This article was originally published by The CITY on March. 31, 2022 at 7:43 p.m. By George Joseph and Josefa Velasquez, THE CITY Albany lawmakers departed the state Capitol Thursday for a long weekend without a deal on the state’s $216 billion spending plan — ensuring that the budget won’t be enacted by a midnight… Read more »
March 31, 2022 By Czarinna Andres The police arrested a Queens man who allegedly beat and robbed a 53-year-old Filipino immigrant at a McDonald’s in midtown Manhattan Monday. Rasheed Osundairo, 30, of Rosedale, allegedly punched his victim in the face while the man was trying to place an order at around 7:40 a.m. at a… Read more »
March 30, 2022 By Christian Murray Nearly $150,000 has been raised via a GoFundMe page for the owners of Louie’s Pizzeria in Elmhurst who were stabbed coming to the aid of an Asian woman outside their Baxter Avenue business Saturday night. More than 2,900 people have donated funds that aim to help cover the medical… Read more »
March 29, 2022 By Christian Murray New York’s hometown airline is adding thousands of new jobs. JetBlue, which is headquartered in Long Island City, announced yesterday that it is recruiting 5,000 additional employees this year in anticipation of a big increase in summer-time demand. The positions will primarily be based at its John F. Kennedy… Read more »
March 28, 2022 By Christian Murray A 32-year-old Corona man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for the firing of an illegal gun that killed a mother of three children—via a stray bullet— inside her Jackson Heights apartment in 2020. Issam Elabbar, who pleaded guilty in December 2021 to manslaughter in the second… Read more »
March 24, 2022 By Christian Murray Council Member Shekar Krishnan, the chair of the Parks and Recreation Committee, unveiled a five-point plan last week that aims to increase the city’s investment in parks, upgrade playgrounds and add trees across the city. Krishnan, who represents Jackson Heights and Elmhurst, held a press conference at the Unisphere… Read more »
March 22, 2022 By Christian Murray Astoria and East Elmhurst residents will get to vote next month on how the city should spend $1 million in the district on capital projects. Council Member Tiffany Cabán has released a list of 14 items—each ranging in cost from $150,000 to $500,000—that will be put for a vote… Read more »
March 21, 2022 By Christian Murray A Long Island City-based organization that helps people who have been incarcerated get back on their feet has received a $10 million award care of philanthropist MacKenzie Scott—of Amazon fame. The Fortune Society, a non-profit organization based at 29-76 Northern Blvd., was given the funds by Scott in recognition… Read more »
March 21, 2022 By Christian Murray A 15-year-old boy was shot inside a Jackson Heights playground Saturday afternoon. The teenager was shot in the back and torso at Playground Ninety, located near Northern Boulevard and 89th Street, at around 3:30 p.m., police said. The shooting stemmed from an argument that the victim had with the… Read more »
March 18, 2022 By Christian Murray A Starbucks in Astoria has announced plans to unionize, the first location in Queens to do so. Workers at the 30-18 Astoria Blvd. store sent a letter to Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz announcing their intention to form a union and their legal right to do so. “Starbucks continues to… Read more »