Author: schnepsrestagent

Mastermind of Flushing-based sex trafficking ring and two Queens enforcers busted on racketeering charges: Feds

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

forest hills stadium

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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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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Mugger robs two women in rapid succession at same Murray Hill intersection: NYPD

mug

Sep. 13, 2023 By Bill Parry Police from the 109th Precinct in Flushing are on the lookout for a mugger who targeted two women within a minute at the same Murray Hill location in broad daylight on Sunday, Sept. 3. Police say the man first struck at 10:45 a.m. near the intersection of Linden Place and 35th Avenue, a block away from Northern Boulevard, when he approached a 62-year-old woman and pushed her to the ground. He then forcibly removed her wallet, which contained $100 in cash, before fleeing the scene, traveling eastbound on 35th Avenue. The victim did not…
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Democrat Sam Berger wins special election to fill vacant eastern Queens Assembly seat

Berger/Hirsch special election

Sep. 13, 2023 By Bill Parry & Zachary Gewelb In Tuesday’s special election to replace former Assemblyman Daniel Rosenthal, his hand-picked successor, Democratic candidate Sam Berger is comfortably leading Republican and Conservative Party candidate David Hirsch, having secured 55.14% of the vote (2,447 votes) with 99% of precincts reported as of Wednesday morning, according to unofficial results from the city’s Board of Elections. Hirsch finished with 38.87% of the vote (1,979 votes). The Assembly District 27 race to represent the neighborhoods of Flushing, Kew Gardens Hills, Whitestone, Pomonok and College Point was expected to be a close one between the two…
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Queens Jets fans trying to remain optimistic despite Aaron Rodgers’ season-ending injury

Jets

Sep. 12, 2023 By Ethan Marshall The news that New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers will miss the rest of the NFL season after tearing his Achilles tendon just four plays into the game has sent shockwaves across the football world. With the acquisition of the future Hall of Famer, the Jets had Super Bowl ambitions. Now, many fans feel as though those dreams have crumbled away. While Jets head coach Robert Saleh said Sept. 11 after the team’s 22-16 overtime win that Zach Wilson will likely be the team’s quarterback for the remainder of the season, fans are speculating…
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Crunching the Queens crime stats: Number of rapes decrease, while robberies increase

year

Sep. 12, 2023 By Ethan Marshall The NYPD recently released the crime stats for northern and southern Queens from the week of Sept. 4 to Sept. 10, comparing the trends to the same dates last year. While the crime stats for the previous week mostly followed the same trend, this week’s is more mixed, with the number of rape incidents decreasing and the amount of robberies increasing. One thing that remained relatively the same in both northern and southern Queens was the amount of murder cases. The two areas combined for just one, matching the total from the same dates…
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New York ranks fourth among states in credit card debt increase: report

debt

Sep. 12, 2023 By Ethan Marshall According to a report put together by WalletHub, New York has experienced the fourth-highest increase in credit card debt among all states in the second quarter of 2023. This conclusion was reached based upon data recently released by the Federal Reserve, as well as data from TransUnion and the United States Census Bureau. The average credit card debt in the state of New York increased by $2,821,527,680 in the second quarter of 2023, ranking as the fourth-highest in the nation. Only California ($5,412,310,336), Texas ($3,944,711,993) and Florida ($3,087,038,580) experienced a larger increase. The total…
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