This article was originally published by The CITY on Dec.20, 2021, 9:29 p.m. By The City In the eight years Bill de Blasio has led New York City, he’s delivered eight State of the City addresses — the annual declarations of purpose and priorities mayors use to sell their agendas. Each year, he has used… Read more »
Dec. 28, 2021 By Christian Murray The Queens Public Library announced Monday that it has closed eight of its 61 branches due to staff shortages stemming from COVID-19. The library system said the branches have been closed until further due to staff members testing positive. The branches that have temporarily closed include the following locations:… Read more »
Dec. 21, 2021 By Christian Murray New York Attorney General Letitia James is calling on the public to watch out for price gouging when it comes to buying COVID-19 at-home test kits. James said that her office has received complaints of COVID-19 testing products being sold at double or triple their retail price. A standard… Read more »
Dec, 21, 2021 By Christian Murray Procrastination pays. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today that New Yorkers who get the booster shot at a city run or SOMOS vaccination site will get $100—starting today. The incentive, which comes as the city is waging battle against the omicron variant, will be offered through Dec. 31, he… Read more »
Dec. 20, 2021 By Christian Murray A Jackson Heights man who bought firearms with the intention of carrying out a mass shooting in Times Square pleaded guilty in federal court last week to gun-related charges. Ashiqul Alam, 25, who is a citizen of Bangladesh, admitted Friday that he had purchased a firearm with an obliterated… Read more »
This article was originally published by The CITY on Dec.15, 2021, 7:50 p.m. By Samantha Maldonado The City Council on Wednesday passed a bill making New York the largest city in the United States to effectively ban the use of gas in new buildings and to turn to electricity for power. More than 50 municipalities… Read more »
Dec. 15, 2021 By Christian Murray The MTA will be constructing elevators at the Steinway Street M/R subway station—although it will be several years before they are completed. State Sen. Michael Gianaris, who has been calling for elevators at the station for years, made the announcement Tuesday and said that the MTA has finally provided… Read more »
This article was originally published by Chalkbeat New York on Dec.14, 2021, BY Christina Veiga New York City officials unveiled long-awaited details on how middle and high schools will accept students for the coming year: Middle schools will continue a pause on academic screens, and high schools will dramatically streamline their competitive admissions criteria, education… Read more »
This article was originally published by The CITY on Dec.12, 2021, 9:40 p.m. BY KATIE HONAN When Huge Ma shuttered his TurboVax website this spring after helping connect countless New Yorkers to COVID-19 vaccine appointments, he found himself starting to “think more about my place in the world.” Two million people had visited his website… Read more »
Dec. 8, 2021 By Christian Murray Elected officials and school administrators held a ceremonial ground breaking Wednesday to celebrate the start of construction of a 3,066-seat high school on Northern Boulevard in Woodside. The massive school, which will be six stories and contain 94 regular classrooms, will be the largest ever constructed by the School… Read more »