May 26, 2020 By Allie Griffin More than 10 new COVID-19 testing centers will open in Queens over the next month — including three facilities in the hard-hit Far Rockaway neighborhood, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced this morning. The city opened two of the new sites today and plans to open the rest throughout the… Read more »
May 22, 2020 By Allie Griffin More Queens streets will be turned over to pedestrians and cyclists beginning tomorrow, as the city expands its open streets initiative during the coronavirus pandemic. The new streets announced today put New York City above its goal of closing 40 miles to car traffic by the end of May,… Read more »
May 22, 2020 By Allie Griffin Plans have been filed for a seven-story residential building in Rego Park, according to Department of Buildings records. The building will go up at 64-10 Wetherole St. and will have 26 units, according to the plans filed last month. The structure will be 74-feet tall. The total building will… Read more »
May 21, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City is on its way to reopening as early as June 1 as it inches closer to defeating the coronavirus, Mayor Bill de Blasio said today. The Big Apple is on track to enter phase one of its reopening soon, he said. “It’s clear as a bell,”… Read more »
May 21, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer wants the city to open beaches and pools — and refuted the mayor’s pool-less plan for summer in the Big Apple. Mayor Bill de Blasio has prohibited swimming at city beaches — which would normally open for the season this Memorial Day weekend… Read more »
May 20, 2020 By Allie Griffin City Council Member and Queens borough president candidate Costa Constantinides is calling on the city to create 10 miles of commercial corridors — where streets are shut to traffic and local restaurants can open “European-style” sidewalk cafe space. The proposal is part of a plan Constantinides announced today that… Read more »
May 20, 2020 By Allie Griffin Three immigrant street vendors were issued summonses by the NYPD for selling tamales and flowers on Monday — sparking outrage from activists and elected officials over the enforcement during a pandemic that has burdened the immigrant community. The vendors were ticketed for selling tamales and flowers inside Corona Plaza… Read more »
May 19, 2020 By Allie Griffin A Queens Supreme Court Judge has ruled to uphold Governor Andrew Cuomo’s order cancelling the special election for Queens borough president — effectively kicking Jim Quinn out of the race. Quinn, a former prosecutor in the Queens District Attorney’s Office, filed a lawsuit demanding the special election be reinstated… Read more »
May 19, 2020 By Allie Griffin The Queens District Attorney has launched a new human trafficking bureau — becoming the first prosecutor’s office in New York City to have a dedicated bureau to combat sex and labor trafficking. The bureau will prosecute traffickers and buyers of sex and will also connect survivors of trafficking with… Read more »
May 18, 2020 By Allie Griffin The poorer you are in New York City, the more likely you will die from COVID-19, newly released data from the city’s Health Department shows. The death rate increases as income diminishes, according to COVID-19 data released today. The higher the poverty level the worse the likely outcome. The… Read more »