Jan. 3, 2024 By Ben Brachfeld
New York City’s public hospitals have reinstated a mask mandate as COVID-19 cases rise across the city and nation.
Mask mandate back at NYC public hospitals amid winter COVID surge
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Three Jackson Heights residents, Corona man killed in New Year’s Day crash in Whitestone: NYPD
Jan. 3, 2024 By Bill Parry
Three residents of the same Jackson Heights home and a man from LeFrak City in Corona were among the five people killed in the New Year’s Day crash on the Cross Island Parkway in Whitestone, according to the NYPD. The fifth victim was from North Carolina.
Jamaica movie theater set to close in June, while future of College Point theater in doubt
Jan. 3, 2024 By Iryna Shkurhan Queens is set to lose one of its few remaining movie theaters this year, and another one appears in jeopardy, amid a nationwide decline in the big screen industry. The Jamaica Multiplex Cinemas will shut down in June, according to the Mattone Group Jamaica Company, a real estate investment firm…
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Crunching the Queens crime numbers: large jump in robberies during final month of 2023
Jan. 3, 2024 By Ethan Marshall The number of robberies spiked across Queens over the final month of 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022, according to the latest crime stats released by the NYPD on Monday. During the 28-day period from Dec. 4-31, the number of robberies rose 54.2% in northern Queens,…
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St. John’s Episcopal Hospital welcomes first Rockaway baby born in 2024
Jan. 3, 2024 By Bill Parry
St. John’s Episcopal Hospital in Far Rockaway welcomed its first baby of the year on New Year’s Day.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz sworn in for second term
Jan. 3, 2024 By Bill Parry Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz was sworn in for a second term Tuesday in the Helen Marshall Cultural Center at Queens Borough Hall. The ceremony was attended by 200 staff and justices, and her youngest son, Hunter, held the copy of the Old Testament used for the swearing in. She was sworn in by Supreme Court Administrative Judge Donna-Marie Golia. Katz made history when she first took office four years ago becoming the first woman ever to serve as head prosecutor in Queens and the first new Queens District Attorney in 28 years, following…
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New candidate emerges to take on Ron Kim to represent Flushing in state assembly
Jan. 2, 2024 By Rachel Butler Yi Andy Chen, who ran an unsuccessful campaign for city council in 2021, has announced that he is running to represent the Flushing area in the state assembly and will be taking on Ron Kim, the incumbent, in the Democratic primary in June. Chen, who has lived in Queens since his family immigrated from China in 2002, aims to represent District 40, which covers the northeastern Queens neighborhoods of Flushing, Linden Hill, Murray Hill and Broadway-Flushing. He said he is running on a platform of tackling crime and creating more affordable housing. He also wants…
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Pedestrian struck dead after falling over on Woodhaven Boulevard
Jan. 2, 2024 By Aidan Graham and QNS A 51-year-old man is dead after being struck by two vehicles on Woodhaven Boulevard on New Year’s Day. According to police, the victim was crossing Woodhaven Boulevard mid-block near 91st Avenue, when he tripped onto the center median and fell into the southbound lanes — causing him to be struck by the driver of a 2002 Toyota at around 7 a.m. After the initial collision, the victim was thrown into the northbound lanes of Woodhaven Boulevard where he was subsequently struck by a driver of a 2008 Jeep. EMS responded to the…
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First murder in NYC takes place in Queens, with double stabbing in Jackson Heights: NYPD
Jan. 2, 2024 By Dean Moses and Robert Pozarycki The first homicide in New York City this year took place in Queens, when a double stabbing left one man dead and another fighting for his life on New Year’s Day. Police said the murder happened at about 3:57 a.m. near the corner of 76th Street…
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Rego Park resident inspires others to live smoke-free with New York State Smokers’ Quitline
Jan. 2, 2024 By Anthony Medina Marc Schwartz of Rego Park is five months smoke-free thanks to the help of the New York State Smokers’ Quitline. As he enters the new year, he now aims to inspire others to give up the toxic habit for good. Schwartz’s journey from becoming a regular smoker to smoke-free didn’t come without its fair share of challenges. The 66-year-old says he started smoking at the age of 15 and as he looked to embrace a healthier life, cigarettes were the one thing he couldn’t shake. After facing a life-altering medical condition last summer, Schwartz…
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