April 21, 2021 By Ryan Songalia Elected officials across Queens praised the verdicts in the Derek Chauvin case Tuesday, but said true justice remains a work in progress. Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, was found guilty on all three charges related to the May 2020 killing of unarmed Black man George Floyd, including second-degree… Read more »
April 21, 2021 By Ryan Songalia Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled a new plan Tuesday that will add more cops in high crime areas as a means to combat gun violence. The announcement comes at a time when the number of shootings continues to spike across the city and New Yorkers have been calling for… Read more »
April 21, 2021 By Ryan Songalia The Floating Hospital is about to receive more than $4 million in funding to boost its COVID-19 vaccination efforts. The funding, which comes as part of the $1.9 trillion federal relief package, is being earmarked to help the non-profit healthcare provider expand COVID-19 vaccination and testing efforts in underserved… Read more »
April 21, 2021 By Ryan Songalia Queens Community Board 2 is the latest of the 14 boards in Queens to condemn the recent wave of attacks against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. The board issued a statement Monday condemning the spike in hate crimes, similar to a joint letter released March 11 by Queens Community… Read more »
April 20, 2021 By Christina Santucci A trio of Asian-American women are teaming up to lead a solidarity bike ride against racist violence through the streets of Queens Saturday. Longtime cyclists – Helen Ho, Carolyn Tran and Julie Won – organized the event, called Bike for Justice. Ho is a co-founder of The Biking Public… Read more »
April 20, 2021 By Christina Santucci What do the homes of Louis Armstrong, William Steinway, Jackie Robinson, Malcolm X, Ella Fitzgerald and Rufus King have in common? All are featured in the new book, Historic Houses of Queens, scheduled for publication next month. The book – written by Rob MacKay, Director of Public Relations, Tourism… Read more »
April 19, 2021 By Christian Murray Mayor Bill de Blasio has come out against NRG Energy’s proposal to overhaul its Astoria power plant, saying that the plan should be nixed since the plant would continue to rely on fossil fuels. The mayor joins more than a dozen elected officials who have come out against the… Read more »
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 »