Author: czarinnaandres

Op-Ed: Beware the Comprehensive Plan, One Plan to Rule Us All

June 10, 2021 Op-Ed By: Emily Sharpe I met Alicia Boyd in Brooklyn at a meeting to save the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s flora from dark shadows cast by luxury towers. I had gotten a flyer to attend from her colleague when he toured Sunnyside Yards at an event sponsored by the group I founded, “Stop… Read more »

Op-Ed: How the Next Mayor and Council Can Fix Our Property Tax Crisis

May 31, 2021 Op-Ed By: Linda Lee At a time when our politics have never seemed more divided, there’s one thing most New York homeowners can agree on– our property tax system is unfair and in need of reform. That’s why Eastern Queens residents should consider our votes for Mayor based not only on their… Read more »

Op-Ed: Fighting For Seniors and Their Ability to Age in Place

May 20, 2021 Op-Ed By: Julia Forman As a pandemic that brought disproportionate harm to our senior neighbors raged through the city, our government sputtered. Communications were focused on text and internet messages and those on the other side of the digital divide struggled to get the same information as our younger citizens. Vaccine sign-ups… Read more »

Op-Ed: Let’s Get Serious About Public Safety

May 20, 2021 Op-Ed By: Jaslin Kaur It is no secret that we live in dangerous times. Hardly a day goes by when we don’t learn of another mass shooting, hate violence incident, or sexual assault. The COVID pandemic still threatens us, as does the climate crisis, as do rampant housing, job, and healthcare insecurity…. Read more »

Op-Ed: Housing For All, Picking Up the Pieces After COVID-19

May 14, 2021 Op-Ed By Ingrid Gomez In the wake of the pandemic, our communities need housing more than ever. Yet many tend to overlook the most obvious method in addressing the rise in homelessness in our city, and that’s ensuring people currently living in homes are allowed to continue living in them. Rent spikes,… Read more »

Man Found Stabbed Inside Grand Avenue Station Early Friday : NYPD

April 23, 2021 By Ryan Songalia A man was found stabbed to death inside an Elmhurst subway station early Friday morning, police said. The victim, who has not been identified, was stabbed in the upper chest at approximately 5:42 a.m. on the southbound platform of the Grand Avenue-Newtown M and R station. The man was… Read more »

Op-Ed: In Honor of Earth Day, Let’s Fight for Municipal Composting

April 22, 2021 Op-Ed By Aleda Gagarin I worry now more than ever about my children growing up on an uninhabitable planet. The science is loud and clear that we need to act urgently. If I were in City Council now, during these final months of budget negotiations, I would fight to restore and expand… Read more »

More Than a Year Since COVID-19 Struck Lingering Injustices Remain: Op-Ed

April 14, 2021 Op-Ed By: Evie Hantzopoulos One year ago today, I grabbed a used surgical mask, latex gloves, a precious bottle of hand sanitizer, and my beat up Mazda to make my way to a local Astoria bakery that had been converted to an emergency food distribution site to support people who were ineligible… Read more »