March 9, 2021 By Michael Dorgan Pablo Calle, the longtime co-owner of Donato’s Italian Restaurant, died Wednesday. He was 69. Pablo was an affable, gregarious character, known for greeting customers into his restaurant, which is situated on the corner of 39th Avenue and 51st Street on the Sunnyside/Woodside border. The Ecuadorian native established the restaurant,… Read more »
March 9, 2021 By Christian Murray The fashion shoe company Steve Madden is threatening to leave Sunnyside if the seven story, 167-unit building development planned by Phipps Houses on Barnett Avenue goes up. Steve Madden, which penned a letter to Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer Jan. 14, said that it employs more than 400 people… Read more »
March 9, 2021 Op-Ed By: Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer Four years ago, Phipps Houses withdrew their application to build an affordable housing complex in my Sunnyside neighborhood after I had come out against it. It was a project that the community board voted against and which faced significant community opposition. I too was opposed,… Read more »
March 9, 2021 By Allie Griffin New Yorkers as young as 60 will be eligible to be vaccinated for COVID-19 starting Wednesday, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced today. Cuomo lowered the current vaccine-eligibility age — which is 65 in the state — by five years. He also expanded eligibility to additional categories of essential workers, who… Read more »
March 8, 2021 By Michael Dorgan The Long Island City Partnership (LICP) is calling on the local business community to fill out an online survey so that it can determine how it should promote the district and bolster the local economy. The survey, available online, asks business and non-profit leaders located in western Queens to… Read more »
March 9, 2021 By Michael Dorgan U.S. Senator Charles Schumer announced Monday that more than 1 million households in Queens will receive economic stimulus checks within the next two weeks. The Senate majority leader said that the checks will be sent out as part of the latest COVID-19 relief bill. The massive $1.9 trillion American… Read more »
March 8, 2021 By Allie Griffin New York City launched an effort last week to vaccinate thousands of homebound seniors for COVID-19. The city is utilizing its supply of the newly-approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine to bring the shot directly to seniors inside their homes. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is easier to transport because… Read more »
March 8, 2021 By Allie Griffin The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has added COVID-19 vaccination sites to its live subway map to help eligible New Yorkers plan their route to get the shot. The new feature allows straphangers to easily find the vaccination sites closest to subway stops and plan their trips accordingly. Each vaccination… Read more »
March 8, 2021 By Allie Griffin New York City high schoolers will be welcomed back to the classroom at the city’s public schools later this month, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today. Roughly 55,000 high school students who signed up for in-person learning in the fall will return to school buildings, starting on March 22… Read more »
March 8, 2021 By Christina Santucci Queens Borough President Donovan Richards visited the site of last-week’s four-alarm fire Sunday afternoon and met with some of the 15 Jackson Heights shop owners whose businesses were damaged in the massive blaze. Richards toured the area along with a representative from the city’s Department of Small Business Services… Read more »