Sept. 16, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Restaurants will soon be able to add a 10 percent service charge to the tab. The City Council voted Wednesday to approve legislation that would temporarily permit restaurants to add a “COVID-19 Recovery Charge” to customer checks. The legislation is expected to be signed by the mayor – which… Read more »
Sept. 16, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Mayor Bill de Blasio and his entire office staff will take one week of unpaid leave in order to help tackle the city’s fiscal crisis amid the coronavirus shutdown. The mayor said that the mandatory furloughs – which will affect nearly 500 employees – will save the city nearly… Read more »
Sept. 15, 2020 By Michael Dorgan The city will be spraying pesticides to keep the number of mosquitoes at bay in parts of western and central Queens on Thursday. The spraying will begin at around 8:30 p.m. and will continue until 6 a.m. Friday, according to the NYC Department of Health. The spraying will occur… Read more »
Sep. 15, 2020 By Michael Dorgan A number of city and state officials came together for a Zoom call Thursday to address the quality-of-life issues that have plagued the Hunters Point waterfront this summer. The meeting, which involved more than 20 participants, included representatives from the mayor’s office, NYC Parks, New York State Parks, NYC… Read more »
Sept. 15, 2020 By Michael Dorgan State Sen. Mike Gianaris has introduced a bill aimed at preventing U.S. President Donald Trump from avoiding criminal prosecution — and force him to produce his tax returns. The bill, called the “No Citizen Is Above The Law Act,” would make it harder for President Trump – and future… Read more »
Sep. 10, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Plans have been filed for two seven-story residential buildings in Long Island City and the architect has just released the renderings. The plans released by the COSTA Architecture and Engineering call for two 60-foot tall buildings at 37-24 30th Street and 37-28 30th Street. Building permits for the structures… Read more »
Sep. 10, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Dozens of small business owners in Queens have come together to call on the government to help them get through the economic crisis before they are forced to permanently close. The business owners appealed to city, state and federal officials for financial relief and other forms of assistance at… Read more »
Sep. 9, 2020 By Michael Dorgan A local relief group that has been providing food to hard-hit residents during the pandemic has launched a school supply drive. The Long Island City Covid-19 Relief Group — which has raised more than $150,000 and served up more than 45,000 hot meals to needy residents since it launched… Read more »
Sep. 9, 2020 By Michael Dorgan A new art project paying homage to public service workers has gone up at subway stations across the city and at the Queens Museum in Corona. The art initiative displays a message of thanks aimed at city staff – particularly sanitation and transit workers – who have kept basic… Read more »
Sep. 8, 2020 By Michael Dorgan City Comptroller Scott Stringer has announced that he will run in the Democratic Primary for New York City Mayor in 2021. The city’s top fiscal watchdog made the announcement Tuesday and offered a vision for the city’s economic recovery–with a focus on riving small businesses, trimming the budget and… Read more »