May 9, 2025 By Shane O’Brien An Astoria pastry shop has introduced a “Pope Leo Cookie”, complete with a picture of Pope Leo XIV, in honor of the election of the first-ever American pope. Cardinal Robert Prevost of Chicago was elected Pope Leo XIV at the Papal Conclave on Thursday, becoming the first US-born pope… Read more »
May 9, 2025 By Shane O’Brien The Long Island City Partnership (LICP) has released a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a traffic and pedestrian safety study along the Queens Plaza and Jackson Avenue corridors. The Queens Plaza and Jackson Avenue area, which LICP describes as a “gateway” to Long Island City, is one of the… Read more »
May 7, 2025 By Shane O’Brien Sunnyside Gardens residents say their block has been left in near-total darkness for more than two weeks after the Department of Transportation (DOT) removed several streetlights from 44th Street. According to residents on the block between Skillman Avenue and Barnett Avenue, the DOT removed at least three streetlights around… Read more »
May 6, 2025 By Shane O’Brien Hundreds of Long Island City residents have signed an online petition calling on elected officials and city agencies to halt the planned demolition of the fountain in Court Square Park. The half-acre park, located directly in front of the ornate Long Island City courthouse at 25-10 Court Square, is… Read more »
May 5, 2025 By Shane O’Brien The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) to gather ideas and gauge interest in the potential redevelopment of the 672,000-square-foot Department of Education building at 44-36 Vernon Blvd. in Long Island City—a property that has long been a focal point in… Read more »
May 2, 2025 By Shane O’Brien Council Member Julie Won has announced the return of movies in the park in Council District 26, with six free family-friendly movie events set to take place across Long Island City, Sunnyside and Woodside throughout May and June. The free Movies Under the Stars series will return with a… Read more »
May 2, 2025 By Shane O’Brien A business owner in Astoria Heights has caused controversy by erecting a permanent fence on a sidewalk running adjacent to his property, blocking access to roughly 50 feet of the sidewalk and removing roughly 10 parking spaces. Anthony Della Vecchia, who operates Michael Della Vecchia & Son General Contractor… Read more »
May 1, 2025 By Shane O’Brien Hunters Point Parks Conservancy (HPPC) will host a community volunteering event at Gantry Plaza State Park this Saturday as part of a state-wide volunteer initiative for I Love My Park Day, which encourages people to help out at their local state parks. HPPC, in partnership with New York State Parks,… Read more »
April 30, 2025 By Shane O’Brien Eco Material Technologies, a company specializing in sustainable and environmentally-friendly cement alternatives, celebrated a ribbon-cutting Tuesday morning for a new rail terminal in Blissville that will deliver non-carbon cement materials to New York City. Eco Material, in conjunction with New York & Atlantic Railway and Precision Terminal Logistics, worked… Read more »
April 30, 2025 By Shane O’Brien Council Member Julie Won has announced a slate of “community-driven” priorities for the OneLIC neighborhood plan, which officially entered the city’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) following certification by the City Planning Commission on April 21. The sweeping rezoning proposal aims to transform a large portion of Long… Read more »