July 1, 2021 By Allie Griffin The City Council passed a record-breaking $98.7 billion executive budget for the upcoming fiscal year Wednesday, but not everyone supported it. Wednesday’s budget hearing was relatively placid compared to last year, when council members voted for or against the prior budget amid mounting pressure to decrease police spending. That… Read more »
July 1, 2021 By Allie Griffin Police are looking for a tattoo-clad man who stole a teenage girl’s phone on the 7 train in Woodside last month. The alleged thief grabbed an iPhone out of the hands of a 17-year-old girl as she sat inside a 7 train that was stopped at the 69th Street… Read more »
June 30, 2021 By Allie Griffin Several candidates running for City Council seats in Queens filed preemptive lawsuits last week against the NYC Board of Elections (BOE) and their opponents ahead of the Board’s blunder yesterday. At least six Queens Council candidates and two Queens borough president candidates have filed the lawsuits over the past… Read more »
June 30, 2021 By Allie Griffin Police released video of a man who sucker punched a 69-year-old doorman in a Forest Hills apartment building on Saturday. The perpetrator, who was not a resident, was spotted by the doorman at around 9:20 p.m. in the basement of the building at 104-21 68th Dr. and asked him… Read more »
June 29, 2021 By Allie Griffin A free Independence celebration with live music and fireworks will light up Astoria Park tonight. The Central Astoria Local Development Coalition Inc. is hosting its early Independence Day celebration on the Astoria Park Great Lawn, on Shore Boulevard between the Hell Gate Bridge and the pool, tonight. An all-women… Read more »
June 28, 2021 By Allie Griffin Nearly every Queens Public Library (QPL) branch across the borough will reopen in-person services beginning next month in a move to return to pre-pandemic service. All library branches were temporarily closed last year to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. QPL has gradually phased in in-person services since last summer… Read more »
June 28, 2021 By Allie Griffin A free summer concert series is returning to Jackson Heights this weekend after going remote last year. “Summer Sundays in The Park” will again feature live music from local artists on Sundays at 6 p.m. in Travers Park, from July 4 through Aug. 29. The series — organized by… Read more »
June 28, 2021 By Allie Griffin Workers have broken ground on a community space and parking garage near Queens Borough Hall — the first major step in the construction of a borough-based jail in Kew Gardens, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Friday. The new facility, which will be 105 feet tall, will include a 25,000-square-foot… Read more »
June 24, 2021 By Allie Griffin The popular retail chain Target is planning to open its first store in Long Island City. The company will open a 31,000-square-foot store at 1 Court Square West, a four-story retail building connected to the former Citigroup Building known as One Court Square, a Target spokesperson confirmed. The opening… Read more »
June 23, 2021 By Allie Griffin Tony Avella, a former state senator and city council member, is in a strong position to reclaim his old city council seat representing the 19th Council District, early election results show. Avella — who served in the City Council from 2002 to 2009 — has earned 37.1 percent of… Read more »