Author: Czarinna Andres

Editor-in-chief

Op-Ed: A Big Mistake to Evict Big Reuse

June 11, 2021 Op-Ed By: Amit Singh Bagga In New York City, you’d think that the City agency responsible for ensuring we all have a safe, thriving environment would do everything in its power to do just that. Well, in the case of the NYC Parks Department (“Parks”) and the Big Reuse site underneath the… Read more »

Op-Ed: Beware the Comprehensive Plan, One Plan to Rule Us All

June 10, 2021 Op-Ed By: Emily Sharpe I met Alicia Boyd in Brooklyn at a meeting to save the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s flora from dark shadows cast by luxury towers. I had gotten a flyer to attend from her colleague when he toured Sunnyside Yards at an event sponsored by the group I founded, “Stop… Read more »

Op-Ed: Fighting For Seniors and Their Ability to Age in Place

May 20, 2021 Op-Ed By: Julia Forman As a pandemic that brought disproportionate harm to our senior neighbors raged through the city, our government sputtered. Communications were focused on text and internet messages and those on the other side of the digital divide struggled to get the same information as our younger citizens. Vaccine sign-ups… Read more »

Queens Congressman To Vote Against Biden’s Infrastructure Bill Unless Cap on SALT Deduction is Lifted

April 14, 2021 By Ryan Songalia Congressman Tom Suozzi, who represents northeast Queens and parts of Long Island, says that he will not back President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan unless it contains a provision that would restore the full deductibility of state and local taxes—known as SALT. The cap, which was instituted as part of… Read more »

Queens Non-Profit Helps Thousands Get Through Pandemic, Featured on The Today Show

April 14, 2021 By Ryan Songalia For many Americans, the COVID-19 pandemic created a financial strain that is still being felt more than a year later. That sting has been felt more so by those who haven’t qualified for federal unemployment assistance or other pandemic benefits—primarily undocumented immigrants. That’s where Sunnyside Community Services has tried… Read more »

Op-Ed: Development Disasters In Waiting

March 11, 2021 Op-Ed By: Julia Forman It’s no secret that in parts of Long Island City, our neighbors can’t flush their toilet during heavy rainfall. That’s because of a sewage system that was designed for the smaller population living here more than half a century’s worth of development ago. Why are we trying to… Read more »

Op-Ed: Why Permanent Supportive Housing?

Feb. 17, 2021 Op-Ed By: Heajin-Hailie Kim It was April, and our food pantry was stationed beneath the 46th street stop on the 7 line.  A woman walked up to us, dressed in many layers against the chill, and asked for a jar of peanut butter. “Someone stole mine,” she said.  Her voice had a… Read more »

Op-Ed: Closing the Digital Divide

Feb. 11, 2021 Op-Ed By Julie Won When COVID-19 hit and lockdown began, the lives of many New Yorkers moved online. Living rooms were turned into offices, meetings were held via teleconferencing, and children began attending classes on Zoom. For the 1 million New Yorkers without high-speed internet, however, things haven’t been so simple. With… Read more »