March 11, 2022 By Michael Dorgan An Astoria accounting professor who owns a local tax consultancy firm was sentenced to 14 months in prison Wednesday for preparing bogus tax returns — following a sting operation conducted by undercover investigators. Ahmed Abdelhalim, who teaches at LaGuardia Community College, was sentenced in Brooklyn federal court after pleading… Read more »
March 10, 2022 By Christian Murray A 16-year-old girl who was in critical condition after a collision in Glendale last month has died, the NYPD reported Thursday. Alexandra Ariza, of Nyack, NY, succumbed to her injuries Feb. 23 after the moped she was a passenger on collided with a 2021 Mazda CX-30 at around 3:15… Read more »
March 10, 2022 By Christian Murray A new school that caters to the needs of students with autism and children with cognitive disabilities will be opening inside the P.S. 11 building in Woodside. The District 75 school, which caters to public school students with significant challenges, will be co-located at P.S. 11 and will serve… Read more »
March 10, 2022 By Allie Griffin An NYPD officer was struck by a man in a stolen vehicle during a traffic stop in Jamaica Wednesday night. Two officers in an unmarked car spotted a white Subaru SUV that had been reported stolen near Sutphin Boulevard and Tuskegee Airman Way at around 11:30 p.m., police said…. Read more »
March 10, 2022 By Allie Griffin The Department of Education is pushing ahead with its controversial new admissions process for the city’s top high schools — angering some Queens officials as a result. Schools Chancellor David Banks announced Wednesday that he has decided against any last-minute changes to the admissions process after suggesting last week… Read more »
March 9, 2022 By Michael Dorgan An expansive new facility offering indoor beach volleyball—as well as a sports bar and large lounge area— has opened in Sunnyside. The establishment, called QBK Sports, opened last month on the ground floor of an industrial building at 41-20 39th St.—across the street from the brewpub Alewife. The 17,000… Read more »
March 10, 2022 By Christian Murray Will he show? A Queens man who pleaded guilty to 10 counts of forceable touching in 2019 and failed to show up for sentencing last month has another court date tomorrow. This time the charge is for gun possession. Stephen Pena, 23, was arrested Aug. 2, 2019 and charged… Read more »
March 10, 2022 By Christian Murray A New Jersey man has been arrested for attempted murder in connection to a shooting on Steinway Street in December that left a woman dead and two others injured. Quasawn Williams, 29, was arrested Wednesday and charged with attempted murder for a shooting that took place outside an Astoria… Read more »
Mar. 10, 2022 By Michael Dorgan A popular shopping crawl that aims to showcase local stores in Astoria is returning later this month. The crawl encourages residents to shop at local mom-and-pop stores either in person or online. More than two dozen businesses throughout the neighborhood are joining in the crawl. Shop Small Astoria, a group… Read more »
March 10, 2022 By Christian Murray Council Member Julie Won provided the development team looking to rezone five city blocks in Astoria some sharp advice Tuesday: Do more community outreach before trying to get the property rezoned. Won sent a letter to the Innovation QNS development team—comprised of Silverstein Properties, Kaufman Astoria Studios and BedRock… Read more »