Oct. 14, 2021 By Max Parrott Several Queens legislators have called on a city panel tasked with overseeing public art and architecture to vote to remove a statue of Thomas Jefferson in the City Council chambers as a form of reckoning with his legacy as a slaveholder. The 11-member city Public Design Commission will hold… Read more »
Oct. 13, 2021 Staff Report Governor Kathy Hochul announced a major milestone last week in the Kew Gardens Interchange Phase 4 project in Queens. Construction has been completed on two newly reconfigured ramps that aim to enhance safety and reduce congestion along the heavily traveled commuter corridor used by hundreds of thousands of commuters each… Read more »
Oct. 13, 2021 By Christian Murray Three Congressional lawmakers—including two who represent neighborhoods in Queens—visited Rikers Island Tuesday and called the facility inhumane and urged local and state officials to take corrective action. Representatives Carolyn Maloney, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ritchie Torres said the conditions that inmates are living under and prison staff face each day… Read more »
This article was originally published by The CITY on Oct. 12, 2021, 5 a.m. BY GABRIEL SANDOVAL Fewer than half of the Open Streets touted by Mayor Bill de Blasio and his Department of Transportation are off limits to motor vehicles as advertised, a new survey finds. The review from the advocacy group Transportation Alternatives also… Read more »
Oct. 7, 2021 By Max Parrott Traffic deaths across New York City hit a seasonal high under Mayor de Blasio’s tenure this summer with 77 killed in crashes over a three-month period, a new study found. The striking summer death toll is reflective of overall trends this year. The study by safe streets advocacy group… Read more »
This article was originally published by The CITY on Oct. 3, 2021, 9:21 PM EDT BY JOSEFA VELASQUEZ When the state’s new Independent Redistricting Commission split along party lines and put out dueling maps in mid-September, attention focused on clashing visions for congressional boundaries with the House of Representatives up for grabs last year. Not as… Read more »
Oct. 6, 2021 By Christian Murray A hit-and-run driver who fatally struck a pedestrian in Woodside while driving drunk in 2019 was sentenced Monday to up to 15 years in prison, according to the Queens District Attorney’s office. Jorge Samaniego, 52, of Maspeth, struck a pedestrian in the crosswalk at Broadway and 60th Street at… Read more »
Oct. 1, 2021 By Christian Murray A 20-year-old man who allegedly assaulted a senior citizen during a confrontation at a golf course in Queens last year—which arguably caused the elderly man’s death days later—has been indicted on charges of assault and criminally negligent homicide. David Mangaran, of Allentown, Penn., faces up to seven years in… Read more »
Sept. 29, 2021 By Christian Murray The Vatican announced today that it has appointed a new bishop to lead the Diocese of Brooklyn, a post that oversees Catholic churches and schools in the boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn. Bishop Robert Brennan, who is currently serving as the Bishop of Columbus, Ohio, will be taking over… Read more »
This article was originally published by The CITY on Sept. 26, 2021, 7:07 PM EDT BY JOSEFA VELASQUEZ Weeks after record rainfall from Hurricane Ida remnants wrecked basement apartments and claimed 13 lives locally, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Bill de Blasio are expected to announce financial aid Monday for undocumented New Yorkers locked out of… Read more »