June 12, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a package of police reform bills into law Friday that seeks to improve relations between cops and the general public. The legislation, which was hurried through the state legislature earlier this week, will make police disciplinary records public, ban cops from using chokeholds on civilians… Read more »
June 10, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Homeless New Yorkers have been dying at a higher rate from COVID-19 than the general public, according to a new report. Homeless people “living in shelters” died at a 61 percent higher rate from COVID-19 than the city average from March 1 through May 31. For the three-month period,… Read more »
June 8, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Mayor Bill de Blasio has vowed to slash funding to the NYPD and implement a series of reforms within the department. The killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis cop last month coupled with a series of recent NYPD beatings at protests has led to calls to defund the… Read more »
June 6, 2020 Staff Report Large protests against racial injustice went off peacefully across Queens on Friday and Saturday. Thousands of protesters took to the streets at various locations throughout the World’s Borough – replicating the mass protests seen throughout the country since the killing of George Floyd on May 25. Hundreds of people marched… Read more »
June 6, 2020 By Michael Dorgan The Queens Pride virtual parade will take place online this Sunday, June 7. The physical parade, which was expected to go ahead in Jackson Heights tomorrow, is being replaced by a live-streamed event starting at noon to celebrate Pride Month and the LGBTQ community. The online event will feature… Read more »
June 6, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Council Member Robert Holden has called on the city to reopen parks and other public spaces as part of Phase 1. The lawmaker wrote to Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver Thursday demanding that public parks, beaches, tennis courts and golf courses be made available to the public from June 8…. Read more »
June 3, 2020 By Michael Dorgan An enormous mural honoring front-line immigrant workers who contracted and died of COVID-19 while on the job has been put down at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. The 20,000-square-foot painting by the Queens Museum depicts Dr. Ydelfonso Decoo, a Dominican immigrant pediatrician who was one of the first doctors in Queens… Read more »
June 1, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Queens is in the grips of an opioid overdose epidemic. The number of people who have died from an opioid overdose has shot up in 2020, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said Monday. In the first five months this year, Queens County recorded 86 suspected opioid overdoses – a… Read more »
June 1, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Hundreds of jobs are up for grabs Wednesday as part of an online recruitment fair. The virtual fair, which is being spearheaded by Acting Queens Borough President Sharon Lee, will take place via the video-conferencing application Zoom on June 3 between 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. The event seeks… Read more »
May 29, 2020, By Michael Dorgan A Forest Hills bar/restaurant – known for its brunch, craft beer, and wine menu – has shuttered after an 8-year run. Jack & Nellie’s, located at 108-25 Ascan Ave., has closed for good, according to an Instagram post the business put out earlier this week. The post did not… Read more »