Nov. 10, 2020 By Allie Griffin State Sen. Michael Gianaris introduced a bill Monday that would speed up the counting of absentee ballots in New York State to ensure elections are called quickly. The bill would require local boards of elections across the state to begin tallying absentee ballots on Election Day as opposed to… Read more »
Nov. 9, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City has “one last chance” to stop a second wave of the coronavirus as new cases continue to surge, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today. The number of new cases on a seven-day average — as of Saturday — increased to 779 citywide, up from 593 a… Read more »
Nov. 6, 2020 By Allie Griffin A higher percentage of Queens voters cast their ballots in support of President Donald Trump on Nov. 3 than in the 2016 election, preliminary results show. About 30 percent of Queens ballots went for Trump versus roughly 22 percent in 2016, according to preliminary results from the New York… Read more »
Nov. 5, 2020 By Allie Griffin City officials are concerned over a steady increase in COVID-19 cases citywide. The number of new coronavirus cases has risen above the city’s cautionary threshold for nearly a week and it hit a new high on Tuesday — the date of the latest data available, Mayor Bill de Blasio… Read more »
Nov. 5, 2020 By Allie Griffin The New York City Planning Commission voted in support of a contentious Flushing waterfront development project Wednesday. The City Planning Commission voted 11-to-two in favor of a zoning change that would make way for a 13-tower, mixed-use development that includes office space, hotel buildings and 1,725 apartments. The land… Read more »
Nov. 4, 2020 By Allie Griffin Queens Democrats are projected to sweep the general election in nearly every race in the borough — although official winners will not be called for days or even weeks. On the local level, Council Member Donovan Richards cruised to victory in the Queens Borough President race, easily defeating his… Read more »
Nov. 3, 2020 By Allie Griffin The Department of Education (DOE) shuttered three Queens public schools for two weeks after finding at least two COVID-19 cases at each. Two of the schools closed last week after at least two students or staffers at each facility tested positive for coronavirus in unrelated cases. P.S. 213 The… Read more »
Nov. 3, 2020 By Allie Griffin The coronavirus positivity rate is rising in the Central Queens cluster that the state has placed in a yellow zone. The positivity rate of the cluster area — which includes a large section of central Queens including Kew Gardens and Forest Hills — has increased since the week of… Read more »
Nov. 3, 2020 By Allie Griffin There are no known plans of acts of violence or unrest in New York City ahead of today’s election results, Mayor Bill de Blasio said. The mayor said during a press briefing Tuesday that there are no major protests scheduled thus far, but that the city is prepared for… Read more »
Nov. 2, 2020 By Allie Griffin The New York City Parks Department is calling for proposals for a bicycle rental program at Flushing Meadows Corona Park and Forest Park. The department issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the development, operation and maintenance of bike rental stations on Thursday. The Parks Department is also seeking… Read more »