Aug. 3, 2021 By Allie Griffin “New York’s hometown airline” will stay in Queens and add 1,800 jobs at New York City-area airports, the company announced Tuesday. JetBlue will keep its headquarters in Long Island City when its current lease ends in July 2023, despite earlier reports that the company was considering a move to… Read more »
Author: Allie Griffin
City Health Officials “Strongly Recommend” Indoor Mask Use for All New Yorkers
Aug. 2, 2021 By Allie Griffin Mayor Bill de Blasio and city health officials are “strongly recommending” New Yorkers to mask up indoors regardless of their vaccination status. De Blasio issued the recommendation Monday, but stopped short of calling for mandatory mask use—unlike what officials in some other big U.S. cities have done. The announcement… Read more »
More Than 50,000 CUNY Students and Recent Grads Will Have Their Debt Wiped Clean
July 30, 2021 By Allie Griffin The City University of New York (CUNY) will wipe out the debt of 50,000 current students and recent grads who experienced hardships during the pandemic. CUNY will erase as much as $125 million outstanding tuition and fee balances through the “CUNY Comeback Program,” CUNY Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez and… Read more »
City Unveils All-Star Hip Hop Lineup for Free Concert at Forest Hills Stadium
July 29, 2021 By Allie Griffin City officials unveiled an all-star Hip Hop lineup that will take the stage in Forest Hills next month. The man known as the “Father of Funk,” George Clinton, will be headlining the free concert on Friday, Aug. 20 at Forest Hills Stadium. Clinton and his group the P-Funk All… Read more »
CDC Recommends That Queens Residents Should Wear Masks Indoors
July 29, 2021 By Allie Griffin The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has determined that Queens residents, even those fully vaccinated, should wear masks indoors as COVID-19 cases are rising in the borough. The CDC issued a recommendation Tuesday that residents in more than 2,100 counties across the country — including Queens —… Read more »
City Offering $100 to New Yorkers Who Get Their First Shot at a City-Run Vaccine Site
July 29, 2021 By Allie Griffin The city is offering $100 to every New Yorker who gets their first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine at a city-run site starting Friday, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Wednesday. Only people who live or work in the city and get their first dose at a vaccination site run… Read more »
Police Collar Two Teens on Gang Assault Charges for Beatdown of Man in Middle Village
July 28, 2021 By Allie Griffin Police have collared two young teens who allegedly jumped a man out walking his dog in Middle Village last week. Officers arrested a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old on charges of gang assault Tuesday. The NYPD didn’t release their names because they are minors. The two boys were part of… Read more »
Fundraiser to Replace Church Statues Destroyed in Hate Crime Brings in More Than $20K
July 27, 2021 By Allie Griffin A fundraiser to replace two religious statues that were destroyed in an apparent anti-Catholic hate crime outside a Forest Hills church earlier this month has raised more than $20,000. The funds will go toward the purchase of two new statues after the existing ones outside Our Lady of Mercy… Read more »
State Streamlines Rent Relief Application After Facing Criticism Over Payment Delays
July 27, 2021 By Allie Griffin The state announced Monday that it has streamlined the application process for its rent relief program that aims to cover New Yorkers’ unpaid rent. The announcement comes one day after U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer said the state was too slow in distributing payments from its $2.7 billion rental assistance… Read more »
Rat Complaints in Queens Are Up Nearly 30 Percent This Year: See Neighborhood Data
July 22, 2021 By Allie Griffin The number of rat complaints has jumped significantly in Queens this year, with complaints in neighborhoods like Woodside and Ridgewood more than double what they were a year ago. There were 1,812 complaints across Queens for the Jan. 1 — June 30 period this year, up more than 27… Read more »