July 16, 2021 By Allie Griffin Overdose deaths in Queens surged at an alarming rate during the pandemic, the Queens District Attorney revealed in a report Friday. Nearly 50 percent more Queens residents died of a fatal overdose in 2020 compared to 2019 — in a devastating shift that mirrors a nation-wide trend. “There is… Read more »
July 16, 2021 By Allie Griffin Mayor Bill de Blasio called on state officials Thursday to enact congestion pricing by next year. He urged the MTA to put its long-delayed plan to charge drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street in place by July 2022. “It’s time for the state to get in gear, get congestion… Read more »
July 16, 2021 By Michael Dorgan Police are searching for a man who shot a motorist in the stomach during a road rage incident in Woodside last night. The suspect got into a heated argument with the victim while stopped at traffic lights at Queens Blvd. and 65th Pl. at around 7:30 p.m., according to… Read more »
July 16, 2021 By Allie Griffin Advocates who are calling for a north-south subway line in central Queens say the proposal is more feasible than what the MTA estimates. A new report commissioned by supporters of the proposal, dubbed the QueensLink Corridor, found that the project would be billions of dollars less than what the… Read more »
July 15, 2021 By Christian Murray A 29-year-man was indicted by a Queens grand jury Thursday on murder charges in the shooting death of a 10-year-old Far Rockaway boy. Jovan Young, 29, has been charged with murder in the second degree and other charges in the fatal shooting of 10-year-old Justin Wallace on the evening… Read more »
This article was originally published by The City on JUL 13, 2021, 8:07PM EDT BY ALLISON DIKANOVIC New York was one of the last states in the country to launch a COVID rent relief program with money from the federal government this spring. And the funds have yet to start flowing. Just to recap: In… Read more »
July 14, 2021 By Allie Griffin More than 40,000 people have signed a petition calling on Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz to reopen a case in which a Black man was convicted for the murder of a woman in Howard Beach. The petition-signers believe that Chanel Lewis who was found guilty of the 2016 murder… Read more »
July 14, 2021 By Michael Dorgan A Queens lawmaker has introduced a bill that aims to stop zoos from drugging female animals as a means to promote mating. Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas said that some zoos carry out the practice so male animals have a greater chance of being able to copulate. The approach is used… Read more »
July 14, 2021 By Allie Griffin The number of council women of color representing Queens will more than quadruple next year as the New York City Council is on a path to be the most diverse class yet. Women of color will likely hold as many as nine out of the 15 Queens council seats… Read more »
July 14, 2021 By Christian Murray New York City’s vaccination campaign has prevented as many as 8,300 COVID-related deaths, the City’s Department of Health reported today. The DOH, citing a study conducted by epidemiologists at Yale University, said that the city’s campaign has also prevented 250,000 COVID-19 cases and 44,000 hospitalizations since it began through… Read more »