May 27, 2020 By Michael Dorgan The mayor has signed several new bills into law to support small businesses during the COVID-19 shutdown. Mayor Bill de Blasio signed the legislation Tuesday after the City Council passed the relief measures earlier this month. The legislation slaps price caps on third-party food delivery services and extends the suspension of… Read more »
May 27, 2020 By Allie Griffin The city opened its first COVID-19 testing site in Far Rockaway yesterday, nearly three months after the start of the pandemic — a delay a local council member said cost lives. City Council Member Donovan Richards who represents the hard-hit neighborhood said many lives could have been spared from… Read more »
May 27, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City faces a whopping $9 billion deficit due to the economic fallout of the coronavirus, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today. The budget hole was originally estimated to be around $7.4 billion through to June 30, 2021 — but has widened by another $1.6 billion, the mayor… Read more »
May 27, 2020 By Allie Griffin Alternate side parking is suspended once again during the coronavirus pandemic. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday that alternate side parking rules will be suspended through June 7. “It brings out a lot of feeling and a lot of emotion in New Yorkers — that is any time that… Read more »
May 26, 2020 By Allie Griffin New Yorkers are still being hospitalized with COVID-19 in large numbers, with a significant number of them living in three hard-hit areas of Queens. Governor Andrew Cuomo released a list today of the top 10 neighborhoods/zipcodes where the newly-admitted COVID-19 patients live. Among the top 10 zip codes for… Read more »
May 26, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Queens Council Member Eric Ulrich has called for an investigation into Governor Andrew Cuomo’s nursing home policies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ulrich, who represents a district in southern Queens, says Cuomo’s ill-judged nursing home mandates contributed to the alarmingly high number of deaths at those facilities. The councilman penned… Read more »
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 25, 2020 By Michael Dorgan The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn will re-open churches for limited services this week. The diocese, which covers Catholic churches in Queens and Brooklyn, will resume prayer services, funerals, baptisms, and weddings from May 26. A maximum number of 10 people will be permitted to attend the ceremonies and… Read more »
By Michael Dorgan, May 23, 2020 The number of New Yorkers that have died from COVID-19 in a single day has dropped below 100 for the first time in two months, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced today. The governor said that 84 people across New York died from the virus Friday – marking a significant milestone… Read more »
May 23, 2020 By Michael Dorgan A Queens doctor and his patient who allegedly used prisoner names as part of an illegal scheme to buy and sell oxycodone have been busted by the DEA. Dr. Dalmacio Francisco, 75, of Jamaica and Astoria resident Michael Othman, 48, were arrested Wednesday for the racket which could see… Read more »