Nov. 6, 2020 By Allie Griffin Mayor Bill de Blasio set a date today for the special election to fill the City Council seat recently vacated by Rory Lancman. The special election for the 24th City Council District will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021, de Blasio announced Friday evening. The district covers Kew… Read more »
Author: Allie Griffin
Long Island Drug Dealer Pleads Guilty to Criminally Negligent Homicide: Queens DA
Nov. 5, 2020 By Allie Griffin A Long Island drug dealer pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide in Queens Supreme Court Monday for peddling heroin that killed his girlfriend and a male acquaintance in separate incidents. Justin Lum, 30, of Great Neck, supplied both victims with the poison after each had survived heroin overdoses on… Read more »
COVID-19 Cases Continue to Increase Citywide, Concerning City Officials
Nov. 5, 2020 By Allie Griffin City officials are concerned over a steady increase in COVID-19 cases citywide. The number of new coronavirus cases has risen above the city’s cautionary threshold for nearly a week and it hit a new high on Tuesday — the date of the latest data available, Mayor Bill de Blasio… Read more »
City Planning Commission Votes in Favor of Flushing Waterfront Development
Nov. 5, 2020 By Allie Griffin The New York City Planning Commission voted in support of a contentious Flushing waterfront development project Wednesday. The City Planning Commission voted 11-to-two in favor of a zoning change that would make way for a 13-tower, mixed-use development that includes office space, hotel buildings and 1,725 apartments. The land… Read more »
Election Night Recap: Here are the Projected Winners in Queens
Nov. 4, 2020 By Allie Griffin Queens Democrats are projected to sweep the general election in nearly every race in the borough — although official winners will not be called for days or even weeks. On the local level, Council Member Donovan Richards cruised to victory in the Queens Borough President race, easily defeating his… Read more »
These Queens Schools Are Closed for Two Weeks Due to COVID-19 Cases
Nov. 3, 2020 By Allie Griffin The Department of Education (DOE) shuttered three Queens public schools for two weeks after finding at least two COVID-19 cases at each. Two of the schools closed last week after at least two students or staffers at each facility tested positive for coronavirus in unrelated cases. P.S. 213 The… Read more »
COVID-19 Positivity Rate of Central Queens Cluster Zone is Rising
Nov. 3, 2020 By Allie Griffin The coronavirus positivity rate is rising in the Central Queens cluster that the state has placed in a yellow zone. The positivity rate of the cluster area — which includes a large section of central Queens including Kew Gardens and Forest Hills — has increased since the week of… Read more »
No Credible Threat of Unrest Ahead of Election Results, But City is Ready for Anything: De Blasio
Nov. 3, 2020 By Allie Griffin There are no known plans of acts of violence or unrest in New York City ahead of today’s election results, Mayor Bill de Blasio said. The mayor said during a press briefing Tuesday that there are no major protests scheduled thus far, but that the city is prepared for… Read more »
Parks Dept. Calls for Proposals for a Bicycle Rental Program at Several Queens Parks
Nov. 2, 2020 By Allie Griffin The New York City Parks Department is calling for proposals for a bicycle rental program at Flushing Meadows Corona Park and Forest Park. The department issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the development, operation and maintenance of bike rental stations on Thursday. The Parks Department is also seeking… Read more »
Brooklyn Man Sentenced to Prison for Drunk Driving Crash That Killed a Man on Van Wyck Expressway
Nov. 2, 2020 By Allie Griffin A Brooklyn man will serve prison time after he drove drunk and crashed into another car — seriously injuring the driver and killing a passenger and two dogs in that vehicle— along the Van Wyck Expressway in 2018, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Friday. Alex Elicier, 31, was… Read more »