March 5, 2020 By Allie Griffin A quiet Kew Gardens home was illegally converted into a dormitory-style, transient hotel with as many as four bunk beds to a room over the summer — and the law-breaking homeowner was slapped with more than $100,000 in violations. The two-family home, located at 121-08 84th Ave., was converted… Read more »
March 5, 2020 By Allie Griffin A teenager is in critical condition after being struck by a car while riding his bike near Forest Park today. The 17-year-old boy was riding his bike near Woodhaven Boulevard and Park Lane South in Forest Hills, when he was struck by a Nissan Maxima at approximately 11:30 a.m.,… Read more »
March 5, 2020 By Allie Griffin Kew Gardens residents are invited to share their stories about the neighborhood at an event organized by Kew Gardens Arts and the Queens Memory Project next week. The storytelling event will be held Monday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at The Potter’s Wheel studio, located at 120-33 83rd… Read more »
March 4, 2020 By Allie Griffin The MTA will install new security cameras in Forest Hills and Rego Park subway stations to help monitor and prevent crime in the area, Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi announced today. The agency will install approximately 37 cameras inside the 75th Avenue E/F station, 37 cameras inside the Forest Hills –… Read more »
Feb. 28, 2020 By Allie Griffin Transit advocates and bike safety supporters are hosting a rally Saturday in Forest Hills to demand the city to keep its promise to complete the final stage of the Queens Boulevard Redesign plan. Last week, the Department of Transportation (DOT) said that it plans to begin the fourth and… Read more »
Feb. 27, 2020 By Allie Griffin Two lifelong friends who grew up together in Forest Hills are opening up a smoothie and acai bowl location in the neighborhood. Tom Aronov and Ben Gil are opening a SoBol franchise on Queens Boulevard, with a planned opening for Memorial Day Weekend. The Forest Hills SoBol, at 110-48… Read more »
Feb. 21, 2020 By Allie Griffin P.S. 174 William Sidney Mount will get more than 400 additional seats added to its student body by 2024, helping to relieve an over-crowded school district. The Rego Park elementary school, located at 65-10 Dieterle Crescent, will get a 432-seat addition, the mayor announced at a town hall meeting… Read more »
Feb. 21, 2020 By Allie Griffin Two Queens neighborhood associations have filed suit against New York City to challenge the mayor’s plan to construct a 19-story jail in Kew Gardens. Queens Residents United and the Community Preservation Coalition jointly filed an Article 78 proceeding in New York Supreme Court Tuesday. An Article 78 suit is… Read more »
Feb. 21, 2020 By Allie Griffin The Department of Education has extended the timeline for a controversial plan to integrate and diversify the Queens public school district spanning from Forest Hills to Jamaica following heavy criticism from parents. The DOE extended the planning process for the District 28 Diversity Plan through December 2020 and added… Read more »
Feb. 21, 2020 By Allie Griffin Mayor Bill de Blasio was booed and heckled by community members at a Forest Hills town hall hosted by Council Member Karen Koslowitz Wednesday night. Concerned community members hammered de Blasio on topics such as bail reform, local homeless shelters, the incoming Kew Gardens jail, bike lanes, diversity at… Read more »