Tag: daily-newsletter

Retired St. John’s environmental professor pens book on Alley Pond Park

environmental

Jan. 9, 2024 By Iryna Shkurhan The same year that William Nieter began teaching at St. John’s University in 1976, a group of environmentally minded community members opened the original Alley Pond Environmental Center on Northern Boulevard.  Almost five decades later, with the surrounding park and its center unrecognizable from the early days, the idea to…
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CB5 Committee rejects 3 adult-use Cannabis dispensary applicants, greenlights 4 others

cannabis

Jan. 8, 2024 By Anthony Medina A Community Board 5 committee rejected three applicants seeking adult-use cannabis dispensary licenses on Wednesday, Jan. 3—while deciding not to block four others from opening. The board’s Cannabis Committee – which reviews applications in the Ridgewood, Glendale, Maspeth, and Middle Village neighborhoods – was tasked with weighing in on seven proposed locations for cannabis storefronts and found four of them in compliance with the New York State Office of Cannabis Management’s standards. The outcome of the meeting comes after the committee was met with strong community opposition against legal cannabis dispensaries, with many residents…
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Op-ed | New York City’s broken property tax system

property

Jan. 8, 2024 By Martha Stark For decades, it has been an open secret that New York City’s property tax system is inequitable and unfair. This regressive system, rooted in outdated and discriminatory policies, has not only exacerbated the housing crisis but also deepened the economic divide, disproportionately burdening lower-income and minority communities. Next week,…
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Lithium-ion battery erupts in flames at South Richmond Hill electronic store, Hazmat crews remove e-bikes from store: FDNY

lithium

Jan. 8, 2024 By Bill Parry and by Lloyd Mitchell A two-alarm fire that broke out in a commercial building in South Richmond Hill on Saturday night was caused by an exploding lithium-ion battery that saw nearly two dozen e-bikes erupt in flames, according to the FDNY. Fire marshals based their determination on a digital…
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MTA’s Queens bus network redesign plan comes under fire by transportation advocates  

MTA

Jan. 8, 2024 By Iryna Shkurhan Advocates standing up for elderly, disabled and low-income bus riders brought up several issues with the MTA’s proposed plan to redesign the entire Queens bus network during a virtual meeting held by a transit advocacy group on Thursday.  About a dozen participants who familiarized themselves with the MTA’s $30 million bus plan, which was unveiled in December, say that its proposed removal of over a thousand bus stops will hurt riders. While the MTA hopes to give riders faster and more consistent service, while also combatting low ridership, advocates argue that it has failed…
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