April 21, 2025 By Shane O’Brien The New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) unveiled a new student-designed billboard in Astoria Monday morning, encouraging motorists to slow down near work zones on city streets and highways as part of National Work Zone Awareness Week. The poster, unveiled at the intersection of 31st Street and Ditmars… Read more »
April 18, 2025 By Shane O’Brien The Long Island City Partnership (LICP) held its 20th-annual Real Estate Breakfast last week, celebrating how the neighborhood has “surged ahead” from an industrial hub to a “thriving mixed-use destination” over the past two decades. More than 350 business leaders and policymakers attended the Real Estate Breakfast, which took… Read more »
April 18, 2025 By Shane O’Brien More than 2,000 people have signed an online petition calling for protected bike lanes and “safety improvements” under the elevated subway tracks on 31st Street in Astoria—just one week after a group opposing the project produced a similar-sized petition. The 31st Ave. Open Street Collective, which launched the dueling… Read more »
April 18, 2025 By Shane O’Brien Culture Lab LIC will celebrate the launch of its outdoor season at the beginning of May, ushering in a season of outdoor live music performances, cultural festivals and dog-friendly events. The outdoor space, officially rebranded as “The Lot” for the 2025 summer outdoor season, will launch with a grand… Read more »
April 17, 2025 By Shane O’Brien Over 100 New Yorkers flocked to Ditmars Boulevard Wednesday evening as Knicks legend Carmelo Anthony visited local cannabis dispensary Terp Bros as part of the New York launch of his cannabis brand “STAYME7O.” Anthony, a 10-time NBA All-Star widely regarded as one of the best players to have never… Read more »
April 16, 2025 By Shane O’Brien State Senator Jessica Ramos presented a $2.5 million check to Costa Constantinides, CEO of the Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens (VBGCQ), to support the construction of a new aquatic center as part of the organization’s ambitious $293 million redevelopment project in Astoria. The funding will go toward… Read more »
April 16, 2025 By Shane O’Brien Connected Chef, a LIC-based nonprofit that provides fresh produce to families in Queens, held a press conference last week to announce that it is being “evicted” from its current location and seeks support from elected officials and the local community to find a new home. The organization, founded by… Read more »
April 15, 2025 By Shane O’Brien Council Member Julie Won and State Sen. Mike Gianaris joined Transportation Alternatives Saturday for a “people’s ribbon-cutting” at the Queensboro Bridge to demand that Mayor Eric Adams opens the now-completed Pedestrian Path across the bridge. Gianaris, Won and Transportation Alternatives representatives raised concerns Saturday that pedestrians and cyclists are still… Read more »
April 15, 2025 By Shane O’Brien Vernon Boulevard was a cacophony of horns, bells, and whistles Saturday morning as a group of Astoria residents staged a six-hour “honk to reopen Rainey Park Protest.” The park, located at 34-24 Vernon Blvd., has been shuttered since September 2023 for extensive $8.5 million renovations, including improvements to the park’s… Read more »
April 14, 2025 By Shane O’Brien Assembly Member Jenifer Rajkumar joined a number of Astoria residents and business owners Sunday for a rally against a proposed protected bike lane under the elevated N/W subway tracks on 31st Street. More than 2,500 people have signed a petition against the bike lane, which would install eight-foot-wide bike… Read more »