Author: Allie Griffin

Aug. 3, 2020 By Allie Griffin The city will bring back its open restaurants outdoor dining program next June — or even earlier, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today. The program, which converts parts of city streets and sidewalks to dining areas, is set to expire on Oct. 31. De Blasio said the initiative will… Read more »

July 30, 2020 By Allie Griffin A group of small business owners from across the borough came together on the steps of Queens Borough Hall Wednesday to demand more financial help from legislators as they try to keep their businesses afloat amid the pandemic. The mom-and-pop shop owners are struggling to pay their rent from… Read more »

July 29, 2020 By Allie Griffin Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney declared victory Tuesday in a tight primary race. Maloney, who was first elected to Congress in 1992, issued a statement yesterday saying she won the Democratic primary for the 12th district by about 3,700 votes after absentee ballots were counted. The district includes Astoria, Long Island… Read more »

July 28, 2020 By Allie Griffin State officials suspended the liquor licenses of a dozen New York City establishments — all in Queens — over the weekend, as they continue to crackdown on COVID-19 violations. The State Liquor Authority (SLA) ordered the suspensions of 12 eateries across Astoria, Jackson Heights, Corona and Ozone Park during… Read more »

July 28, 2020 By Allie Griffin The moped-sharing company Revel has shut down its service in New York City today after a second fatal crash occurred in ten days. Revel announced it would shut down service in the city until further notice just hours after a 32-year-old man died by crashing a Revel scooter into… Read more »

July 28, 2020 By Allie Griffin A 32-year-old Brooklyn man died when he lost control of a Revel scooter in Rego Park early Tuesday morning.  Jeremy Malave, of Cypress Hills, was driving one of the rental scooters northbound on Woodhaven Boulevard near 67th Drive around 3:15 a.m. when he ran into a light pole in… Read more »

July 27, 2020 By Allie Griffin Nearly half of Queens residents have still not completed the 2020 Census more than four months after it was opened for responses. The borough has a self response rate of about 54 percent, according to Census map data. The number is below New York State’s total response rate of… Read more »

July 24, 2020 By Allie Griffin Several Queens streets were added — and removed — from the city’s open streets program, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today. Four streets in Queens were added to the program in which select blocks are closed to traffic and opened for pedestrians and cyclists’ use from 8 a.m. to… Read more »

July 24, 2020 By Allie Griffin Alternate side parking rules will return for all of next month, beginning Monday, Aug. 3, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today. The city has repeatedly suspended the street parking rules during the coronavirus pandemic, so that New Yorkers don’t have to move their cars for street cleaning. Alternate side… Read more »

July 24, 2020 By Allie Griffin A former Wake Forest basketball coach avoided jail time at his sentencing Thursday for the ‘one punch’ death of a Florida man in Long Island City two years ago. Jamill Jones, 37, of North Carolina, was sentenced to three years’ probation, 1,500 hours of community service and a $1,000… Read more »