April 1, 2020 By Allie Griffin Governor Andrew Cuomo will shut down all New York City playgrounds to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, he announced today. The order comes after Mayor Bill de Blasio resisted a mass closure and opted to shut down specific playgrounds where social distancing was not being observed. However, at… Read more »
April 1, 2020 By Michael Dorgan A New York City artist has erected “Thank You” signs outside various city hospitals – including Elmhurst Hospital – to show his appreciation for frontline staff battling the COVID-19 spread. Scott LoBaido, a Staten Island native who has been creating patriotic art for 25 years, said he wanted to… Read more »
April 1, 2020 By Christian Murray Mayor Bill de Blasio announced yesterday that a Kew Gardens Hills playground is one of 10 throughout the city that has been shut down due to a lack of social distancing. Mauro Playground, located within Flushing Meadows Corona Park at Park Drive East and 73rd Terrace, was closed March… Read more »
March 31, 2020 By Allie Griffin The 350-bed temporary hospital that will takeover a portion of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center will be used as an overflow facility to specifically help the heavily-burdened Elmhurst Hospital. The beds will begin serving non-ICU coronavirus patients next week, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today at the… Read more »
March 31, 2020 By Allie Griffin A portion of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the home of the U.S. Open, will be converted into a 350-bed temporary hospital as the coronavirus pandemic strains New York City’s hospital system. The Flushing Meadows Corona Park arena will begin its conversion Tuesday, a spokesperson for the… Read more »
March 31, 2020 By Michael Dorgan COVID-19 has killed more than 300 Queens residents since the outbreak of the pandemic, according to the latest data released by the NYC Department of Health this morning Since the beginning of the outbreak, Queens has been the hardest borough hit with 309 lives lost, accounting for 33 percent… Read more »
March 31, 2020, By Michael Dorgan Mayor Bill De Blasio has announced that the city – in partnership with FEMA – will get an additional 250 ambulances and around 500 extra EMTs and paramedics to help meet the spike in demand for emergency services. The extra resources will increase medical transport capacity between medical sites… Read more »
March 31, 2020 By Allie Griffin The Queens Borough President special election finally has a set date — June 23, 2020. The election, which was originally slated for March 24, was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, but wasn’t given a new date until yesterday when Governor Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order. June 23… Read more »
March 30, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York’s five district attorneys and the special narcotics prosecutor said the mayor’s office has put forward the names of several dangerous inmates for release–in his attempt to stop the outbreak of coronavirus in city jails. The head prosecutors said the mayor and the Department of Corrections had suggested… Read more »
March 30, 2020, By Michael Dorgan A 59-year-old woman is in critical condition after being struck by a driver in a hit and run crash in Kew Gardens this morning, police said. The woman was hit while crossing 80th Road, near 120-08 Queens Boulevard, at 8:40 a.m. by a driver of a beige-colored sedan. The… Read more »