May 29, 2020 By Allie Griffin The City Council voted to axe the terms “alien” and “illegal immigrant” from all official city documents, laws and rules Thursday. The terms are offensive and discriminatory toward undocumented immigrants, said Elmhurst Council Member Francisco Moya, who introduced the bill in January. The term to replace the phrases will… Read more »
May 29, 2020 By Allie Griffin Council Speaker Corey Johnson introduced legislation Thursday that would require the city to open up sidewalks and street space for outdoor dining, with the aim of helping restaurants get through the coronavirus pandemic. The legislation — sponsored by several council members including Donovan Richards and Jimmy Van Bramer —… Read more »
May 28, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York businesses will soon be able to turn away customers who aren’t wearing a mask. Governor Andrew Cuomo said he would be signing an executive order today giving businesses the right to boot out any customer who refuses to wear a mask. The new directive, referred to as… Read more »
May 28, 2020 By Allie Griffin A wholesale grocery distributor sold more than 46,000 cans of Lysol disinfectant spray to New York grocery and discount stores at excessive prices, including several in Queens — and is now paying the price with a lawsuit from the state. New York Attorney General Letitia James slapped a lawsuit… Read more »
May 28, 2020 By Michael Dorgan A homeless man was found dead in the rear yard of a North Corona home Sunday and police have ruled it a homicide. Terrazas Galinda, 25, was discovered unconscious and unresponsive in the backyard at 37-82 101 St. just before noon on May 24, according to police. EMS pronounced Galinda… Read more »
May 28, 2020 By Michael Dorgan, Queens business leaders and an elected official will not let shuttered theaters stop residents from enjoying a night at the movies this summer. Council Member Paul Vallone has teamed up with real estate firm Cord Meyer Development and the Queens Chamber of Commerce to host a series of socially… Read more »
May 27, 2020 By Allie Griffin The city has hired more than 1,700 contact tracers and secured 1,200 hotel rooms to reduce the spread of the coronavirus as it prepares to reopen. The contact tracers will be tasked with finding family, friends and other people who have come in close contact to a person who… Read more »
May 27, 2020 By Michael Dorgan The mayor has signed several new bills into law to support small businesses during the COVID-19 shutdown. Mayor Bill de Blasio signed the legislation Tuesday after the City Council passed the relief measures earlier this month. The legislation slaps price caps on third-party food delivery services and extends the suspension of… Read more »
May 27, 2020 By Allie Griffin The city opened its first COVID-19 testing site in Far Rockaway yesterday, nearly three months after the start of the pandemic — a delay a local council member said cost lives. City Council Member Donovan Richards who represents the hard-hit neighborhood said many lives could have been spared from… Read more »
May 27, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City faces a whopping $9 billion deficit due to the economic fallout of the coronavirus, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today. The budget hole was originally estimated to be around $7.4 billion through to June 30, 2021 — but has widened by another $1.6 billion, the mayor… Read more »