Oct. 22, 2021 By Allie Griffin A Queens grand jury indicted a Jamaica man on hate crime charges for allegedly attacking Muslim New Yorkers in three separate incidents over the summer. Naved Durrni, 30, was indicted and arraigned Friday on robbery, assault as a hate crime and other charges in Queens Supreme Court. Durrni, of… Read more »
Oct. 19, 2021 By Allie Griffin Apartment rentals in Queens are largely going for less than they were before the pandemic threw the market in a tailspin, a new real estate report shows. Rent prices continue to trend upward but have yet to reach pre-pandemic costs in the vast majority of Queens neighborhoods, a market… Read more »
Oct. 20, 2021 By Allie Griffin All city workers must get vaccinated for COVID-19 or face unpaid leave under a new mandate Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Wednesday. The mandate requires city employees — including police officers, firefighters and sanitation workers — to get at least one dose by 5 p.m. on Oct. 29. It… Read more »
Oct. 18, 2021 By Allie Griffin A couple who allegedly stored a stockpile of gun-making equipment in the Rosedale home they shared with their 10-year-old daughter was charged with criminal sale of a weapon and other charges Friday. Lissette Espinal, 32, and Ricardi Kiem, 31, were arraigned in Queens Criminal Court Friday morning on a… Read more »
Oct. 14, 2021 By Allie Griffin Residential sales prices across Queens grew at the highest rate among the five boroughs over the past year, according to a new report. The median sales price in Queens was $580,000 in the third quarter of 2021, a 17 percent increase from the third quarter of 2020 — representing… Read more »
Oct. 14, 2021 By Allie Griffin Six million New York City residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Thursday. “This is unbelievable,” de Blasio said during his morning press briefing. “Six million people who have gone and done the right thing for themselves and their families,… Read more »
Oct. 12, 2021 By Allie Griffin The NYC Board of Elections has increased the number of early voting sites to open in Queens this month ahead of the general election. There will be 22 early voting poll sites across the borough — an increase from the 18 sites that were available to residents ahead of… Read more »
Oct. 11, 2021 By Allie Griffin New York State has closed applications for the Excluded Workers Fund as the $2.1 billion fund is running out. The state department of labor stopped accepting new applications Friday night to the program, which provides monetary aid to undocumented New Yorkers who lost their jobs during the pandemic and… Read more »
Oct. 8, 2021 By Allie Griffin Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Friday that the city will phase out the gifted and talented program at city public schools — sparking criticism from several elected officials in Queens. The highly competitive program, which requires kindergarteners to take a screening test, has been criticized by experts for exacerbating… Read more »
Oct. 8, 2021 By Allie Griffin The New York City Department of Education is facing backlash for not releasing public school enrollment and attendance numbers for the school year thus far. City Council members along with the head of the city’s powerful teachers union criticized the DOE for what they say is a lack of… Read more »