Astoria man pleads guilty to real estate fraud scheme that targeted Queens Bengali community: DA

New York City’s second-largest Pride celebration, and the first major Pride event taking place this month, kicked off Sunday, June 4, in Jackson Heights, Queens. The theme: Dragtastic.

“With ‘Dragtastic’ as our theme this year, we are saying to the world that we love drag and all it represents,” former New York City Councilmember and LGBT Caucus Chair Daniel Dromm said in a written statement.

The NYPD OPTIONS program, students, staff and alumni of the High School for Law Enforcement and Public Safety held a ribbon-cutting to mark the opening of the school’s new OPTIONS wellness center. The wellness center will help to enhance the personal and professional development of youths through the activities available at this safe and creative space.

Among those on hand to speak about the meaning and impact of this wellness center were High School for Law Enforcement and Public Safety (HSLEAPS) Principal Laura Van Deren, Office of Speaker Adrienne Adams Deputy Chief of Staff and HSLEAPS alumni Tyrell Hankerson, Queens South High Schools Deputy Superintendent Namita Dwarka, New York City Police Foundation Executive Director Greg Roberts, NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Community Affairs Mark Stewart and Police Officer and HSLEAPS alumni Terome Parham.

June 2, 2023 By Christian Murray

Queens Community Board 2 dealt Assembly Member Juan Ardila another political blow Thursday night by passing a “no confidence” resolution in the wake of two sexual abuse allegations that surfaced in March.

The Ridgewood Property Owners and Civic Association kicked off the start of the month with a full meeting inside the basement of the Ridgewood Presbyterian Church, on 59-14 70th Ave., in Ridgewood, on Thursday, June 1. 

More than 50 guests, including the civic association’s board, occupied the intimate space and voiced a number of community concerns, including poor parking situations, rat infestations, improper garbage disposal, and bad landlords. 

June 2, 2023 By Ethan Marshall

Astoria resident Jennah Vox is looking forward to performing at Queens Rising Saturday at the Queens Night Market. Her performance will come as she prepares to release her second EP, “Recovery,” as soon as later in 2023.

Stephanie M. Khan Family Practice in Forest Hills celebrated the opening of its new office at 110-78 Queens Blvd. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony last week.

Originally from Howard Beach, Stephanie Khan first started working in Forest Hills as a nurse practitioner during the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. During this time, Khan quickly became a popular presence in the community, offering home care services and vaccines to older adults in the area. 

Flushing native and actor-director Jon Favreau received an honorary doctorate of fine arts at the Queens College 99th commencement ceremony on Thursday, June 1. 

Favreau attended Queens College from 1984 to 1987. His work in films such as “Elf,” “Zathura,” “Iron Man,” “Cowboys and Aliens,” “Chef,” “The Jungle Book” and “The Lion King” is known around the world. He is a key industry influencer through the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

June 2, 2023 By John Schilling

The Noguchi Museum in Long Island City will showcase artworks by its staff in “A Living Mechanism,” an exhibition that embraces unique artistic perspectives with the goal of honoring the museum’s history. Set to open to the public with an opening reception on June 2, the exhibition will be on display in the museum’s Education Studio until June 15.

U.S. Rep. Grace Meng on May 26 announced the introduction of her bill in Congress to declare Diwali a federal holiday. 

Under Meng’s legislation, the Diwali Day Act, the Festival of Lights would become the 12th federally recognized holiday in the United States. Establishing a federal holiday for Diwali, and the day off it would provide, would allow families and friends to celebrate together, and demonstrate that the government values the diverse cultural makeup of the nation.

Southeast Queens residents will be chanting “Lets Go Mets” as construction ramps up on the $19 billion JFK transformation project and it will have nothing to do with baseball. The Port Authority on June 1 announced that a Long Island company, the Melville-based Modern Efficient Transport and Supply LLC (METS), has been selected to build and operate an on-airport construction support facility to reduce the impact on neighboring communities over the next several years.

“Not only are we transforming JFK International into the kind of world-class global gateway that our region deserves, but we are doing it in a way that will create the least disruption to communities near the airport,” Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole said. “Innovative strategies like the construction support facility at JFK Airport will eliminate thousands of truck trips from local streets every year, honoring our commitment to build a great airport that will benefit the community and the region.”