April 19, 2021 By Christian Murray Costa Constantinides, who represented Astoria in the City Council until earlier this month, shared a message on twitter this afternoon that his wife has passed away. Constantinides said that his wife, Lori, died this morning. “My wife Lori went home this morning after a long illness battling kidney failure… Read more »
April 19, 2021 By Allie Griffin More than 40 public schools in western Queens will receive a collective $33 million in funding from the recently-passed New York state budget, State Sen. Mike Gianaris announced Friday. The schools will gradually receive their portion of the funds on a monthly basis beginning in September, Gianaris said. The… Read more »
April 19, 2021 By Christina Santucci A pair of Queens City Council candidates are holding a vigil Monday evening in Sunnyside in honor of four members of the Sikh religious community who were killed in the FedEx facility shooting in Indianapolis Thursday. The remembrance – organized by Amit S. Bagga and Hailie Kim – is… Read more »
April 19, 2021 By Ryan Songalia A man was fatally shot while sitting inside his SUV in Astoria late Sunday night, police said. Police responded to a 911 call shortly after 10 p.m. and found a 22-year-old man sitting in the driver’s seat of a late model Range Rover with a gunshot wound to his… Read more »
April 19, 2021 By Christina Santucci A 32-year-old Long Island City man is facing hate crime and harassment charges after he allegedly threatened an Asian police officer—who was working undercover—at a Dutch Kills subway station, the NYPD said. Ricardo Hernandez was arrested at about 5:30 p.m. Saturday on the N subway platform at 31st Street… Read more »
April 19, 2021 By Christina Santucci New Yorkers 50 and older no longer need an appointment to receive a COVID-19 vaccine at multiple city-run sites – including seven locations in Queens. The mayor announced the expansion to walk-in vaccinations on Saturday – the first day that the new guidelines were put into place. Previously the… Read more »
April 16, 2021 By Allie Griffin Thousands of residents fled western Queens in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report published by the real estate group CBRE. The report — which analyzed 29 million USPS address changes across the nation — found that nationwide people last year vacated large, costly cities in much… Read more »
April 16, 2021 By Michael Dorgan Teazzi Tea Shop, which specializes in bubble tea, opened in Long Island City last week. The store – the third in a chain, and the second in Queens – opened Saturday on the ground floor of the Hayden residential building—a 51-story complex in Court Square. The 43-21 Hunter St…. Read more »
April 16, 2021 By Ryan Songalia A bill sponsored by Congresswoman Grace Meng that aims to combat hate crimes that target the Asian-American community moved one step closer to becoming law Wednesday. The Senate voted overwhelmingly in favor of advancing the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which would simplify the reporting and review process pertaining to… Read more »
April 16, 2021 By Christian Murray A lucrative state tax break that has benefited a number of high-profile developers has come to an end. State Sen. Mike Gianaris passed legislation that was included in the state budget that scraps a handsome tax break that allows developers who invest in designated “opportunity zones” to defer and… Read more »