June 15, 2020 By Allie Griffin Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz has launched a new bureau dedicated to combating hate crimes. The announcement comes amid a national discussion on systemic racism following the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd, as well as a recent uptick in biased attacks against Asian Americans during the coronavirus pandemic…. Read more »
June 11, 2020 By Allie Griffin Two school advocacy groups are calling out the mayor for his refusal to pull police officers out of public schools. Yesterday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said that the more than 5,000 NYPD school safety agents should remain at city schools, when asked at a daily press briefing. “I personally… Read more »
June 10, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York state lawmakers passed a bill yesterday to repeal a law that cloaks police records in secrecy. The lawmakers overwhelming voted in favor of the bill to repeal the law known as 50-A, as calls for police reforms are sweeping the nation. The bill disbands the decades-old law… Read more »
June 9, 2020 By Allie Griffin The Queens District Attorney’s office has launched a Major Economic Crimes Bureau to investigate and prosecute a variety of large-scale financial crimes, Queens DA Melinda Katz announced today. The bureau will target organized groups engaging in check-cashing and credit card fraud, fishing and identity theft schemes, auto theft, insurance… Read more »
June 9, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City’s health care program for low-income New Yorkers is coming to Queens as the city begins to recover from the coronavirus pandemic. The effort to guarantee health care for all New Yorkers called NYC Care is expected to reach 44,000 Queens residents. The program provides New York… Read more »
June 9, 2020 By Allie Griffin The number of New Yorkers testing positive for COVID-19 has dropped to almost zero. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today that only 1 percent of residents who took the test Sunday tested positive — the latest data available. “That is an amazing statement on what all of you have… Read more »
June 9, 2020 By Allie Griffin Three armed men held customers at gunpoint inside a Woodhaven pharmacy Monday and took off with their wallets and more than $2,000. The trio entered Good Health Pharmacy, located at 79-28 Jamaica Ave., around 6:40 p.m., held up their guns and announced that it was a robbery, police said…. Read more »
June 8, 2020 By Allie Griffin Hundreds of City Hall employees held a rally downtown this morning to protest the way Mayor Bill de Blasio and the NYPD have handled the demonstrations over the past week. The de Blasio staffers, consisting of both current and former employees, assembled at City Hall Park and demanded that… Read more »
June 8, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City started Phase 1 of its reopening today and city officials are calling on all New Yorkers to get tested. The city has significantly ramped up its testing capacity–as officials works toward a full reopening. Previously, only the elderly, those with underlying conditions, first responders and health… Read more »
June 8, 2020 By Allie Griffin The Department of Transportation (DOT) will create four new bus lanes and five new busways throughout the city in the next few months — with the first to begin construction this month in Queens, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today. A .3-mile northbound stretch of Main Street in Flushing… Read more »