March 20, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City will release 40 inmates on Rikers Island who are vulnerable of complications associated with the novel coronavirus, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Thursday. The individuals have been chosen based on specific health vulnerabilities and their low-risk status, as non-threatening and unlikely to reoffend. The NYPD and… Read more »
March 19, 2020 By Michael Dorgan The city has opened coronavirus tent testing sites outside two hospitals in Queens – NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst (better known as Elmhurst Hospital) and NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens (often called Queens General Hospital)- in response to a surge in people contracting the virus. Coronavirus cases in Queens have soared… Read more »
March 19, 2020 By Allie Griffin Governor Andrew Cuomo has introduced a number of new measures to help New Yorkers struggling to pay their credit card bills and make mortgage payments — and has taken action to increase the state’s hospital capacity as the coronavirus takes hold. Cuomo is offering relief to New Yorkers facing… Read more »
March 19, 2020 By Michael Dorgan A number of local leaders have condemned U.S. President Donald Trump and some media pundits–such as Tucker Carlson– for labeling the coronavirus the “China virus.” They argue that the use of the term is racist and inflaming discriminatory attacks against New York’s Asian population. Trump has repeatedly used the… Read more »
March 19, 2020 By Christian Murray A 68-year-old man was found dead in his car in Maspeth this morning with cuts to his neck and wrist, according to police. Police received a 911 call at 7:06 a.m. today that a man was unconscious in the back seat of a vehicle parked in the vicinity of… Read more »
March 18, 2020 By Allie Griffin Council Member Robert Holden is calling for the immediate closure of the Glendale homeless shelter amid the spread of the novel coronavirus in New York City. The 200-bed single men shelter at 78-16 Cooper Ave. opened last month on Feb. 14 after years of protest from community members —… Read more »
March 18, 2020 By Christian Murray The Queens District Attorney’s office plans to facilitate the arraignment of defendants via video conferencing in an attempt to keep employees and alleged criminals safe from COVID-19. Melinda Katz, Queens District Attorney, announced yesterday that her office has taken a number of steps to protect defendants, victims, witnesses and… Read more »
March 18, 2020 By Allie Griffin Prompted by the number of coronavirus cases across New York state surpassing 2,000, Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered all businesses to keep half their workforce home or working remotely. The executive order — which goes into effect Friday — is meant to reduce density of people and reduce the spread… Read more »
March 18, 2020 By Allie Griffin A Eucharistic minister who distributed the Holy Communion at a Catholic church in Woodside has tested positive for Coronavirus. The minister last handed out the Eucharist to congregants of Corpus Christi Roman Catholic Church, located at 31-30 61st St., on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 26. He last attended mass on… Read more »
March 18, 2020 By Christian Murray Forget about the inexpensive Uber ride-share option. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced yesterday that he has signed an executive order than bans shared rides in an effort to promote social distancing. “We want to protect drivers and we want to protect riders alike,” the Mayor said during a press… Read more »