Nov. 23, 2020 By Allie Griffin The operators of an underground swingers club in Astoria were busted over the weekend for violating COVID-19 restrictions. Cops shut down the swingers meet-up at 40-19 20th Ave. where more than 80 people were found partying at the location in a COVID-19 yellow zone. Officers from the NYC Sheriff’s… Read more »
Nov. 23, 2020 By Allie Griffin A council member who represents parts of Brooklyn and Queens introduced a bill Thursday that would allow restaurants to add a 15 percent surcharge to the tab if they pay all their employees a base wage of at least $15 per hour. Council Member Antonio Reynoso, who represents parts… Read more »
Nov. 20, 2020 By Allie Griffin A man was fatally struck by a subway train in Elmhurst early Friday morning. The man, who has yet to be identified, was hit by a train near the Woodhaven Boulevard M/R station at around 3:30 a.m., police said. First responders pronounced him dead at the scene and removed… Read more »
Nov. 19, 2020 By Christian Murray A non-profit development group that seeks to build a 7-story affordable housing complex in Sunnyside came under heavy fire at a public hearing Wednesday night. Phipps Houses, which owns and manages the Phipps Gardens Apartment complex in Sunnyside, was lambasted at the hearing by its existing tenants after presenting… Read more »
Nov. 19, 2020 By Allie Griffin Indoor dining will likely end and gyms will likely close in the next week or two as New York City looks to combat a second wave of the coronavirus, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday morning. The closures will come if New York City enters a state-mandated “orange zone,”… Read more »
Nov. 18, 2020 By Allie Griffin Opposition to a sprawling 13-tower, mixed-use development proposed for the Flushing waterfront is growing among city lawmakers tasked with approving the plans. A dozen city council members said approving the project known as the “Special Flushing Waterfront District” in its current form would be “a grave mistake,” in a… Read more »
Nov. 18, 2020 By Allie Griffin The Queens COVID-19 yellow zone has been expanded northward to cover parts of Astoria, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday. Cuomo said the COVID-19 positivity rate of Astoria reached 2.5 percent, putting it into a yellow zone — one of three zones where state-imposed restrictions apply to bring down the… Read more »
Nov. 18, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Sunnyside Shines is raising funds to support two local food pantries that will feed hundreds of families in need throughout the holiday season. The Business Improvement District launched an online fundraiser Wednesday to help the Mosaic Food Pantry on 43rd Avenue in Sunnyside and the “Manos Que Dan Reciben… Read more »
Nov. 18, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City public schools will close in-person classes starting Thursday, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today. Public schools will switch to fully remote classes beginning tomorrow — until further notice. The move comes as New York City’s COVID-19 positivity rate reached 3 percent over a seven-day rolling average,… Read more »
Nov. 17, 2020 By Allie Griffin The operators of a Bayside car dealership who targeted and conned Chinese-speakers into shelling out thousands in bogus costs have been ordered to repay their victims, according to authorities. Star Toyota of Bayside, located at 205-11 Northern Blvd., must pay more than $180,000 to the Chinese-speaking customers it duped… Read more »