Three Queens Men Struck By Lightning Last Night, One Critically Injured

A Jamaica man was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in Queens Supreme Court on Friday for the 2022 murders of his girlfriend, her son, and her cousin.

Travis Blake, 31, of 155th Street, was convicted by a jury last month of first-degree murder and other counts for the triple slaying in June 2022. The bodies of his victims were discovered with an array of puncture and blunt force wounds in a state of decomposition in their shared Jamaica home.

May. 2, 2025 By Shane O’Brien

Hard Rock International Chairman and CEO Jim Allen addressed hundreds of Queens-based vendors and small business owners Thursday morning at the Queens Theatre, outlining how they could play a key role in shaping the proposed $8 billion Metropolitan Park casino and entertainment complex near Citi Field—if the project is awarded one of the three downstate gaming licenses up for grabs later this year.

May. 2, 2025 By Czarinna Andres

Police from the 111th Precinct in Bayside are looking for two masked purse snatchers who targeted a 70-year-old woman on a residential street in Murray Hill and allegedly grabbed her pocketbook that contained thousands of dollars.

The grand larceny occurred just after 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 16, as the senior was walking near 45th Avenue and 196th Street, a block west of Francis Lewis Boulevard, just south of Northern Boulevard. The stranger approached her from behind and snatched the pocketbook from her hand and then fled the crime scene in a black Chevrolet traveling westbound toward Utopia Parkway. The woman was not injured during the encounter.

May. 2, 2025 By Jessica Militello

With Mother’s Day just over a week away, there’s still plenty of time to plan something meaningful in Queens to celebrate the special women in your life. While brunch or dinner is always a classic choice, there are also unique and memorable ways to mark the occasion with family and friends. From candle-making workshops and floral arranging classes to beer tastings and hands-on crafting, here are some fun and heartfelt ways to celebrate Mother’s Day right here in the community.

May. 2, 2025 By Czarinna Andres

The Queens Economic Development Corporation (QEDC) and Queens Tourism Council announced this week that Queens Taste 2025, the borough’s signature culinary and networking celebration, will take place on Tuesday, May 13, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the New York Hall of Science in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park.

May. 2, 2025 By Athena Dawson

Dozens gathered at NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens on Thursday, May 1, to celebrate the renaming of the hospital’s main pavilion in honor of the late Claire Shulman, the trailblazing former Queens Borough President who began her public service career as a nurse at the same hospital in the 1940s.

May. 2, 2025 By sobrien

May 2, 2025 By Shane O’Brien

May. 1, 2025 By Czarinna Andres

May 1, 2025 By Czarinna Andres

A Long Island man was sentenced to 20 years in prison Wednesday in Queens Supreme Court after pleading guilty to kidnapping, robbery, and promoting prostitution for three separate incidents.

Gil Iphael, 25, of Copiague Street in Valley Stream, lured his victims to Queens locations for sex with the help of his co-defendant, then his victims were detained, assaulted, and robbed. In one instance, Iphael tried to cut off a man’s toe and threatened to mutilate his genitals.