Feb. 16, 2021 By Christina Santucci Revel, a company best known for its moped-sharing program, is launching a new leasing service for electric bikes, or e-bikes. The company will be offering stylish e-bikes for $99 per month–starting next month–and will drop off the vehicles to its subscribers’ front door when they enroll. The e-bikes, which… Read more »
Feb. 15, 2021 Op-Ed By Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer Long before COVID hit New York City, small businesses were struggling to compete against big box retailers with exorbitant commercial rents on the rise. Before the pandemic, commercial rents had gone up by 22 percent on average. Vacant space had doubled in the decade leading up… Read more »
Feb. 15, 2021 By Christina Santucci A growing number of City Council candidates vying to get on the ballot in Queens have pledged not to contest the signatures gathered by their opponents– as they collectively look to reduce the potential spread of COVID-19. All of the candidates vying for the 22nd Council seat currently held… Read more »
Feb. 10, 2021 Op-Ed By Brent O’Leary Do you want to have a say as to who the next mayor is—or who your next city council member will be? If so, I urge you to check your party registration and make sure you are registered as a Democrat. The deadline to do so is Feb…. Read more »
Feb. 9, 2021 By Christina Santucci The Citi Field megasite is set to open Wednesday, but only 800 shots are expected to be dispensed at the stadium this week. Mayor Bill de Blasio had announced last month Citi Field would scale up to vaccinating between 5,000 and 7,000 people per day. But currently there are… Read more »
Feb. 9, 2021 By Christina Santucci An Astoria assemblyman is hosting a virtual trivia show tonight – and the daily double will be about a proposal to upgrade a western Queens power plant. NRG, one of the largest energy companies in the country, is planning to update its Astoria power plant, which the company says… Read more »
Feb. 9, 2021 By Christina Santucci A pair of artists turned Sunday’s snow in Astoria Park into a giant sculpture of an ancient Greek physician. Melissa Vadakara teamed up with Marios Tzavellas to craft a 6 1/2-foot snowman of Hippocrates holding a Rod of Asclepius, the symbol for medicine and health. Vadakara said the artists… Read more »
Feb. 8, 2021 By Christina Santucci An Astoria woman raised nearly $30,000 for her father’s medical care after a video she posted on TikTok went viral. Kat Downer, 28, launched a GoFundMe last month with a goal of raising $9,000 — but her emotional post about the plight of her sick father helped raise more… Read more »
Feb. 8, 2021 By Christina Santucci Queens community leaders, coaches and athletes are calling on city officials to allow high school sports to restart, citing the benefits to players’ mental health and college prospects. More than 100 people gathered in St. Albans Saturday to push the city’s Public School Athletic League (PSAL) to return to… Read more »
Feb. 7, 2021 By Christina Santucci Queens politicians say city and state officials are not playing fair with vaccine distribution. More than two-dozen elected officials representing the borough urged the governor and mayor Sunday to open Citi Field as a COVID-19 vaccination site immediately. They argue that Citi Field should be open as a vaccination… Read more »