June 3, 2020 By Christian Murray Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz has established a new bureau tasked with investigating and prosecuting predatory lenders, housing scammers and contractors who fail to pay their employees prevailing wage. The new unit, called the Housing and Worker Protection Bureau, will work with other agencies to prosecute con artists and… Read more »
June 1, 2020 Staff Report Council Member Costa Constantinides, who represents Astoria and East Elmhurst, is running to be the next Queens Borough President. We spoke to Constantinides early last week, before the national outrage following the death of George Floyd took hold. The focus of the discussion was largely about the looming budget problems… Read more »
June 1, 2020 By Christian Murray Demonstrators came out in Queens over the weekend to voice their anger over the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer. Hundreds took to the streets of Jackson Heights Saturday in a protest that formed in Diversity Plaza. Protesters in Jackson Heights chanted “black… Read more »
This story was originally published by Chalkbeat, a nonprofit news organization covering public education. Sign up for their newsletters here: ckbe.at/newsletters By Christina Veiga, Chalkbeat Every public school student in New York City will soon receive more than $400 to help pay for food while school buildings are shut down, regardless of family income. Through a federal… Read more »
May 19, 2020 By Christian Murray The Queens Borough President and Queens District Attorney will be hosting a virtual Memorial Day Observance Ceremony on Thursday. The ceremony, which will be live streamed at www.queensbp.org , will start at 11 a.m. and the public is invited to view. “Queens is eternally grateful to the women and… Read more »
May 18, 2020 By Christian Murray A soccer program headed by Spanish star David Villa that was launched last year to help immigrant children has just begun its second year—although “virtually.” The program provides soccer training and equipment for immigrant children whose parents are being detained by ICE. The children are taught by Villa’s DV7… Read more »
May 16, 2020 By Michael Dorgan A Queens couple opened the borough’s first Philly Pretzel Factory in Forest Hills last week, following two months of delays due to COVID-19. Corona residents Jose and Nancy Villa opened their Philadelphia-based franchise Friday and are finally serving up the company’s signature hand-twisted pretzels and other popular dishes. The… Read more »
May 16, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced today that some sporting events will now be able to take place and elective surgeries are now permitted in more regions across the state. The announcement comes at a time when many COVID-19 indicators like new hospitalizations and deaths continue to trend downward. The governor… Read more »
May 15, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Governor Andrew Cuomo has extended New York state’s stay-at-home order for another two weeks. The new PAUSE order–which was signed Thursday night–extends the existing May 15 stay-at-home requirement until May 28 for half of the state’s 10 regions, including New York City. The PAUSE order has been in effect… Read more »
May 14, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Two Queens lawmakers argue that the World’s borough is being short-changed by City Hall when it comes to small business aid. State Senator Jessica Ramos and Council Member Costa Constantinides have called on the city to create a new strategy to help small businesses in the outer boroughs recover… Read more »