March 2, 2021 By Allie Griffin The COVID-19 vaccination site at York College in Jamaica is now open to all eligible Queens residents. The site — where appointments were reserved for eligible residents of select Queens ZIP codes for one week — was opened to the rest of the borough on Saturday, Governor Andrew Cuomo… Read more »
March 1, 2021 By Allie Griffin Only a quarter of the potentially life-saving COVID-19 shots at a Queens vaccine site have been put in the arms of city residents. About 75 percent of the vaccines at the state-run site inside the Aqueduct Racetrack facility have gone to people who live outside the city, Mayor Bill… Read more »
Feb. 26, 2021 By Allie Griffin Two Southeast Queens natives have taken over high-powered positions in city agencies this week. Rodney Harrison was named the chief of department of the New York Police Department on Thursday and Meisha Porter was named the schools chancellor of the Department of Education Friday. Both Harrison and Porter were… Read more »
Feb. 24, 2021 By Allie Griffin New York City’s public schools will welcome back middle schoolers for in-person learning tomorrow. Public schools that serve grades six through eight will hold in-person classes beginning Thursday. The schools have been closed since November when COVID-19 cases spiked. “I am very excited that tomorrow our New York City… Read more »
Feb. 23, 2021 By Allie Griffin Mayor Bill de Blasio has created a new position, “Recovery Czar,” to lead the city’s recovery from the pandemic and accompanying economic crisis. De Blasio appointed Astoria native and CEO of the City’s School Construction Authority (SCA) Lorraine Grillo to fill the position as the senior advisor of the… Read more »
Feb. 22, 2021 By Allie Griffin Queens lawmakers and community leaders joined together on the steps of Borough Hall Monday to denounce a recent string of hate crimes against the Asian American and Jewish communities in the borough. The press conference was organized by Queens Borough President Donovan Richards following three bias incidents in the… Read more »
Feb. 19, 2021 By Allie Griffin New York City eateries will be able to serve more customers indoors starting next week. City restaurants will be able to increase their indoor dining capacity to 35 percent next Friday, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced today. The establishments were permitted to reopen indoor dining rooms at 25 percent capacity… Read more »
Feb. 18, 2021 By Allie Griffin More than $3.7 million in public campaign funds was distributed among 40 candidates in Queens who are running to represent various districts in the borough. The candidates, who each received varying amounts, were awarded the money by the NYC Campaign Finance Board (CFB) through the city’s matching funds program…. Read more »
Feb. 17, 2021 By Allie Griffin Restaurant owners are struggling to keep their businesses afloat after relying on outdoor dining alone during the cold winter months. Indoor dining just reopened in the city at 25 percent capacity last Friday, but a new report shows the toll its absence has had on city eateries. More than… Read more »
Feb. 17, 2021 By Allie Griffin Some of the neighborhoods that were hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City have the lowest vaccination rates for the virus, new ZIP code data shows. Queens neighborhoods like Corona — once called the “epicenter of the epicenter” of the pandemic — and Far Rockaway —… Read more »