March 18, 2021 By Allie Griffin Two Council District 26 candidates are holding a vigil Thursday in remembrance of Asian Americans killed in bias attacks over the past year — including the victims of the Atlanta area shooting Tuesday night. Julie Won and Steve Raga, two Asian American candidates, are hosting the vigil at Bliss… Read more »
March 17, 2021 By Allie Griffin The city is deploying members of the NYPD counter-terrorism unit to Asian neighborhoods across the city after a gunman shot and killed eight people–including six Asian Americans–at three Georgia spas Tuesday night. Mayor Bill de Blasio — who called the mass shooting “nothing less than domestic terrorism” — said… Read more »
March 17, 2021 By Allie Griffin JetBlue is considering pulling its headquarters from Long Island City, where it’s been for roughly a decade, according to a new report. The airline, which brands itself as “New York’s Hometown Airline,” has been headquartered in Queens since its founding in 1999. JetBlue, however, may move jobs out of… Read more »
March 15, 2021 By Allie Griffin The city is launching a new community-based pilot program to prevent gun violence in five precincts across the city–including the Queens precinct where a 37-year-old woman was killed Friday by a stray bullet. The program, called the Advance Peace Model, will start in July and pair at-risk youth with… Read more »
March 15, 2021 By Allie Griffin The New York Blood Center is hosting a series of blood drives across the five boroughs this month in honor of two young brothers from Queens Village — who were both born with a rare blood disease. The drives, which run from March 13 through March 31, will be… Read more »
March 12, 2021 By Allie Griffin Governor Andrew Cuomo refused to step down Friday despite mounting calls for his resignation from powerful federal lawmakers after six women accused him of sexual harassment. The vast majority of the Democratic members of New York’s congressional delegation — including several from Queens — called for Cuomo to resign… Read more »
March 12, 2021 By Allie Griffin Queens Congressmembers Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Grace Meng, Carolyn Maloney and Nydia Velazquez are all calling on Governor Andrew Cuomo to resign amid a flurry of sexual harassment allegations. The congressmembers are among the latest to call on Cuomo to step aside and allow the lieutenant governor to take over. Cuomo… Read more »
March 11, 2021 By Allie Griffin A Flushing couple has been indicted on sex trafficking charges for allegedly bringing two women into the country from Korea and forcing them into prostitution, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today. Jung Ja Ornstein, 62, and Eric Ornstein, 49, allegedly arranged the transportation of the two women from… Read more »
March 11, 2021 By Allie Griffin More than 55 state legislators, including 14 from Queens, are calling for Governor Andrew Cuomo to resign amid mounting sexual harassment allegations and the state’s nursing home death scandal. The Democratic lawmakers released a joint statement Thursday demanding Cuomo resign and allow the lieutenant governor to take over for… Read more »
March 10, 2021 By Allie Griffin New York City eateries will be permitted to increase indoor dining to 50 percent capacity starting on March 19, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday. Cuomo upped the capacity from its current level of 35 percent in a joint announcement with Governor Phil Murphy of New Jersey. Murphy said New… Read more »