June 23, 2021 By Allie Griffin Incumbent Council Members Francisco Moya and Adrienne Adams are both poised to win their bids for re-election. Moya and Adams both finished with more than 50 percent of in-person votes Tuesday— the margin needed to win a race outright in the city’s new ranked-choice voting system. Moya earned 52.16… Read more »
June 22, 2021 By Allie Griffin Candidates on the ballot for City Council seats are competing for a two-year term—not the four-year term members normally serve. Council members elected this year will complete a two-year term for the first time in two decades due to a provision in the city charter related to the census…. Read more »
June 21, 2021 By Allie Griffin The Department of Transportation (DOT) will present a proposal Wednesday to create a “bike boulevard” along 39th Avenue in Sunnyside. The agency plans to convert 39th Avenue, from 45th Street to Woodside Avenue, to a bike boulevard that would involve making significant changes to the strip. The DOT will… Read more »
June 21, 2021 By Allie Griffin Federal officials have postponed making their final decision on the $2 billion LaGuardia AirTrain project after community groups and legislators expressed concerns over its environmental review. Early construction of the AirTrain — a proposed 1.5 mile rail line linking LaGuardia Airport to the 7 train and Long Island Rail… Read more »
June 17, 2021 By Allie Griffin City officials and local lawmakers celebrated the start of the environmental cleanup of Willets Point Wednesday — which paves the way for the redevelopment of the area. Six acres of land near Citi Field is being remediated to prepare for the construction of three buildings that will include 1,100… Read more »
June 16, 2021 By Allie Griffin The sky above the New York Harbor was lit up with a firework display last night marking the milestone that 70 percent of adults across the state have received at least their first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine. However, not all neighborhoods across the state have a vaccination rate… Read more »
June 15, 2021 By Allie Griffin Queens Borough President Donovan Richards has allocated $5 million toward a new facility in Astoria planned for the Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens. Richards announced the funding at the nonprofit’s “Junior Home Run Derby” event for kids in East Elmhurst Sunday. The money will help the Boys… Read more »
June 11, 2021 By Allie Griffin A group of Jackson Heights residents who lost their homes in an April fire are demanding the city extend their temporary housing at hotels. Residents represented by the 89th Street Unidos Association held a rally Thursday to demand the NYC Department of Housing and Preservation (HPD) extend their hotel… Read more »
June 11, 2021 By Allie Griffin Rally-goers will march through the streets of Astoria Sunday to call for a free Palestine and the defunding of the NYPD. Astoria Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani and several groups are organizing the rally to demand an end to “state-sanctioned violence domestically and abroad.” They are calling for the local… Read more »
June 10, 2021 By Allie Griffin Activist Valerie Bell, whose son was killed by police 15 years ago, has endorsed candidate Alfonso Quiroz for the District 25 City Council seat. Bell, the mother of Sean Bell, said Quiroz will help reform law enforcement and keep communities safe in New York City if elected to the… Read more »