April 6, 2021 By Allie Griffin Queens Borough President Donovan Richards announced Tuesday his community board appointments as well as a number of new reforms that aim to raise board standards. Richards appointed 373 members across Queens’ 14 community boards out of a pool of more than 900 applicants — a record number of applications… Read more »
Author: Allie Griffin
City to Hire 10,000 New Yorkers to Remove Graffiti, Clean Parks and Sidewalks
April 6, 2021 By Allie Griffin The city plans to employ 10,000 New Yorkers to remove graffiti and clean city parks, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday. The city will hire 10,000 people by July and will post the first 1,000 job openings this month as part of its new “City Cleanup Corps” initiative. De… Read more »
City to End Two-Case Rule That Closes School Buildings for Ten Days
April 5, 2021 By Allie Griffin The New York City Department of Education (DOE) is revoking a controversial rule that closed public school buildings for 10 days if two unlinked COVID-19 cases were found in the school community. The DOE will no longer shutter schools for in-person classes due to two cases of the virus,… Read more »
Sanitation Department Gets Boost in Funding, To Bring Back Sunday Basket Collection
April 1, 2021 By Allie Griffin The New York City Sanitation Department (DSNY) is bringing back Sunday basket collection using federal COVID-19 relief money to restore the service. The city will deploy more than 100 additional Sanitation trucks per week dedicated to litter basket collection– in addition to Sunday service. The city made significant cuts… Read more »
NYC’s Congestion Pricing Plan a Step Closer to Becoming a Reality
March 30, 2021 By Allie Griffin New York City’s long-delayed plan to charge drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street is a step closer to becoming a reality. The Biden administration notified city and state officials Tuesday that they can move forward in conducting an environmental review of the congestion pricing plan– which is required before… Read more »
Police Searching for Suspect Who Stole Car in Middle Village
March 30, 2021 By Allie Griffin Police are looking for a man who stole a car in Middle Village over the weekend. The man got into the car that was left running on Sunday and drove off before abandoning it a short while later, police said. The 32-year-old owner of the car, a grey 2009… Read more »
Mayor Pledges to Provide Greater Support to Community Groups That Manage Open Streets
March 29, 2021 By Allie Griffin The New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) is now accepting applications for the second year of its Open Streets program that transforms roadways into pedestrian spaces and outdoor dining areas. Local businesses and community groups can apply online to designate a street near them as an Open Street…. Read more »
New Yorkers as Young as 30 Eligible for COVID-19 Vaccine Starting Tuesday
March 29, 2021 By Allie Griffin New Yorkers as young as age 30 will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine starting Tuesday, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced today. All adults in the state — from age 16 and up — will be eligible for the vaccine a week later on April 6. Residents as young as… Read more »
Parents Get Second Opportunity to Send Kids Back to In-Person Class This School Year
March 24, 2021 By Allie Griffin Public school parents have another opportunity to send their kids back to in-person classes for the remainder of the school year, starting today. The city has opened a second opt-in period to students who enrolled in full remote learning to switch to the hybrid learning model in which students… Read more »
Queens Council Member Ulrich Calls on Schools Chancellor to Loosen School Closure Guidelines
March 23, 2021 By Allie Griffin Council Member Eric Ulrich is calling on Department of Education to change its protocols on school closures–to prevent school buildings from shutting down and reopening so frequently. Ulrich penned a letter to Schools Chancellor Meisha Ross Porter urging her to reconsider the current DOE policy that requires school buildings… Read more »