Feb. 9, 2021 By Michael Dorgan Several buildings in Astoria were evacuated Tuesday after multiple manhole explosions went off sending smoke billowing into the air. Firefighters responded to reports of manhole fires outside Capital One Bank, located at 31-17 Broadway, just before 3 p.m., according to the FDNY. A number of Citizen users captured video… Read more »
Feb. 9, 2021 By Christina Santucci Assembly Member Catalina Cruz has endorsed City Council candidate Shekar Krishnan for the 25th district council seat now held by Danny Dromm. “I am proud to support Shekar because he has been helping build a coalition for progressive change in Jackson Heights and Elmhurst for years,” the assemblywoman tweeted… Read more »
Feb. 9, 2021 By Christina Santucci The Citi Field megasite is set to open Wednesday, but only 800 shots are expected to be dispensed at the stadium this week. Mayor Bill de Blasio had announced last month Citi Field would scale up to vaccinating between 5,000 and 7,000 people per day. But currently there are… Read more »
Feb. 9, 2021 By Michael Dorgan A local candidate for city council is vowing to introduce legislation that would pay for safety modifications to be installed at the homes of low-income seniors. Aleda Gagarin, who is running as a progressive to represent District 29, plans to call on the city to allocate $50 million to pay… Read more »
Feb. 9, 2021 By Christina Santucci An Astoria assemblyman is hosting a virtual trivia show tonight – and the daily double will be about a proposal to upgrade a western Queens power plant. NRG, one of the largest energy companies in the country, is planning to update its Astoria power plant, which the company says… Read more »
Feb. 9, 2021 By Allie Griffin Northeast Queens lawmakers are again calling on City Hall to create COVID-19 vaccination sites in their districts. A group of lawmakers and local advocates joined together Monday to demand the city add vaccine sites to the a stretch of northeast Queens that is completely void of such facilities. There… Read more »
Feb. 9, 2021 By Christina Santucci A pair of artists turned Sunday’s snow in Astoria Park into a giant sculpture of an ancient Greek physician. Melissa Vadakara teamed up with Marios Tzavellas to craft a 6 1/2-foot snowman of Hippocrates holding a Rod of Asclepius, the symbol for medicine and health. Vadakara said the artists… Read more »
Feb. 8, 2021 By Michael Dorgan Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Chuck Schumer have announced that $260 million will be made available to cover funeral costs for low-income families who lost a loved one to COVID-19 last year. On average, around $7,000 will be made available to the families of deceased New York coronavirus victims… Read more »
Feb. 8, 2021 By Allie Griffin New Yorkers who have pre-existing conditions will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine later this month. Residents who have one or more underlying conditions — which put them at greater risk of complications should they contract the coronavirus — have been added to the list of those eligible for… Read more »
Feb. 8, 2021 By Christina Santucci An Astoria woman raised nearly $30,000 for her father’s medical care after a video she posted on TikTok went viral. Kat Downer, 28, launched a GoFundMe last month with a goal of raising $9,000 — but her emotional post about the plight of her sick father helped raise more… Read more »