July 2, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City public schools will reopen for the new school year in September, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today. City schools have been closed since March and instruction was moved online given the coronavirus pandemic. School buildings will reopen for in-person classes on the first day of school…. Read more »
July 2, 2020 By Allie Griffin The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has completed a $5.6 million traffic redesign to the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge that it says improves traffic flow and safety. The finished work improves access to the Whitestone Expressway and Cross Island Parkway, creating easier connections for drivers. The agency constructed an additional entry lane… Read more »
July 1, 2020 By Allie Griffin New Yorkers will have to wait a little longer to grab a bite to eat indoors. The reopening of indoor dining at New York City restaurants has been postponed indefinitely, both Mayor Bill de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo announced today. New York City was poised to reopen indoor… Read more »
July 1, 2020 By Allie Griffin The City Council passed the mayor’s executive budget that included deep cuts to the NYPD last night, as protesters cried to “defund the NYPD” outside City Hall. The council passed the $88.1 billion budget with a 32-to-17 vote around midnight, just before the July 1, 2021 fiscal year began…. Read more »
June 30, 2020 By Allie Griffin Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a municipal budget deal that would cut NYPD funding by $1 billion and redistribute much of it to support youth services and public housing residents. The City Council will vote on the new $88.1 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2021 — which begins July… Read more »
June 24, 2020 By Allie Griffin Travelers from states with a high rate of COVID-19 infection must quarantine for 14 days upon entering New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced today. Cuomo made the announcement with the governors of New Jersey and Connecticut via video in a joint press conference Wednesday. “We are announcing today a… Read more »
June 24, 2020 By Allie Griffin First-generation American Jenifer Rajkumar appears to have unseated incumbent Michael Miller in the primary race for the State Assembly’s 38th District, which includes the neighborhoods of Woodhaven, Ridgewood, Richmond Hill, Ozone Park and Glendale. Rajkumar, a lawyer and CUNY professor, is ahead of Miller with a 1,324 vote lead… Read more »
June 23, 2020 By Allie Griffin Council Member Donovan Richards has clinched an early lead in the race to be the next Queens Borough President — though the official winner won’t be announced for at least a week. Richards, the Queens Democratic party pick, had nearly 38 percent of the votes in the Democratic primary… Read more »
June 23, 2020 By Allie Griffin Alternate side parking rules will be cut to once per week across the entire city for a one-week pilot beginning Monday — in what could well become a permanent change. The city will cut street cleaning and alternate side parking rules to once a week on streets where they… Read more »
June 23, 2020 By Allie Griffin Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Monday that her office has formed a violent crimes bureau to prosecute street gangs, drug traffickers and firearms dealers. The newly-created Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau combines the former Narcotics Investigations and Gang Violence bureaus. The unit focuses on identifying organized criminal activity in… Read more »