June 16, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Building permits have been filed for a seven-story mixed-use building on Queens Boulevard in Elmhurst. The plans call for an 85-foot-tall structure on a site at 86-15 Queens Boulevard, according to documents filed by the Department of Buildings on June 15 Nearly 19,500 square feet will be dedicated to a… Read more »
June 15, 2020 By Michael Dorgan The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is donating thousands of bags of pet food to Queens-based organizations that will then distribute them to pet owners in need. The ASPCA is partnering with the Queens Borough President’s office to provide more than 2,500 bags of dog… Read more »
June 14, 2020 By Michael Dorgan A virtual celebration to mark Pride Month in Queens will take place Thursday. Acting Queens Borough President Sharon Lee will host the online event via the video-conferencing application Zoom on June 18 at 2:00 p.m. The event will celebrate the LGBTQ community who typically put on parades and marches… Read more »
June 12, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a package of police reform bills into law Friday that seeks to improve relations between cops and the general public. The legislation, which was hurried through the state legislature earlier this week, will make police disciplinary records public, ban cops from using chokeholds on civilians… Read more »
June 12, 2020 By Michael Dorgan More than 100 western Queens residents who have died from COVID-19 will be honored during a virtual memorial service later this month. The event, titled Remembering Locals Lost to COVID-19, will take place via the video-conferencing application Zoom on June 28 at 2 p.m. The service seeks to honor… Read more »
June 10, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Homeless New Yorkers have been dying at a higher rate from COVID-19 than the general public, according to a new report. Homeless people “living in shelters” died at a 61 percent higher rate from COVID-19 than the city average from March 1 through May 31. For the three-month period,… Read more »
June 9, 2020 By Michael Dorgan State senator Jessica Ramos has introduced a bill this week that would prevent the police from using military-style weapons on civilians. Bill S.8516 bans law enforcement from using rubber bullets and tear gas on demonstrators. It also calls on law enforcement to destroy any chemical weapons in their possession. Ramos wants aggressive… Read more »
June 8, 2020 By Michael Dorgan A trendy and spacious cafe has opened on Queens Boulevard following three months of delays due to COVID-19. Mad Café, opened its doors at 43-10 Queens Blvd. last week and is now brewing fresh coffee and serving pastries delivered daily from SPOT dessert bar in Flushing. The 2,600 square-foot… Read more »
June 8, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Mayor Bill de Blasio has vowed to slash funding to the NYPD and implement a series of reforms within the department. The killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis cop last month coupled with a series of recent NYPD beatings at protests has led to calls to defund the… Read more »
June 6, 2020 Staff Report Large protests against racial injustice went off peacefully across Queens on Friday and Saturday. Thousands of protesters took to the streets at various locations throughout the World’s Borough – replicating the mass protests seen throughout the country since the killing of George Floyd on May 25. Hundreds of people marched… Read more »