Nov. 2, 2020 Staff Report The entries are in and the voting is taking place. Nearly a dozen people entered their homes for the inaugural #bewitchinQueens Halloween house contest. The residents with the spookiest house–with the most “likes” — will win a $500 VISA gift card; with second prize being $250 VISA card; and third… Read more »
Oct. 29, 2020 By Allie Griffin The New York City Police Department appointed its first female Chief of Patrol Thursday — Juanita Holmes, who has a long history of policing in Queens. Holmes, the highest-ranking African American woman in NYPD history, has more than 30 years of experience with the department, including several stints in… Read more »
Oct. 28, 2020 By Allie Griffin Small business owners will soon be able to expand their storefront onto the sidewalk as part of a new Open Storefronts initiative the City will launch on Friday. Retail shops will be able to sell their wares on sidewalks in front of their storefronts from Oct. 30 through Dec…. Read more »
Oct. 27, 2020 By Christian Murray The New York City Board of Elections announced today that it will be expanding its hours for the final three days of early voting. The board’s commissioners said at their meeting today that they would expand the hours on Friday, Oct. 30 through Sunday, Nov. 1. The announcement follows… Read more »
Oct. 26, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City public school families will have just one chance to opt into in-person classes for the rest of the school year — beginning next week. Families who had opted into fully-remote classes, but now want to switch back to the city’s blended learning model — in which… Read more »
Oct. 21, 2020 By Allie Griffin Governor Andrew Cuomo announced today that COVID-19 restrictions in two Queens coronavirus hotspots will be eased as infection rates have come down. The Central Queens and Far Rockaway red and orange zones have been downgraded to yellow zones — in which nonessential businesses and schools are permitted to reopen…. Read more »
Oct. 21, 2020 By Allie Griffin Governor Andrew Cuomo has extended the statewide moratorium on commercial evictions and foreclosures from Oct. 20 through to the end of the year. He signed an executive order extending it Tuesday — the same day the emergency moratorium was set to expire. Cuomo first announced a state moratorium on… Read more »
Oct. 20, 2020 By Allie Griffin U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers arrested 54 undocumented immigrants in the greater New York City area as part of a recent move to target sanctuary cities such as New York. The 54 immigrants are among hundreds of undocumented people ICE officers arrested in sanctuary cities across the… Read more »
Oct. 20, 2020 By Christian Murray Registered voters will be able to vote in-person in this year’s general election starting Saturday, Oct. 24. Voters in the borough will be able to go cast their ballot at one of the 18 early-voting sites in Queens for the Nov. 3 election. Residents are not permitted to vote… Read more »
Oct. 19, 2020 By Christian Murray Enforcement of the plastic bag ban started today. The ban, which was approved by Governor Andrew Cuomo last year, went into effect on March 1 but the state did not enforce the law due to the coronavirus pandemic and a lawsuit filed by plastic bag manufacturers. The lawsuit was… Read more »