June 4, 2020 By Allie Griffin Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled the city’s plan today to expand outdoor seating for restaurants, which are expected to reopen for dining in July after being shuttered for months. New York City will begin reopening parts on its economy Monday in what is known as phase one of reopening…. Read more »
June 4, 2020 By Allie Griffin The New York City Comptroller is calling on Mayor Bill de Blasio to slash more than $1 billion from the NYPD budget over four years — as the city faces a looming fiscal crisis and many are calling for police reform. Comptroller Scott Stringer penned a letter to de… Read more »
June 3, 2020 By Allie Griffin All New Yorkers can now be tested for the novel coronavirus, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday. The mayor said that anyone can be tested for COVID-19 at any of the more than 150 sites across the five boroughs. COVID-19 testing, he noted, was previously prioritized for the elderly… Read more »
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 3, 2020 By Allie Griffin The New York City subway system will return to full service during the daytime Monday, as the city begins to reopen. The Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) will increase subway service to its normal hours during the day as approximately 400,000 workers are estimated to return to work beginning June… 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 2, 2020 By Allie Griffin A Glendale Council Member is calling for the National Guard to be deployed in New York City after looters shattered storefront windows and took off with merchandise for a second night in a row. Council Member Robert Holden said the National Guard should be deployed to control the chaos… Read more »
June 2, 2020 By Allie Griffin Mayor Bill de Blasio told protesters Tuesday that their point has been heard and they should now stay home to avoid a resurgence of COVID-19 less than a week before the city is set to reopen. The mayor said he is nervous of the virus spreading among protesters —… Read more »
June 2, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City will have another curfew tonight — but three hours earlier than Monday’s after looters smashed store windows and stole pricey items for a second day in a row. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced last night that New Yorkers must be off city streets by 8 p.m…. 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 »