July 2, 2020 By Allie Griffin A stretch of Bell Boulevard will close and be converted into an outdoor dining corridor on Friday nights and weekends, beginning July 4, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Council Member Paul Vallone announced today. The Bayside street will be closed to car traffic and filled with tables and chairs… Read more »
July 2, 2020 By Allie Griffin A timely exhibit examining the role of monuments in American society will debut this summer at a park in Long Island City. The exhibition ‘MONUMENTS NOW‘ will open this month at Socrates Sculpture Park, located at 32-01 Vernon Blvd., just as historical monuments across the country are being toppled… Read more »
July 2, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City public schools will reopen for the new school year in September, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today. City schools have been closed since March and instruction was moved online given the coronavirus pandemic. School buildings will reopen for in-person classes on the first day of school…. Read more »
July 2, 2020 By Allie Griffin The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has completed a $5.6 million traffic redesign to the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge that it says improves traffic flow and safety. The finished work improves access to the Whitestone Expressway and Cross Island Parkway, creating easier connections for drivers. The agency constructed an additional entry lane… Read more »
July 1, 2020 By Allie Griffin Queens residents will be able to cool off with a dip in the pool this summer as the city plans to reopen three public pools in the borough within the next month. Liberty Pool in Jamaica, Astoria Pool in Astoria and Fisher Pool in East Elmhurst will reopen incoming… Read more »
July 1, 2020 By Allie Griffin New Yorkers will have to wait a little longer to grab a bite to eat indoors. The reopening of indoor dining at New York City restaurants has been postponed indefinitely, both Mayor Bill de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo announced today. New York City was poised to reopen indoor… Read more »
July 1, 2020 By Allie Griffin The City Council passed the mayor’s executive budget that included deep cuts to the NYPD last night, as protesters cried to “defund the NYPD” outside City Hall. The council passed the $88.1 billion budget with a 32-to-17 vote around midnight, just before the July 1, 2021 fiscal year began…. Read more »
June 30, 2020 By Allie Griffin Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a municipal budget deal that would cut NYPD funding by $1 billion and redistribute much of it to support youth services and public housing residents. The City Council will vote on the new $88.1 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2021 — which begins July… Read more »
June 30, 2020 By Allie Griffin A group of environmental activists took over a privately-owned site in Sunnyside Saturday to create a community garden. The Western Queens Guerrilla Gardeners — a group of local gardeners, environmental activists and community composters — transformed the vacant lot with new plantings, compost piles and a “Resistance is fertile”… Read more »
June 24, 2020 By Allie Griffin More Queens streets will be shuttered to traffic as the city introduces another wave of the Open Streets initiative first announced in April. Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled an additional 23 miles today that will be open to pedestrians and cyclists through the course of the pandemic. The shuttered… Read more »