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Queens Councilman Holden introduces two bills addressing quality-of-life and public safety issues

Holden

Sep. 15, 2023 By Anthony Medina Queens Councilman Robert Holden introduced two bills aimed at helping city agencies punish businesses selling cannabis illegally and another making the city’s Open Streets program available to first responders, at a city council meeting on Thursday, Sept. 14, Holden’s bill, Intro 1172, would allow the Commissioner of Consumer and…
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Mastermind of Flushing-based sex trafficking ring and two Queens enforcers busted on racketeering charges: Feds

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Sep. 14, 2023 By Bill Parry The woman who managed a Flushing-based sex trafficking and prostitution ring was indicted on racketeering and other related charges along with two of the criminal organization’s enforcers, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. Yuan Yuan Chen, 30, also known as “Xiao Pang,” Yichu Chen, 21, and Johnnie Kim, 53, all from Queens, were arrested Sept. 14 and arraigned hours later on a 31-count superseding indictment unsealed in Brooklyn federal court. The indictment adds 10 additional assaults in-aid-of racketeering to the pending charges against Rong Rong Xu, 31,…
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QNS Weekender: Six things to do in Queens this weekend

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Sep. 14, 2023 By Ethan Marshall From legendary musical and stage performances to fun and relaxing outings, there’s a lot to enjoy this weekend across Queens. Here are some notable things to do in Queens this weekend. Friday, Sept. 15 Queensboro Dance Festival Season Finale Night 1 The first night of the season finale of…
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Community Board 5 ponders ambitious capital budget requests during public hearing session in Middle Village

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Sep. 14, 2023 By Anthony Medina A public hearing at the Community Board 5 meeting at Christ the King High School in Middle Village on Sept. 13 regarding the fiscal year 2025 capital and expense budget of New York City, as it pertains to the board’s district, brought some requests and skepticism from board members. Community boards across the city gather information from their respective communities to formulate a statement on the district’s needs and budget requests. For Community Board 5 (CB 5), which serves the neighborhoods of Glendale, Maspeth, Middle Village and Ridgewood, these requests need to be within…
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Flushing lawmaker introduces legislation to create bus depot task force to address congestion issues

Flushing

Sep. 14, 2023 By Bill Parry With the streets of Flushing chronically congested with traffic, Councilwoman Sandra Ung introduced legislation recently to create a new task force to find potential sites for a new bus depot. During a joint hearing of the Council’s Committee on Transportation and Oversight and Investigations on Sept. 13, committee members discussed a piece of legislation authored by Ung to create the task force to restudy plans for such a facility that were shelved in the 1970s. “We are lucky to have a transit-rich area in downtown Flushing, but that also brings with it a number…
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‘A beacon of enlightenment’: Broad Channel celebrates newly rebuilt P.S. 47 school that had been damaged during Superstorm Sandy

Broad Channel

Sep. 14, 2023 By Bill Parry The children of Broad Channel have returned to their newly reconstructed P.S. 47 after a year of traveling to an old school building in the Rockaways as the city completed the project. Elected officials and community leaders joined NYC School Construction Authority (SCA) president and CEO Nina Kubota for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the 260-seat school serving grades 3K through 8, after their previous building experienced extensive damage during Superstorm Sandy in 2012. “The newly rebuilt P.S. 47 delivers a fresh start for education professionals, students and parents in this wonderful community,” Kubota said….
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Op-Ed: Broker fee bill would negatively impact Queens renters and real estate professionals

Queens

Sep. 14, 2023 By Calvin Yan Being a real estate agent in Queens brings new opportunities and challenges each day. As an agent with listings in the borough for the past several years, I have an inside look into this work and how the rental market functions. In an average day, I might have to show many apartments across all different parts of the borough and other boroughs, while also updating and promoting listings and responding to renters asking for time-sensitive information about available units. It isn’t just from 9 to 5 and includes late nights and weekends. And of…
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