community Celebration, will be hosted by candidates Steven Raga and Badrun Khan, along with with the New York… Read more »
April 1, 2021 By Allie Griffin Comedian Amy Schumer entertained lucky park-goers with a surprise performance at Astoria Park Tuesday. Schumer — known for her comedy special “Inside Amy Schumer” and the movie “Trainwreck” — shared jokes during a ten-minute set near the waterfront. Local residents were thrilled to stumble upon the comedian — who… Read more »
April 1, 2021 By Christian Murray A 19-year-old Woodside Houses resident has been arrested and charged with murder for the stray-bullet killing of 37-year-old mother-of-two earlier this month. Dajuan Williams, of 50-15 Broadway, allegedly killed Gudelia Vallinas, while she walking near the corner of 48th Street and Broadway at around 8:30 p.m. on March 12…. Read more »
April 1, 2021 By Ryan Songalia Undocumented immigrants and formerly incarcerated inmates in New York state could soon receive unemployment benefits that they had been ineligible for under earlier federal aid packages. State Sen. Jessica Ramos, who represents a portion of western Queens, has been an outspoken advocated for the proposal known as the Excluded… Read more »
April 1, 2021 By Christina Santucci The future of the Neptune Diner is in doubt as a developer wants to bulldoze the site and construct an 11-story building. Community Board 1 held a meeting via Zoom last week to hear an informational presentation about the plan that involves rezoning three sites along 31st Street between… Read more »
April 1, 2021 By Allie Griffin The New York City Sanitation Department (DSNY) is bringing back Sunday basket collection using federal COVID-19 relief money to restore the service. The city will deploy more than 100 additional Sanitation trucks per week dedicated to litter basket collection– in addition to Sunday service. The city made significant cuts… Read more »