March 26, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City will release 300 more inmates from Rikers Island amid fears of the coronavirus spreading across the sprawling jail facility. The move comes after the mayor announced last week that 40 inmates from Rikers Island were set to be released on Friday. On Sunday he announced a… Read more »
By Yoav Gonen, THE CITY This story was originally published on 3/25/20 by THE CITY The city’s public Elmhurst Hospital in Queens has been overrun with seriously ill coronavirus patients — including 13 who died in a 24-hour span, officials said Wednesday. A spokesperson for the city public hospital systems said Elmhurst is “at the… Read more »
March 25, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City parks and playgrounds will continue to remain open — as long as people adhere to social distancing rules and avoid group sports, Governor Andrew Cuomo said today. Cuomo asked the City Council and Mayor Bill de Blasio to come up with a plan to patrol city… Read more »
March 24, 2020 By Allie Griffin FreshDirect will donate 400 boxes of groceries a day to Queens residents in need for the next four weeks, the Borough President’s Office announced today. The 400 boxes will be picked up by local community-based organizations that will distribute them to seniors, low-income families and other vulnerable populations across… Read more »
March 24, 2020 By Michael Dorgan A person was fatally struck by a Long Island Rail Road train near the Forest Hills station Tuesday morning. The individual was hit by the 9:49 a.m. train from Hicksville to Penn Station – a short distance west of the station – at around 10:25 a.m., according to the… Read more »
March 24, 2020 By Allie Griffin Queens has the largest number of cases of coronavirus in New York City — which has become the epicenter of the pandemic in the U.S., according to New York City data released last night. There were 3,848 cases of COVID-19 in the World’s Borough as of 5 p.m. Monday…. Read more »
March 24, 2020 By Michael Dorgan A new hotline to report hate crimes and xenophobic-based incidents has been set up in the wake of the coronavirus spread and anti-Asian rhetoric. It comes after an uptick in the number of bigoted attacks against Asian Americans, according to Attorney General Letitia James, who announced the service Monday…. Read more »
March 23, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York State will send hundreds of thousands of masks, gloves, gowns and face shields to New York City, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced today. The incoming supplies will ensure hospital staff in New York City can adequately protect themselves– and patients–as the number of coronavirus cases continues to rise…. Read more »
March 23, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday that the city is considering releasing “hundreds” more inmates to slow the spread of coronavirus at its prison facilities. The move comes after the mayor announced last week that 40 inmates from Rikers Island were set to be released on Friday. On Sunday… Read more »
March 23, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Finally some good news for New York straphangers – MTA bus trips will now be free while New York fights the coronavirus pandemic. The MTA has announced that it has suspended fare collection on all of its local and select bus routes in order to keep its drivers safe… Read more »