Dec. 23, 2024 By Ethan Marshall

Permits have been filed for the construction of a new 6-story homeless shelter at 38-78 and 38-80 11th St. in Long Island City.

Dec. 23, 2024 By Shane O’Brien

Queens families looking for festive and educational holiday fun need look no further than their local parks.

Dec. 23, 2024 By Shane O’Brien

Displaced tenants, elected officials and community advocates gathered at a Sunnyside residential building destroyed by fire last December to mark the one-year anniversary of the five-alarm fire that left hundreds displaced from their homes.

Dec. 23, 2024 By Athena Dawson

The New York City Council passed two transparency-focused bills during its Stated Meeting on Thursday, Dec. 19, aimed at improving communication around roadway closures and parking space suspensions.

QNS is looking back at our top stories throughout 2024 as we look forward to 2025. In terms of crime, the borough was shaken by several high-profile murders, police shootings and drug gang takedowns, many of which shocked the entire city. Here are some of the top 2024 crime stories in Queens.

The city’s first homicide of the year went down in an Elmhurst karaoke bar

New York City’s first murder in 2024 occurred on New Year’s Day when a Manhattan bouncer stabbed two men outside an Elmhurst karaoke bar near 76th Street and Roosevelt Ave. just before 4 a.m. Torrance Holmes, 35, of Hamilton Heights, was arrested by detectives days later at his home and transported back to Queens to face justice.

A Queens grand jury indicted nine men on charges of conspiracy, drug trafficking, and other related crimes following an extensive two-year investigation into a Jamaica-based narcotics crew, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced on Wednesday, Dec. 18.

The probe was conducted by her Major Economic Crimes Bureau and the NYPD. Dubbed “Operation the Price is Right,” this probe included a series of undercover drug buys and the use of electronic surveillance. Approximately 466 grams of cocaine, 91 grams of heroin and 288 grams of deadly fentanyl were seized at several locations that were raided. Just two milligrams of fentanyl is considered to be a lethal dose.

Dec. 23, 2024 By Shane O’Brien

As 2024 turns into 2025, QNS is looking back on its most popular stories from each month of the year.

Dec. 23, 2024 By Athena Dawson

U.S. Representative Gregory Meeks, who represents New York’s 5th District, which covers southeast Queens and parts of Nassau County, and U.S. Representative Pete Sessions, who represents Texas’ 17th District, which covers areas including Waco and College Station, have introduced a bipartisan bill aimed at alleviating financial burdens for first-time homeowners.

Dec. 22, 2024 By Barbara Russo-Lennon

A 78-year-old man has died days after being hit by a pickup truck driver while attempting to cross a busy Queens intersection earlier this month. 

Dec. 22, 2024 By Dean Moses

Police say an attempted robbery turned massive brawl on board a Queens train early on Sunday morning left a man stabbed to death.

Dec. 22, 2024 By Dean Moses

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch ousted NYPD Chief of Internal Affairs Miguel Iglesias on Saturday night amid sexual misconduct accusations involving former Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey that led to a massive shakeup in departmental leadership precipitated by Maddrey’s resignation.

Dec. 21, 2024 By Robert Pozarycki

The NYPD announced a major change of guard Saturday morning following the sudden resignation of Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey, the department’s highest-ranking uniformed officer, on Friday.

Dec. 20, 2024 By Emily Davenport and QNS News Team

After decades of helping New Yorkers celebrate life’s biggest moments, Party City is throwing its final party—announcing the closure of all its stores, including its last two locations in Queens.

Dec. 20, 2024 By Shane O’Brien

Governor Kathy Hochul visited Queens Center Mall in Elmhurst on Thursday, engaging with local residents amid their holiday shopping to discuss the rising cost of living in New York and to promote her proposal to deliver Inflation Reduction checks aimed at easing financial burdens for New Yorkers.

Police from the 112th Precinct in Forest Hills arrested an Ozone Park man on Friday morning looking for allegedly striking an NYPD traffic enforcement agent during an argument in Rego Park on Wednesday afternoon.

Mark Garrido, 29, of 98th Street, is charged with assault and robbery for rushing at the 56-year-old victim, who was on duty and in uniform at 4:20 p.m. in front of a Taco Bell at 95-06 63rd Drive.

Dec. 20, 2024 By Czarinna Andres

Inside Broadway hosted its biannual program, Creating the Magic, on Wednesday, Dec. 11, offering students a behind-the-scenes look at the new musical adaptation of “The Great Gatsby.”

Dec. 20, 2024 By Ethan Marshall and Ramy Mahmoud

Queensborough Community College in Bayside held its annual Kwanzaa celebration on Saturday, Dec. 14.

The FDNY battled a two-alarm blaze at a restaurant in Rockaway Beach that stirred up some ghosts for residents of the neighborhood.

The fire broke out just after 7 p.m. at the Smoke and Barrel BBQ at 97-20 Rockway Beach Blvd., in the same location as the old Boggiano’s Bar and Grill. It stood for three-quarters of a century across from the entrance to Rockaway Beach’s Playland Amusement Park, which drew visitors from across the city to what was known as the Irish Riviera, an alternative to Coney Island on the Brooklyn side of Jamaica Bay.

Dec. 20, 2024 By Shane O’Brien

LaGuardia Community College is inviting internationally-trained nurses living in New York City to apply for the NYC Welcome Back Center, a tuition-free program that helps nurses transition into the US healthcare sector as Registered Nurses.

Dec. 20, 2024 By Athena Dawson

After decades of advocacy, the 116th Precinct in Queens is finally open.

Dec. 20, 2024 By Shane O’Brien

Council Member Robert Holden sharply criticized the MTA on Wednesday after the transit authority’s board approved a 2025 budget plan that includes fare hikes for public transportation and toll increases beginning next summer.

Dec. 20, 2024 By Shane O’Brien

Food rescue charity City Harvest picked up roughly 2,000 pounds of donated food from Woodside elementary school students on Wednesday as part of its annual food drive.

Dec. 19, 2024 By Jessica Militello

With the colder months officially here, Off the Hook in Astoria offers the perfect cozy spot to enjoy a range of delicious dishes, from fresh seafood to meat and vegetarian options.

Hundreds of warehouse workers and drivers walked off the job and joined the picket line outside the massive DBK4 Amazon fulfillment center in Maspeth on Thursday morning as the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) launched the largest strike ever against the $2 trillion corporation in New York City, Atlanta, Southern California, San Francisco, and Illinois.

Amazon workers at other facilities across the country say they are prepared to join them to protest unfair labor practices after the IBT set a Dec. 15 deadline for Amazon to begin negotiations on a new agreement. The union was ignored.

Dec. 19, 2024 QNS News Team

NYPD officers brought joy and holiday cheer to patients and families at St. Mary’s Hospital for Children in Bayside on Tuesday, Dec. 17, during their annual visit to the region’s only pediatric long-term and rehabilitative care center.