Author: schnepsrestagent

Mayor Adams marks one year of ‘Padlock to Protect’ with pizza and progress in Queens

padlock to protect

May. 15, 2025 By Bill Parry Mayor Eric Adams marked the one-year anniversary of the launch of the city’s “Operation Padlock to Protect” initiative at a pizzeria on the Rego Park and Middle Village border on Wednesday and touted the significant progress in shutting down more than 1,400 illegal smoke shops across the five…

Airport workers at JFK and LaGuardia win expanded benefits under state budget

airport workers

May. 14, 2025 By Shane O’Brien Service workers union 32BJ SEIU has welcomed life-changing benefits for thousands of workers at both LaGuardia and JFK airports in the recently-approved state budget, which includes measures to expand paid vacation and improve health insurance for all airport workers across New York State. The state budget included expansions…

The Cola Wars are back: Pepsi brings its iconic taste test to Queens Night Market

cola wars

May. 14, 2025 By Czarinna Andres Step right up, Queens — the Cola Wars are back, and your taste buds are the battleground. Pepsi is bringing its iconic Pepsi Challenge to Queens as part of a national tour to show consumers that Pepsi Zero Sugar tastes better than Coke Zero Sugar. The tour, which…

State Sen. Gonzalez lauds budget for cost-of-living measures but says bold action is still needed

State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez speaks in the State Senate. Photo courtesy of office of State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez.

May. 14, 2025 By sobrien May 14, 2025 By Shane O’Brien State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez touted a number of measures introduced in the recently-approved state budget that will help working families combat inflation but said the budget could have been “bolder” in its efforts to tackle the cost-of-living crisis. Gonzalez, who represents areas in…

Five Queens entrepreneurs win $20K grants in 2025 Tech + Innovation Challenge

challenge

May. 14, 2025 By QNS News Team Five Queens-based businesses were named winners of the 2025 Queens Tech + Innovation Challenge and each received a $20,000 grant during a ceremony held Wednesday, May 7, at Resorts World New York City in South Ozone Park. The annual competition, organized by the Queens Economic Development Corporation…

Socrates Sculpture Park continues to evolve as a community hub for art, nature and renewal

Entrance to Socrates Sculpture Park on Vernon Boulevard featuring the park's "Broadway Billboard." Photo: Shane O'Brien.

May. 13, 2025 By sobrien May 13, 2025 By Shane O’Brien On any given morning, Socrates Sculpture Park in Astoria hums with energy—artists welding steel, neighbors walking their dogs, and visitors pausing to admire large-scale artworks taking shape before their eyes. Located at 32-01 Vernon Blvd. along the East River, the 6.25-acre waterfront park…

Housing lottery receives 6 million applications for just 10,000 units, leaving many behind

housing lottery

May. 13, 2025 By Shane O’Brien New York City’s housing crisis is no secret and the city’s low-cost housing landscape remains extremely difficult to navigate, including a housing lottery system theoretically devised to provide a solution for the dire need for accommodation. A problem that has been brewing for decades, the housing crisis continues…