Nov. 1, 2021 By Christian Murray People who own pit bulls, Rottweilers and other dogs deemed aggressive have often struggled to buy homeowners’ insurance or have faced higher premiums. That is about to change. A bill, sponsored by State Sen. Mike Gianaris, was signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul last week, which bans insurance… Read more »
Nov. 1, 2021 By Christian Murray A Queens state assembly woman has introduced legislation that would require school administrators to report statistics pertaining to the race and socioeconomics of their student body as part of their annual report cards. Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas—who represents Corona, East Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, and Woodside—introduced a bill Oct. 20 that… Read more »
Oct 29, 2021, By Alex Zimmerman, Chalkbeat New York Enrollment in the nation’s largest school system has dropped roughly 1.9 percent this school year, according to preliminary figures released Friday by the education department. Roughly 938,000 students are enrolled in New York City’s public schools, down from about 955,000 last school year, when the system… Read more »
Nov. 1, 2021 By Christian Murray The City Council approved two rezoning applications last month paving the way for two large-scale developments in western Queens. The developments are in Woodside and Astoria and each consists of about 200 rental units with ground floor retail and space for cultural groups. The rezonings are both within the… Read more »
Nov. 1, 2021 By Allie Griffin More than 2,000 firefighters have called in ‘sick’ as the city’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate took effect Monday. More than half of the 2,300 who didn’t show up for work are believed to be unvaccinated, NBC News reported, and are apparently protesting the city’s vaccine mandate for its public workers…. Read more »
Nov. 1, 2021 Staff Report Three Queens organizations will be hosting a series of events Monday, Nov. 1 to celebrate Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. Sunnyside Shines, Friends of Diversity Plaza, and the Queens Economic Development Corporation are producing a simultaneous celebration in Bliss-46th Street in Sunnyside, Diversity Plaza (74th Street)… Read more »
Nov. 1, 2021 By Allie Griffin A man pointed a gun at two straphangers who were having a physical altercation on board a crowded Queens E train Saturday night. The suspect spotted two people fighting on board a northbound E train at around 7:20 p.m. as it neared the 74th Street-Roosevelt Avenue station in Jackson… Read more »
Oct. 29, 2021 By Allie Griffin Council Member Robert Holden has called on the NYPD to become more proactive in towing illegally parked cars in western Queens. Holden penned a letter to Police Commissioner Dermot Shea Thursday demanding that the NYPD step up its enforcement in his district that covers Glendale, Maspeth, Middle Village, Ridgewood… Read more »
Oct. 29, 2021 By Michael Dorgan Queens Tech Night, a free networking and community-building event for techies, will return for a meet-up in Long Island City next month – with a slightly different twist. The event will take place from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Nov. 3 at a new advanced manufacturing facility inside… Read more »
Oct. 28, 2021 By Allie Griffin A number of renewable energy projects will be soon be coming online — negating the need for NRG’s proposed peaker plant that the state rejected earlier this week, according to several Queens leaders. Local politicians said the state has no need for NRG’s proposal, which sought to overhaul the… Read more »