Nov. 1, 2021 By Christian Murray A Queens state assembly woman has introduced legislation that would require school administrators to report statistics pertaining to the race and socioeconomics of their student body as part of their annual report cards. Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas—who represents Corona, East Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, and Woodside—introduced a bill Oct. 20 that… Read more »
Oct 29, 2021, By Alex Zimmerman, Chalkbeat New York Enrollment in the nation’s largest school system has dropped roughly 1.9 percent this school year, according to preliminary figures released Friday by the education department. Roughly 938,000 students are enrolled in New York City’s public schools, down from about 955,000 last school year, when the system… Read more »
Oct. 22, 2021 By Christian Murray Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Tuesday that her office filed a motion to overturn a 1995 conviction of a man found guilty of robbery. Katz filed the motion after her Conviction Integrity Unit discovered that the Assistant District Attorney at the time tainted the jury pool by improperly… Read more »
This article was originally published by The CITY on Oct. 5, 2021, 7:45 p.m. BY Rachel Holliday Smith and Samantha Maldonado The city is not just choosing a new mayor in November. This fall, New York voters must also decide on five proposed changes to the state constitution. Five ballot proposals are up for a vote… Read more »
Oct, 21, 2021 By Christian Murray Two Queens residents who worked at a Forest Hills community center face up to seven years in prison for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars intended for a summer youth employment program. Rahmello Poole, of South Jamaica, and Mariah Moore, of Far Rockaway, used their positions working at the Central… Read more »
Oct. 19, 2021 By Max Parrott More than a year after communities of color in Queens bore some of the most deadly impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the New York City Board of Health has passed a resolution that declares racism a public health crisis. The resolution begins by recognizing the history “of structural racism… Read more »
Oct. 15, 2021 By Christian Murray Two Democratic candidates running for city council held a press conference outside an Oakland Gardens elementary school Friday to protest the mayor’s decision to eliminate the Gifted & Talented program. Democratic nominees Linda Lee and Sandra Ung—who are both vying to represent council districts in eastern Queens—gathered in front… Read more »
Oct. 14, 2021 By Max Parrott Several Queens legislators have called on a city panel tasked with overseeing public art and architecture to vote to remove a statue of Thomas Jefferson in the City Council chambers as a form of reckoning with his legacy as a slaveholder. The 11-member city Public Design Commission will hold… Read more »
Oct. 13, 2021 Staff Report Governor Kathy Hochul announced a major milestone last week in the Kew Gardens Interchange Phase 4 project in Queens. Construction has been completed on two newly reconfigured ramps that aim to enhance safety and reduce congestion along the heavily traveled commuter corridor used by hundreds of thousands of commuters each… Read more »
This article was originally published by The CITY on Oct. 12, 2021, 5 a.m. BY GABRIEL SANDOVAL Fewer than half of the Open Streets touted by Mayor Bill de Blasio and his Department of Transportation are off limits to motor vehicles as advertised, a new survey finds. The review from the advocacy group Transportation Alternatives also… Read more »