July 20, 2021 By Allie Griffin The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved the state’s $2 billion plan to build an AirTrain to LaGuardia Airport Tuesday. Its approval — which was previously delayed — paves the way for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to begin construction of the 1.5 mile rail line… Read more »
July 20, 2021 By Allie Griffin Queens residents will have a once-in-a-decade chance Thursday to weigh in on how their political districts are shaped. The Independent Redistricting Commission of New York State is hosting a virtual public meeting Thursday at 2 p.m. to seek comments from Queens residents on the redrawing of district borders. The… Read more »
July 19, 2021 By Allie Griffin New cases of COVID-19 are on the rise across Queens and citywide as the Delta variant spreads across the boroughs. The average daily number of cases in Queens more than doubled in the past two weeks — it was 122 on July 15, compared to just 57 on July… Read more »
July 19, 2021 By Allie Griffin Two statues that have stood outside a Catholic Church in Forest Hills since it opened in the 1930s were toppled and smashed early Saturday in what police are investigating as a hate crime. A woman knocked down the statues that stood outside Our Lady of Mercy parish, located at… Read more »
July 16, 2021 By Allie Griffin Nearly 30 couples will say “I do” in a joint wedding celebration at a Corona parish Saturday. Twenty-eight love birds will be wed at Our Lady of Sorrows Roman Catholic Church during a special “United Weddings” ceremony at noon. The ceremony is meant to be a celebration of love… Read more »
July 16, 2021 By Allie Griffin Elizabeth Crowley conceded in the Queens borough president race Friday after finishing behind incumbent Borough President Donovan Richards by less than one percentage point. Crowley announced she was conceding after the Board of Elections (BOE) counted the final absentee and affidavit ballots Thursday. “With the BOE opening and counting… Read more »
July 16, 2021 By Allie Griffin Overdose deaths in Queens surged at an alarming rate during the pandemic, the Queens District Attorney revealed in a report Friday. Nearly 50 percent more Queens residents died of a fatal overdose in 2020 compared to 2019 — in a devastating shift that mirrors a nation-wide trend. “There is… Read more »
July 16, 2021 By Allie Griffin Mayor Bill de Blasio called on state officials Thursday to enact congestion pricing by next year. He urged the MTA to put its long-delayed plan to charge drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street in place by July 2022. “It’s time for the state to get in gear, get congestion… Read more »
July 16, 2021 By Allie Griffin Advocates who are calling for a north-south subway line in central Queens say the proposal is more feasible than what the MTA estimates. A new report commissioned by supporters of the proposal, dubbed the QueensLink Corridor, found that the project would be billions of dollars less than what the… Read more »
July 15, 2021 By Allie Griffin A Corona man was sentenced to three years in prison Wednesday for fatally shoving his elderly landlord down a flight of stairs last year. Alex Garces, 23, pushed 71-year-old Edgar Moncayo down the front steps of his Corona home on Jan. 12, 2020, following an argument over unpaid rent…. Read more »