Author: Allie Griffin

Public School Teachers and Staff Must Get Vaccinated by End of Friday: Mayor

Sept. 28, 2021 By Allie Griffin New York City public school teachers and staff must get at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of Friday, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday. De Blasio moved the deadline to 5 p.m. Friday after a federal appeals court lifted an injunction that had temporarily… Read more »

Rep. Maloney Calls on the State to Shut Down Ravenswood Power Plant Smokestack

Sept. 27, 2021 By Allie Griffin Congress Member Carolyn Maloney is calling on state officials to shut down a smokestack at a Long Island City power plant that is the biggest polluting plant in New York. Maloney joined residents of the Queensbridge Houses Saturday to renew their call for the New York State Energy Research… Read more »

Astoria Block Co-Named After George Kaufman of Kaufman Astoria Studios

Sept. 27, 2021 By Allie Griffin A block in Astoria was named after the late real estate developer George Kaufman, who restored Astoria Studios in the 1980s — and, in turn, helped revive New York City’s production industry. A section of 35th Avenue, between 35th and 36th Streets, was co-named “George S. Kaufman Way” at… Read more »

Long Island City Partnership Hosts 32nd Annual Awards Gala

Sept. 24, 2021 By Allie Griffin and Christian Murray The Long Island City Partnership hosted its 32nd annual awards gala Tuesday night honoring two local organizations that have helped the community get through the worst of the pandemic. The partnership recognized Plaxall and The Floating Hospital at the gala inside the JACX, a two-tower office… Read more »

Van Bramer Secures More Than $5 Million for MoMA PS1 Roof Repairs

Sept. 24, 2021 By Allie Griffin Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer has secured more than $5.1 million to cover the costs of badly-needed roof repairs at MoMA PS1. The capital funding will allow the Long Island City art institution to make the repairs that the building has needed for nearly a decade. “MoMA PS1’s growth… Read more »

Final Phase of Queens Boulevard Redesign to be Completed Next Month

Sept. 22, 2021 By Allie Griffin The final phase of the Queens Boulevard redesign project will be completed next month, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced at a press conference on Queens Boulevard in Forest Hills Wednesday. The fourth and final phase — from Yellowstone Boulevard to Union Turnpike — will be finished by Oct. 29,… Read more »

Rep. Ocasio-Cortez Calls on Governor and Mayor to Immediately Shut Down Rikers and Release Inmates

Sept. 22, 2021 By Allie Griffin Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other New York Congress members are calling on both the governor and mayor to immediately shut down the Rikers Island jail complex. Ocasio-Cortez and Reps. Jamaal Bowman, Jerry Nadler and Nydia Velázquez penned a letter to Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Bill de Blasio Tuesday… Read more »

Weill Cornell Opens New Medical Practice in Long Island City

Sept. 21, 2021 By Allie Griffin Weill Cornell Medicine opened a new medical practice in Long Island City in a partnership with New York-Presbyterian Monday. The practice, located on the ground floor of The JACX at 28-25 Jackson Ave., aims to provide Queens residents with greater access to physicians within the Manhattan-based institution. The facility… Read more »

Eric Adams Outlines Plan to Convert Hotels Located in The Outer Boroughs Into Affordable Housing

Sept. 21, 2021 By Allie Griffin Democratic mayoral nominee Eric Adams wants to convert 25,000 outer-borough hotel rooms into permanent affordable housing. Adams outlined a plan — during a press conference in Sunset Park Monday — for the city to acquire economically distressed hotels in the outer boroughs and convert them into supportive housing. The… Read more »