Sept. 29, 2021 By Allie Griffin Former Council Member Costa Constantinides was sworn into the city’s Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors Tuesday. Constantinides, who is now the CEO of Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens, was nominated to represent Queens by Queens Borough President Donovan Richards. The NYCEDC’s role—as a quasi-private, city-affiliated corporation–is… Read more »
Sept. 28, 2021 By Allie Griffin New York City public school teachers and staff must get at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of Friday, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday. De Blasio moved the deadline to 5 p.m. Friday after a federal appeals court lifted an injunction that had temporarily… Read more »
Sept. 28, 2021 By Allie Griffin (Updated Sept. 30) Queens has outpaced the rest of the boroughs in the city’s vaccine effort. Nearly 90 percent of adults who live in Queens have gotten at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Queens has both the highest percentage of its adult population vaccinated at 89 percent… Read more »
Sept. 27, 2021 By Allie Griffin A Forest Hills concert featuring hip hop artists Nas and DJ Cassidy last week raised enough money to help a local charity feed nearly 2.5 million New Yorkers for a day. All proceeds from the ‘Concert to Feed NYC’ on Sept. 23 at Forest Hills Stadium were donated to… Read more »
Sept. 27, 2021 By Allie Griffin Congress Member Carolyn Maloney is calling on state officials to shut down a smokestack at a Long Island City power plant that is the biggest polluting plant in New York. Maloney joined residents of the Queensbridge Houses Saturday to renew their call for the New York State Energy Research… Read more »
Sept. 27, 2021 By Allie Griffin A block in Astoria was named after the late real estate developer George Kaufman, who restored Astoria Studios in the 1980s — and, in turn, helped revive New York City’s production industry. A section of 35th Avenue, between 35th and 36th Streets, was co-named “George S. Kaufman Way” at… Read more »
Sept. 24, 2021 By Allie Griffin The city has completed a $17.3 million upgrade of the sewers and roadways in a 10-block section of Rosedale, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Friday. The infrastructure upgrades aim to prevent flooding in the vicinity of Hook Creek Boulevard and 256th Street, which has been an ongoing problem. The… Read more »
Sept. 24, 2021 By Allie Griffin and Christian Murray The Long Island City Partnership hosted its 32nd annual awards gala Tuesday night honoring two local organizations that have helped the community get through the worst of the pandemic. The partnership recognized Plaxall and The Floating Hospital at the gala inside the JACX, a two-tower office… Read more »
Sept. 24, 2021 By Allie Griffin Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer has secured more than $5.1 million to cover the costs of badly-needed roof repairs at MoMA PS1. The capital funding will allow the Long Island City art institution to make the repairs that the building has needed for nearly a decade. “MoMA PS1’s growth… Read more »
Sept. 23, 2021 By Allie Griffin The city is opening a new shelter for homeless New Yorkers in an East Elmhurst building that was originally planned to become a hotel. The city is converting a building, located at 112-16 Astoria Blvd., into a shelter for 140 adult families experiencing homelessness, the Department of Social Services… Read more »