June 24, 2020 By Michael Dorgan City beaches will be open to the public for swimming from July 1, Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced. Public beaches have remained closed all summer due to the coronavirus pandemic but the number of cases continues to fall. “It is now safe to open the city’s 14 miles… Read more »
June 23, 2020, By Michael Dorgan Western Queens residents have been subject to a barrage of illegal fireworks in recent weeks that are being set off at all hours of the day and night. Residents who live near the Long Island City waterfront or by Astoria Park say they are being kept awake by the… Read more »
June 23, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced the establishment of a multi-agency task force to crack down on illegal fireworks sales. The move comes after a spike in illegal fireworks usage that has plagued city neighborhoods in recent weeks. The new task force will be made up of NYPD Intelligence Bureau… Read more »
June 23, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced that a virtual graduation ceremony will take place for the city’s high school students next week. The ceremony for the class of 2020 will be held on June 30 at 7 p.m. and will be streamed online and broadcast on local TV, the… Read more »
June 22, 2020 By Michael Dorgan A man was struck and killed by a 7 train at the Queensboro Plaza subway station Sunday night, MTA officials and the police said. The 30-old-victim fell in front of a Manhattan-bound 7 train at around 10:52 p.m. as it pulled into the station, police said. The subway driver… Read more »
June 19, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Council Member Danny Dromm has condemned the actions of a large group of protesters who demonstrated outside his home Thursday afternoon. Around 100 Democratic Socialists converged outside his apartment building in Jackson Heights and demanded that the NYPD budget be slashed in half, Dromm said. The protesters were yelling… Read more »
June 18, 2020 By Michael Dorgan An unprecedented number of people are using the waterfront parks in Hunters Point and they are generating lots of trash and making plenty of noise. The good weather and the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions has seen people flock to Gantry Plaza State Park and Hunters Point South Park this… Read more »
June 18, 2020 By Michael Dorgan More than 400 protesters marched through Astoria Wednesday evening demanding that the Christopher Columbus statue on Astoria Boulevard be removed. The protest, led by local group Justice for George Queens, said that the statue is offensive. The organizers said that Columbus exploited the indigenous populations of the Americas and… Read more »
June 17, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Council Member Donovan Richards, a borough president candidate, has called on the city to remove NYPD officers from school security duties. Richards wants the Department of Education to take back the role of school safety following widespread demands for police reform. Donovan, in a joint statement released with Brooklyn… Read more »
June 17, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Alewife, the popular Long Island City-based brewpub, is closing down and moving its entire operation to Sunnyside. The brewing company, known for its specialty IPAs and craft beers, will shut down its Long Island City bar and brew house next month and open in Sunnyside in the fall. Alewife… Read more »