Sep. 25, 2023 By Iryna Shkurhan The corner of 149th Street and 14th Avenue in Whitestone was ceremoniously co-named in honor of former police officer, and 9/11 hero, Thomas Gerald Brophy this past weekend. Brophy’s family was joined by local residents, Councilwoman Vickie Paladino, more than a dozen members of the Police Benevolent Association and…
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Sep. 25, 2023 By Iryna Shkurhan With COVID-19 cases ticking back up in Queens and across the country, you can now order up to four more at-home rapid tests to be delivered to your door for free. The initiative builds upon the Biden administration’s four previous rounds of free tests distributions. So far the Administration…
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Sep. 25, 2023 By Rachel Butler The city’s Department of Transportation (DOT) will be repaving Powells Cove Boulevard between 162nd Street and Totten Street in Whitestone later this month, according to state Senator Toby Ann Stavisky. The paving will begin in late September and run into October, according to Stavisky. Powells Cove Boulevard was previously…
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Sep. 25, 2023 By Anthony Medina A prize-winning Powerball ticket worth $50,000 was sold at a Ridgewood store on Saturday, Sept. 23. The New York Lottery announced Sunday, Sept. 24, that there were seven third-prize Powerball tickets in total sold in Albany, Center Moriches, Clifton Park, Great Neck, Ridgewood, Troy and Valley Stream. The Ridgewood winning ticket was sold at the YZ 99 Cents Store, located at 817 Seneca Ave. Other third-prize winning tickets, worth $50,000, were sold at The Depot/New Smithhaven Smoke, located at 1136 Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream; Wolf Road Mobil, located at 88 Wold Road,…
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Sep. 25, 2023 By Bill Parry A Flushing-based pulmonologist will have to pay $1.3 million in restitution as part of a settlement agreement with the U.S. Justice Department after he over-billed nursing home residents for years, U.S. Attorney Breon Peace announced last week. The deal addresses allegations that Dr. Arun Arora violated the federal False Claims Act by billing Medicare for critical care services to residents of nursing homes in Queens when he provided only routine care, such as regular medical checkups. Critical care services involve imminent life-threatening deterioration of a patient’s condition and Medicare reimburses health care providers at…
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Sep. 25, 2023 By Bill Parry After more than three years of tumult and uncertainty wrought by the COVID-19 lockdown, Queens’ institutions of higher education have regained their footing and are once again flourishing. None were impacted more during the pandemic than LaGuardia Community College, which saw enrollment decline by nearly 35% following the initial wave that turned Queens into the “epicenter of the epicenter” during the coronavirus public health emergency. “Enrollment at LaGuardia Community College is up this fall, reversing a steep decline caused by the pandemic,” LaGuardia Community College President Kenneth Adams said. “Close to 4,000 new students…
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Sep. 25, 2023 By Anthony Medina Police from the 104th Precinct are asking the public to help identify the whereabouts of two suspects who robbed a smoke shop in Ridgewood last week. Police say the two unidentified males entered the smoke shop, located at 59-11 71 Ave. in Ridgewood, on Friday, Sept. 22, at approximately…
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Sep. 25, 2023 By Bill Parry A Bland Houses resident was arrested and charged with murder for allegedly stabbing another Flushing man in the head during a bar fight on the night of Sunday, Sept. 24. Police from the 109th Precinct responded to a 911 call of an assault in progress in front of Kelly’s Bar at 136-11 41st St. in downtown Flushing just before 10 p.m., when they found 45-year-old Elliot Ortiz unconscious and unresponsive with a stab wound to his head lying in front of the saloon. EMS responded to the crime scene and rushed Ortiz to NewYork-Presbyterian…
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Sep. 25, 2023 By Ethan Marshall According to RentCafe’s latest rental competitivity report, New York City has been facing rising competition when it comes to apartments. This surge is due in large part to Manhattan and Brooklyn both placing among the report’s top 20 rental markets. In this report, 139 markets in the United States…
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Sep. 24, 2023 By Ben Brachfeld The MTA’s free bus pilot kicked off Sunday, Sept. 24, with one route in each borough waiving fares for at least six months as the transit agency studies the impact on service delivery, bus speeds, and ridership. The pilot program, announced in April’s state budget agreement and funded…