May 14, 2021 By Ryan Songalia Two city council candidates who are vying for seats in western Queens are hosting a community conversation on hate crimes and race relations in Woodside Saturday. The “raw conversation” will be co-hosted by Ebony Young, an African-American woman who is running to represent the 26th Council District that covers… Read more »
May 3, 2021 Op-Ed By: Jaslin Kaur The strength of our city should be judged by the support we provide seniors. It may seem odd that I, the youngest person in the District 23 City Council race, place so much emphasis on the needs of older New Yorkers, but it makes sense if you know… Read more »
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 »
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 »
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 »
April 14, 2021 By Ryan Songalia Congressman Tom Suozzi, who represents northeast Queens and parts of Long Island, says that he will not back President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan unless it contains a provision that would restore the full deductibility of state and local taxes—known as SALT. The cap, which was instituted as part of… Read more »
April 14, 2021 By Ryan Songalia For many Americans, the COVID-19 pandemic created a financial strain that is still being felt more than a year later. That sting has been felt more so by those who haven’t qualified for federal unemployment assistance or other pandemic benefits—primarily undocumented immigrants. That’s where Sunnyside Community Services has tried… Read more »
March 11, 2021 Op-Ed By: Julia Forman It’s no secret that in parts of Long Island City, our neighbors can’t flush their toilet during heavy rainfall. That’s because of a sewage system that was designed for the smaller population living here more than half a century’s worth of development ago. Why are we trying to… Read more »
Feb. 25, 2021 Op-Ed By: Leonardo Bullaro There has been a lot of recent news about reopening schools and returning to in-person instruction. We know that children learn best when they are engaged with their teachers and peers in a live setting. Even with “only” 30 percent of the city’s 1.1 million students able to… Read more »
Feb. 17, 2021 Op-Ed By: Heajin-Hailie Kim It was April, and our food pantry was stationed beneath the 46th street stop on the 7 line. A woman walked up to us, dressed in many layers against the chill, and asked for a jar of peanut butter. “Someone stole mine,” she said. Her voice had a… Read more »