Aug. 17, 2020 By Allie Griffin Three pedestrian plazas and one block in Queens will be made into outdoor dining corridors for nearby restaurants as the latest locations added to the city initiative to support local eateries. Corona Plaza in Corona, Diversity Plaza in Jackson Heights and 71st Avenue Plaza in Ridgewood will get more… Read more »
Aug. 17, 2020 By Allie Griffin Work out aficionados can rejoice as gyms and fitness centers will be able to reopen next week after nearly five months of statewide closures, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced today. Gyms are permitted to reopen as soon as Monday, Aug. 24, subject to several restrictions. The operators, for instance, must… Read more »
Aug. 17, 2020 By Allie Griffin Former Queens Borough President Claire Shulman, the first woman to hold the position, died Sunday at the age of 94. Shulman, who served as borough president from 1986 to 2002, had long suffered from lung and pancreatic cancer. She died in her home Sunday surrounded by her children and… Read more »
Aug. 14, 2020 By Allie Griffin Several Queens elected officials have condemned a Democratic Socialist of America (DSA) questionnaire that calls on New York City council candidates to forgo official travel to Israel. The New York City chapter of DSA (NYC-DSA) questionnaire asks council candidates if they “pledge not to travel to Israel if elected… Read more »
Aug. 13, 2020 By Allie Griffin Forest Hills native Ray Romano and the Queens Chamber of Commerce released a video today that pays tribute to local business owners and their employees who have served the borough throughout the pandemic. Romano narrates the video that recognizes the extraordinary efforts made by essential workers, frontline heroes and… Read more »
Aug. 13, 2020 By Allie Griffin A South Ozone Park man will serve two years in prison for sexually abusing two young girls at his daughter’s daycare business — including one whom he abused for several years. Ramon Rodriguez, 77, was sentenced to two years in prison and three years’ post-release supervision today in Queens… Read more »
Aug. 13, 2020 By Allie Griffin A Queens pharmacist pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to fraud for swindling millions of dollars from a pharmaceutical manufacturer. Arkadiy “Alex” Khaimov, who lives in Forest Hills, defrauded the manufacturer out of about $6.9 million by submitting false claims under its co-pay reimbursement program between February 2017 and… Read more »
Aug. 13, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City principals are calling on the city to delay the start of in-person classes, stating that schools are ill-prepared to reopen safely in the midst of the pandemic. The union representing school principals, the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators (CSA), penned a letter to Mayor Bill… Read more »
Aug. 12, 2020 By Allie Griffin Citi Bike has significantly cut the number of electric bikes it had promised to add to city streets this summer. The company pledged to add “thousands” of e-bikes to its fleet over the summer back in February, but has switched course and will only be adding “hundreds,” according to… Read more »
Aug. 12, 2020 By Allie Griffin Ten more Queens bars and restaurants had their liquor licenses suspended over the past week — including New York’s oldest beer garden — as the state continues to crack down against establishments that violate coronavirus regulations. The state’s task force led by the State Police and State Liquor Authority… Read more »