April 18, 2023 By Bill Parry After three tumultuous pandemic years, Katha and Don Preston Cato have decided to put their Queens World Film Festival (QWFF) on hiatus for a year so they can recalibrate before returning in 2024. When COVID-19 forced the city to shut down in March 2020, the Catos were forced to… Read more »
April 13, 2023, By Bill Parry With the New York State budget nearly two weeks late and negotiations between Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state Legislature struggling to move forward, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez led a rally in Astoria to hopefully influence the final budget. The elected officials on Wednesday, April 13, urged state… Read more »
April 12, 2023 By Bill Parry The unlicensed teenage driver from Long Island who allegedly struck and killed a 16-year-old boy in Astoria on Monday night before speeding away was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court Wednesday, April 12, on a charge of leaving the scene of a fatal incident without reporting it. Yaser Ibrahim, 18,… Read more »
April 11, 2023 By Bill Parry A 16-year-old boy riding a Citi Bike was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver in Astoria Monday night. Police from the 114th Precinct in Astoria responded to a 911 call of a bicyclist struck at 21st Street and 21st Avenue just after 9:30 p.m. on April 10. Upon… Read more »
April 10, 2023 By Bill Parry A 7-year-old boy and his 19-year-old sister were killed after a two-alarm house fire broke out in Astoria on Monday afternoon, according to the FDNY. The cause of the fire was an exploding lithium-ion battery for an e-bike that had been recharging, according to the FDNY. The fire broke… Read more »
April 7, 2023, By Bill Parry Police from the 114th Precinct in Astoria are searching for a gunman who allegedly tried to rob a Dutch Kills gas station last month. The incident occurred on the night of Thursday, March 23, when the suspect entered the Quality Fuel and Go mini-mart, located at 37-45 21st St.,… Read more »
April 7, 2023, By Bill Parry For nearly a decade, Chelsea Vaughan was a familiar figure among Sunnyside families as a nanny, babysitter, and art teacher at The Q StudioLab on Queens Boulevard. She is known for her kindness and childcare skills, but Vaughan found herself unemployed during the “big pause,” as she refers… Read more »
April 6, 2023 By Bill Parry Police from the 115th Precinct in Jackson Heights and Transit District 20 are on the lookout for a pickpocket who was wearing a “Top Gun” jacket when he allegedly robbed a 7 train rider at the 82nd Street subway station early Sunday morning. The suspect approached the 22-year-old man… Read more »
April 5, 2023 By Bill Parry Materials for the Arts is hosting a unique after-school program at its Long Island City warehouse each Wednesday through the end of the spring semester on May 3. The Foundation for New American Art, an arts education nonprofit organization with a mission to support underserved communities, launched the program… Read more »
March 31, 2023 By Bill Parry Subway station agents at the Jackson Heights transit hub at 74th Street and Roosevelt Avenue are now deployed outside the new customer service booth assisting riders of the 7, F, and E subway lines. New York Transit President Richard Davey and Senior Vice President of Subways Demetrius Crichlow donned… Read more »