Oct. 21, 2020 By Allie Griffin Governor Andrew Cuomo announced today that COVID-19 restrictions in two Queens coronavirus hotspots will be eased as infection rates have come down. The Central Queens and Far Rockaway red and orange zones have been downgraded to yellow zones — in which nonessential businesses and schools are permitted to reopen…. Read more »
Oct. 21, 2020 By Allie Griffin Governor Andrew Cuomo has extended the statewide moratorium on commercial evictions and foreclosures from Oct. 20 through to the end of the year. He signed an executive order extending it Tuesday — the same day the emergency moratorium was set to expire. Cuomo first announced a state moratorium on… Read more »
Oct. 21, 2020 By Allie Griffin A Planet Fitness gym is coming to Forest Hills in a 10-story building that is going up near MacDonald Park. The gym will occupy the first floor and cellar of the 142,500-square-foot building currently under construction at 107-02 Queens Blvd. Queens Community Board 6 voted to approve the special… Read more »
Oct. 21, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Police have released a sketch of man wanted for an alleged sex attack inside Flushing Meadows Corona Park earlier this month. The NYPD said the suspect approached a 34-year-old woman on a footbridge inside the park at around 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 8 and grabbed her from behind. He… Read more »
Oct. 20, 2020 By Allie Griffin U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers arrested 54 undocumented immigrants in the greater New York City area as part of a recent move to target sanctuary cities such as New York. The 54 immigrants are among hundreds of undocumented people ICE officers arrested in sanctuary cities across the… Read more »
Oct. 20, 2020 By Allie Griffin Queens Congresswoman Grace Meng and Long Island Congressman Peter King are redoubling their efforts to push a bill through Congress that would provide monetary aid to struggling restaurant owners. The pair met with industry leaders Friday just three days before the state moratorium on commercial evictions were set to… Read more »
Oct. 20, 2020 By Michael Dorgan A borough-wide coat drive has been set up to help keep families in need warm this winter. The initiative, which was launched Friday by Acting Queens Borough President Sharon Lee, seeks to collect as many coats as possible before the cold winter months set in. Lee has teamed up… Read more »
Oct. 20, 2020 By Christian Murray Registered voters will be able to vote in-person in this year’s general election starting Saturday, Oct. 24. Voters in the borough will be able to go cast their ballot at one of the 18 early-voting sites in Queens for the Nov. 3 election. Residents are not permitted to vote… Read more »
Oct. 19, 2020 By Christian Murray Enforcement of the plastic bag ban started today. The ban, which was approved by Governor Andrew Cuomo last year, went into effect on March 1 but the state did not enforce the law due to the coronavirus pandemic and a lawsuit filed by plastic bag manufacturers. The lawsuit was… Read more »
Oct. 19, 2020 by Allie Griffin Governor Andrew Cuomo said Sunday that he will reevaluate the five COVID-19 clusters across New York State and announce any changes — such as a rollback of restrictions — on Wednesday. The data for the Central Queens cluster continues to improve, with the infection rate in the red zone… Read more »