April 24, 2025 By Shane O’Brien A spirited charity head-shave at Rivercrest, a popular bar on Ditmars Boulevard in Astoria, raised nearly $12,000 for childhood cancer research earlier this month. The April 3 event marked Rivercrest’s first time participating in the St. Baldrick’s Foundation’s annual head-shaving fundraiser, joining other bars in the Stout NYC Hospitality… Read more »
April 23, 2025 By Shane O’Brien Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas joined fellow lawmakers, legal experts and survivors of sexual assault on Tuesday to call for the passage of the Speak Your Truth Act, legislation aimed at protecting survivors who speak publicly about abuse from retaliatory defamation lawsuits. At a virtual press conference, González-Rojas and supporters… Read more »
April 23, 2025 By Shane O’Brien Con Edison has kicked off a major infrastructure project in Western Queens as part of efforts to ensure continued reliable electric service in one of the fastest-growing parts of the city. The Reliable Clean City – Long Island City project, a $125 million investment in a transmission connecting Vernon and… Read more »
April 22, 2025 By Shane O’Brien After years of planning, setbacks, and community advocacy, NYC Parks broke ground Monday afternoon on the new Michael R. Davidson Playground in Sunnyside. The $4.8 million project will transform the former Phipps Playground site into a modern public park honoring the FDNY firefighter who died in the line of… Read more »
April 22, 2025 By Shane O’Brien Several online fundraisers have raised more than $90,000 for Astoria residents displaced by a four-alarm fire that ripped through two buildings on 31st Avenue on Easter Sunday. The blaze ignited inside a three-story mixed-use building at 21-33 31st Ave. shortly before 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, April 20, before spreading… Read more »
April 22, 2025 By Shane O’Brien The annual Sunnyside Restaurant Week officially kicks off Tuesday, April 22, featuring deals at more than 50 local restaurants to showcase the neighborhood as a true culinary destination. The two-week culinary celebration, running through Sunday, May 4, allows Sunnyside residents and out-of-towners alike to try new restaurants throughout the neighborhood…. Read more »
April 21, 2025 By Shane O’Brien The OneLIC Neighborhood Plan officially entered the city’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) on Monday, following certification by the City Planning Commission. The sweeping proposal aims to transform a large portion of Long Island City with new zoning rules that would create nearly 14,700 housing units—including 4,300 affordable… Read more »
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 »