March 18, 2020 By Christian Murray The Queens District Attorney’s office plans to facilitate the arraignment of defendants via video conferencing in an attempt to keep employees and alleged criminals safe from COVID-19. Melinda Katz, Queens District Attorney, announced yesterday that her office has taken a number of steps to protect defendants, victims, witnesses and… Read more »
March 18, 2020 By Allie Griffin Prompted by the number of coronavirus cases across New York state surpassing 2,000, Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered all businesses to keep half their workforce home or working remotely. The executive order — which goes into effect Friday — is meant to reduce density of people and reduce the spread… Read more »
March 18, 2020 By Michael Dorgan The MTA has requested a $4 billion federal bailout to offset the impact coronavirus is having on the agency as ridership levels plummet and costs to combat the virus increase. In an urgent letter to New York’s congressional delegation, MTA Chairman and CEO Patrick Foye said the transportation authority… Read more »
March 18, 2020 By Allie Griffin A Eucharistic minister who distributed the Holy Communion at a Catholic church in Woodside has tested positive for Coronavirus. The minister last handed out the Eucharist to congregants of Corpus Christi Roman Catholic Church, located at 31-30 61st St., on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 26. He last attended mass on… Read more »
March 18, 2020 By Christian Murray Forget about the inexpensive Uber ride-share option. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced yesterday that he has signed an executive order than bans shared rides in an effort to promote social distancing. “We want to protect drivers and we want to protect riders alike,” the Mayor said during a press… Read more »
March 17, 2020 By Allie Griffin Mayor Bill de Blasio said New Yorkers should prepare for a possible “shelter-in-place” order as the number of coronavirus cases in New York City jumped more than 75 percent in one day. Across the five boroughs, there are now 814 positive cases of COVID-19 — up from 463 confirmed… Read more »
March 17, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Organizers of the Queens World Film Festival have announced the event will go ahead this week and will be live-streamed over the Internet. The event – which kicks off Thursday, March 19 – will screen over 200 films from 32 nations after receiving submissions from almost 800 moviemakers across… Read more »
March 17, 2020 By Allie Griffin The mayor announced this afternoon that he is suspending alternate side parking and street cleaning for one week–after facing heavy criticism for not doing so earlier. Alternate side parking will be suspended across the five boroughs starting tomorrow, March 18 through Tuesday, March 24, Mayor Bill de Blasio said…. Read more »
March 17, 2020 By Christian Murray The New York City Board of Correction is calling on New York City to release prisoners deemed at high risk from the COVID-19 virus. The board says that it should reduce the prison population by identifying and potentially releasing people over the age of 50; those with underlying health… Read more »
March 17, 2020 By Christian Murray The City has put plans in place to help small businesses ride out the crisis–but many local business groups say the programs do not go far enough. The New York City Department of Business Services is now providing zero interest loans to help small business stay afloat and is… Read more »