June 15, 2020 By Michael Dorgan A trendy, upmarket bar/restaurant in Dutch Kills has shuttered after a near 7-year-run. Dutch Kills Centraal, located at 38-40 29th St., has closed for good, its owners announced Sunday. Dominic and Jean Stiller, a husband and wife duo, said that the business could not withstand the COVID-19 economic restrictions… Read more »
June 15, 2020 By Allie Griffin Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz has launched a new bureau dedicated to combating hate crimes. The announcement comes amid a national discussion on systemic racism following the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd, as well as a recent uptick in biased attacks against Asian Americans during the coronavirus pandemic…. Read more »
June 14, 2020 By Christian Murray Former Council Member Elizabeth Crowley, who represented the 30th district in western Queens from 2009-2017, is running to be the next Queens Borough President. We spoke to Crowley last week. The focus of the discussion dealt with police reform, COVID-19, community boards and jobs. Crowley is one of several… Read more »
June 14, 2020 Staff Report A video has gone viral of a woman deliberately coughing on another customer at a bagel shop in Astoria. In the video, a woman comes into New York City Bagel & Coffee House on Broadway–near 30th Street–to pick up an order without a mask on June 6. Another customer complains… Read more »
June 12, 2020 By Michael Dorgan More than 100 western Queens residents who have died from COVID-19 will be honored during a virtual memorial service later this month. The event, titled Remembering Locals Lost to COVID-19, will take place via the video-conferencing application Zoom on June 28 at 2 p.m. The service seeks to honor… Read more »
June 11, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City is offering $3 million in grants to local restaurants struggling to stay afloat given the coronavirus shutdown. The grants will help restaurants in neighborhoods hit particularly hard by the virus to employ and pay their workers, Mayor Bill de Blasio and First Lady Chirlane McCray announced… Read more »
June 10, 2020 By Christian Murray Council Member Robert Holden and several candidates who are running for Queens Borough President are calling for an explanation as to why the chairperson of Community Board 2 was not reappointed to the board last month. “We need an explanation,” said Council Member Bob Holden. “The process of the… Read more »
June 10, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York state lawmakers passed a bill yesterday to repeal a law that cloaks police records in secrecy. The lawmakers overwhelming voted in favor of the bill to repeal the law known as 50-A, as calls for police reforms are sweeping the nation. The bill disbands the decades-old law… Read more »
June 9, 2020 By Michael Dorgan State senator Jessica Ramos has introduced a bill this week that would prevent the police from using military-style weapons on civilians. Bill S.8516 bans law enforcement from using rubber bullets and tear gas on demonstrators. It also calls on law enforcement to destroy any chemical weapons in their possession. Ramos wants aggressive… Read more »
June 9, 2020 By Christian Murray A street in Queens is going to be co-named and painted to commemorate the Black Lives Matter movement, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today. The mayor said that a street in each borough will be co-named after the movement and the city will work with community activists to paint… Read more »