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 »
Feb. 11, 2021 Op-Ed By Julie Won When COVID-19 hit and lockdown began, the lives of many New Yorkers moved online. Living rooms were turned into offices, meetings were held via teleconferencing, and children began attending classes on Zoom. For the 1 million New Yorkers without high-speed internet, however, things haven’t been so simple. With… Read more »
Feb. 6, 2021 By Tiffany Cabán New York City is facing an unconscionable health crisis. Twenty hospitals have closed over the last decade, most of them safety net institutions here in Queens that serve the un- or underinsured. Meanwhile, the City spends $12 billion more on incarceration and policing, than it does on care and… Read more »
Feb. 1, 2021 By Judy Zangwill, Executive Director, Sunnyside Community Services It has been almost a year since the pandemic first hit, changing our City in innumerable ways. Through it all, the one thing that has remained constant has been the community’s support. As the demand for our services increased, Sunnyside Community Services faced budget… Read more »
Dec. 30, 2020 By: Ben Guttmann A few months ago, in this very publication, I announced my candidacy to represent the 26th district in the New York City Council. This neighborhood is my home, it is where I’ve grown a business, and I believe that this community is the future of New York and can… Read more »
Dec. 23, 2020 By Julie Won and Jenny Low The holiday season is here, and in this extraordinary and challenging year, we’re finding ways to safely celebrate. We’re getting together with family over Zoom, having small, socially-distant outdoor gatherings, or simply sharing a meal with those we live with. As we spend time with loved… Read more »
July 27, 2020 Op-Ed By: Heajin-Hailie Kim Amidst calls for legislative change surrounding the police, there have been many issues addressed by the New York City Council: reallocating a billion dollars from the New York Police Department into education, housing and social services. While these are important steps to take in reforming the NYPD, there… Read more »
June 25, 2020 By Asha MacKay Chakra Cafe, a Turkish coffee and breakfast shop located on Queens Boulevard, has weathered the tough days of the crisis. Having opened one year ago, the operators soldiered on as COVID-19 hit the borough hard. Instead of closing, says owner Ahmet Albayrak, “we came together with employees, sacrificed more,… Read more »