Dec. 15, 2020 By Allie Griffin Mayor Bill de Blasio said New York City could face a second shutdown after Christmas–should COVID-19 cases continue to rise. “We’re dealing with a second wave…,” de Blasio said. “We’re going to need to do some kind of shutdown in the weeks ahead.” The mayor said that while the… Read more »
Dec. 15, 2020 By Allie Griffin The city has ordered eateries to shut down their roadway dining setups on Wednesday in anticipation of the major snow storm. The Sanitation Department (DSNY) has ordered restaurants to close their dining areas located along the roadway by 2 p.m., when a “snow alert” goes into effect Wednesday. Sidewalk… Read more »
Dec. 14, 2020 by Allie Griffin Jackson Heights Council Member Daniel Dromm introduced a bill last week that would end the use of solitary confinement in all New York City jails. Under the bill, individuals would only be allowed to be isolated for the sole purpose of de-escalating violent conflicts and could only be isolated… Read more »
Dec. 11, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City restaurants will have to close their indoor dining areas come Monday, in response to the growing number of city residents in hospitals with COVID-19. Indoor dining will be shuttered across the five boroughs for at least two weeks, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Friday. Cuomo had warned… Read more »
Dec. 10, 2020 By Allie Griffin A fundraiser launched last month with the goal to raise $3 million to purchase the childhood home of President Donald Trump appears at this point to be a flop. The GoFundMe — launched by the real estate company representing the anonymous seller —urges Trump supporters to donate to the… Read more »
Dec. 7, 2020 By Allie Griffin Two Queens lawmakers introduced legislation Thursday that would require New York State to cover the cost of COVID-19 testing at private, religious and other non-public schools. State Sen. Joe Addabbo and Assembly Member Andrew Hevesi sponsored a bill that would require the state to reimburse non-public schools for the cost… Read more »
Dec. 7, 2020 By Allie Griffin and Christian Murray Long Island City Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer is contemplating a run for Queens Borough President once again, campaign filings show. Van Bramer has recently filed to run for borough president with the Campaign Finance Board and told Politico last month that he is “seriously considering”… Read more »
Dec. 7, 2020 By Allie Griffin Indoor dining in New York City could close once again if the city’s hospitalization rate continues to rise, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced today. The governor said if the rate does not stabilize within five days indoor dining would close. The closure could come as early as next Monday, Dec…. Read more »
Dec. 6, 2020 By Allie Griffin More than 21,000 public school and charter school children in Queens had no permanent home last school year, according to a report released Thursday. The children represented about 20 percent of the roughly 111,000 students citywide who were homeless during the 2019-2020 school year, according to a report released… Read more »
Dec. 4, 2020 By Allie Griffin The special election to fill the city council seat vacated by Donovan Richards is slated to take place at the end of February. Mayor Bill de Blasio set the date for the special election for Tuesday, Feb. 23. Candidates will be vying to represent the 31st Council District —… Read more »