Feb. 19, 2020 By Kristen Torres Lawmakers are split on whether or not to back the state’s six-week-old bail reform law, which has ignited fierce debate among elected officials, the police and criminal justice advocates since it went into effect on Jan. 1. The new law eliminated cash bail for most misdemeanor and non-violent offenses,… Read more »
Author: Czarinna
Former Sanitation Worker Seeks 12th District Senate Seat, Says Incumbent Mike Gianaris Failed Public on Amazon and Bail Reform
Feb. 17, 2020 By Kristen Torres A former sanitation employee who spent 20 years working for the city is putting his hat in the ring to challenge State Senator Michael Gianaris in this year’s Democratic primary. Ignazio “Izzy” Terranova retired from the city’s Department of Sanitation after a decades-long career in 2019. His inspiration to… Read more »
Community Board Rejects Home Depot’s Plan That Aims to Bring Giant Store and Storage Facility to Maspeth
Feb. 11, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Community Board 2 voted against a plan filed by Home Depot that calls for a massive home-improvement store and a six-story self-storage facility on a manufacturing site in Maspeth. Home Depot needs a special permit since the 59-02 Borden Ave. site is located in a manufacturing district and the… Read more »
Bail Reform is Not Responsible for Crime Spike Say Two Queens Council Members, Pair Criticize NYPD Commissioner Shea
Feb. 7, 2020 By Allie Griffin Two Queens Council Members have accused the NYPD Police Commissioner of creating a “false narrative” by attributing an uptick in crime to the new bail reform laws. Council Members Donovan Richards and Rory Lancman penned a letter to Commissioner Dermot Shea yesterday asking him to publicly withdraw his comments,… Read more »
Crime Jumped in Queens in January, Top NYPD Officials Blame Bail Reform
Feb. 6, 2020 By Allie Griffin Crime across the city and in the borough of Queens jumped significantly in the first month of 2020 — which top NYPD brass attributes to bail reform. Major crimes spiked 20 percent in the first 26 days of the year in Patrol Borough Queens North — which includes Long… Read more »
Proposed Bus Network Would Inconvenience Many Long Island City and Ridgewood Residents: Gianaris
Feb. 4, 2020 By Kristen Torres State Sen. Michael Gianaris penned a letter to the head of the MTA on Jan. 31 concerning its draft plan to redraw the Queens bus network, joining a growing list of lawmakers who have voiced their opposition to various parts of the proposal. In a letter addressed to MTA Chairman Patrick… Read more »
ICE Arrests Undocumented Immigrants in Queens, Criticizes New York’s ‘Sanctuary City’ Policy
Jan. 31, 2020 By Allie Griffin Members of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 75 undocumented immigrants across the five boroughs, Long Island and the Hudson Valley in the past week — including several living within Queens. The agency announced the number of arrests while decrying New York City’s position as a sanctuary city…. Read more »
Four Candidates Knocked Off Queens Borough President Ballot
Jan. 30, 2020 By Allie Griffin Four candidates were disqualified Tuesday from appearing on the Queens Borough President ballot for the March 24 special election, including retired NYPD sergeant Anthony Miranda. Board of Elections (BOE) commissioners disqualified Miranda as well as Danniel Maio, Everly Brown and Justina Jaggassar-Ernul at a public meeting on Jan. 28…. Read more »
Police Looking for Man who Robbed Multiple Banks Across Boroughs
Jan. 28, 2020 By Allie Griffin Police are looking for a suspect who allegedly robbed multiple banks across three precincts and two boroughs. The suspect first hit a Williamsburg bank on Monday, Jan. 13. He entered Popular Bank, located at 15 Graham Ave., at 9:30 a.m. and passed a note to the teller demanding money…. Read more »
MTA Launches Ad Campaign to Combat Uptick in Hate Crimes on City Transit
Jan. 27, 2020 By Allie Griffin The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) launched a new ad campaign today to combat an uptick in hate crimes on the New York City transit system. The “Hate Has No Place in Our Transportation System” public awareness campaign will promote kindness, respect and solidarity across digital screens in subways, buses… Read more »