April 21, 2021 By Ryan Songalia Elected officials across Queens praised the verdicts in the Derek Chauvin case Tuesday, but said true justice remains a work in progress. Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, was found guilty on all three charges related to the May 2020 killing of unarmed Black man George Floyd, including second-degree… Read more »
April 21, 2021 By Ryan Songalia Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled a new plan Tuesday that will add more cops in high crime areas as a means to combat gun violence. The announcement comes at a time when the number of shootings continues to spike across the city and New Yorkers have been calling for… Read more »
April 20, 2021 By Christina Santucci A trio of Asian-American women are teaming up to lead a solidarity bike ride against racist violence through the streets of Queens Saturday. Longtime cyclists – Helen Ho, Carolyn Tran and Julie Won – organized the event, called Bike for Justice. Ho is a co-founder of The Biking Public… Read more »
April 20, 2021 By Christina Santucci What do the homes of Louis Armstrong, William Steinway, Jackie Robinson, Malcolm X, Ella Fitzgerald and Rufus King have in common? All are featured in the new book, Historic Houses of Queens, scheduled for publication next month. The book – written by Rob MacKay, Director of Public Relations, Tourism… Read more »
April 20, 2021 By Ryan Songalia Public school students who are from among the hardest hit areas by the pandemic will get a bit of financial help in fulfilling their college dreams. More than 1,900 kindergarten-to-third grade students from five schools in Jackson Heights, East Elmhurst and Corona will split a $70,000 contribution to their… Read more »
April 19, 2021 By Christina Santucci A 32-year-old Long Island City man is facing hate crime and harassment charges after he allegedly threatened an Asian police officer—who was working undercover—at a Dutch Kills subway station, the NYPD said. Ricardo Hernandez was arrested at about 5:30 p.m. Saturday on the N subway platform at 31st Street… Read more »
April 19, 2021 By Christina Santucci New Yorkers 50 and older no longer need an appointment to receive a COVID-19 vaccine at multiple city-run sites – including seven locations in Queens. The mayor announced the expansion to walk-in vaccinations on Saturday – the first day that the new guidelines were put into place. Previously the… Read more »
April 17, 2021 By Ryan Songalia City Councilmember Daniel Dromm introduced a resolution Tuesday that calls on the state to pass legislation that would protect low-income disabled residents against rent increases–no matter their immigration status. The resolution, introduced in the Immigration Committee, aims to tell Albany that the New York City council believes that all… Read more »
April 16, 2021 By Christian Murray The police have arrested a Forest Hills man who allegedly scrawled a swastika next to a Rego Park synagogue in February. Ramtin Rabenou, 41, a resident of the Parker Towers complex at 104-20 Queens Blvd., allegedly drew the swastika with a black marker across a “public property” sign affixed… Read more »
April 16, 2021 By Ryan Songalia A bill sponsored by Congresswoman Grace Meng that aims to combat hate crimes that target the Asian-American community moved one step closer to becoming law Wednesday. The Senate voted overwhelmingly in favor of advancing the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which would simplify the reporting and review process pertaining to… Read more »