May 6, 2020 By Allie Griffin The Queens District Attorney’s office, which opened a unit to investigate potential wrongful convictions in January, announced yesterday that it has reopened 10 such cases. Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz established the Conviction Integrity Unit when she took office on January 1 — making good on one of her… Read more »
May 5, 2020 By Christian Murray Gov. Andrew Cuomo took aim at Washington today, particularly Republican leaders who are reluctant to fund state governments hard hit by the coronavirus. Cuomo, speaking at his daily press briefing, called on federal lawmakers to put partisan politics aside and include aid for state and local governments in its… Read more »
May 5, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Brooklyn’s annual Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel has been canceled due to the coronavirus– although an alternative date might be set for later this year. The Italian-American celebration was scheduled to take place in July but – like so many other parades this year – it has… Read more »
May 5, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Several Queens Congress Members have demanded the national cancellation of all rent and mortgage payments for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic – and for six months afterward. Lawmakers Grace Meng, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Carolyn Maloney, Nydia Velázquez and Hakeem Jeffries wrote to House and Senate leaders Tuesday urging them… Read more »
May 5, 2020 By Allie Griffin Two Bangladeshi women are back on the ballot in an upcoming Queens primary after a judge ruled against the Board of Elections’ (BOE) decision to remove them for technicalities last week. On Monday, Queens Supreme Court Judge Leonard Livote ordered Mary Jobaida, who hopes to unseat Cathy Nolan in… Read more »
May 5, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Several Queens Congress Members want the next COVID-19 relief bill to include assistance for bodegas, ethnic grocery stores and small independent supermarkets. Congresswoman Grace Meng announced Sunday that she wrote a letter— signed by 12 other New York Congress Members– to House leaders Nancy Pelosi and Kevin McCarthy urging… Read more »
May 4, 2020 By Christian Murray Governor Andrew Cuomo said that certain regions of the state may begin to reopen on May 15, the date the state’s stay at home order is set to end. The governor said that the restrictions would only be lifted if a number of benchmarks were met. He stated that… Read more »
May 4, 2020 By Allie Griffin The city is making progress in its fight against the coronavirus with a number of key measures moving in the right direction. The mayor announced today that the three key indicators that will be used to determine when the city can reopen showed positive results. The number of new… Read more »
May 4, 2020 By Allie Griffin The New York City Council has doubled the funding for a program that provides free transportation to Queens seniors, effectively extending the program for at least another year. Northeast Queens Council Member Paul Vallone helped to secure an additional $150,000 to fund the borough-based program which offers seniors rides… Read more »
May 1, 2020 By Allie Griffin An affordable housing lottery has opened for 31 units in a new Greenpoint apartment building, where rent starts at $1,288 a month for a studio. The apartments are a mix of studios, one-bedroom units and two-bedrooms units at 470 Manhattan Ave and are available to people who make between… Read more »