Author: Allie Griffin

Forest Hills Added to Area of Concern as COVID-19 Cases Rise in Neighborhood

Oct. 5, 2020 By Allie Griffin City health officials are keeping a close eye on Forest Hills as COVID-19 cases in the neighborhood are rising, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday. The City added the neighborhood, represented by the 11375 ZIP code, to its watch list of communities where coronavirus cases are growing. “We have… Read more »

Schools in Hotspot Zip Codes Will Close Beginning Tomorrow: Cuomo

Oct. 5, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City will close schools Tuesday that are located in nine ZIP codes across Brooklyn and Queens where the number of COVID-19 cases remain stubbornly high, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced today. The state will close both public and private schools in the ZIP codes that have become cluster… Read more »

Regal to Suspend All U.S. Operations as New York Theaters Remain Closed

Oct. 5, 2020 By Allie Griffin Regal will temporarily cease all U.S. and U.K. operations beginning Thursday as movie theaters in New York remain closed amid the ongoing pandemic. Cineworld, the parent company of Regal, announced the suspension today, which will impact 40,000 employees across the U.S. “This is not a decision we made lightly,… Read more »

City Adds Fresh Meadows-Hillcrest to Central Queens COVID-19 Cluster

Oct. 1, 2020 By Allie Griffin Another Queens neighborhood is seeing an alarming uptick in COVID-19 cases, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday. Fresh Meadows was added to the list of neighborhoods forming a coronavirus cluster in Central Queens, which includes Kew Gardens and Kew Gardens Hills. The neighborhood represented by the 11366 zip code… Read more »

Historic Neir’s Tavern Receives Outpouring of Support from Community After Burglary

Sept. 29, 2020 By Allie Griffin A historic Woodhaven bar has received an outpouring of support from neighbors and customers after it was burglarized Friday. Neir’s Tavern, which has served the neighborhood for more than 190 years, was burglarized Friday morning when someone came in and broke open the cash drawer, grabbing $300 in cash… Read more »

City’s Outdoor Dining Program Now Permanent and Year-Round

Sept. 25, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City’s popular outdoor dining initiative will now be year-round and permanent, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today. The “Open Restaurants” program, where restaurants can set up outdoor dining on sidewalks and streets, will continue into the fall and winter months, de Blasio said. The “Open Streets: Restaurants”… Read more »

State Sen. Ramos and Comptroller Stringer Call for Year-Round Open Streets

Sept. 24, 2020 By Allie Griffin Queens State Sen. Jessica Ramos and City Comptroller Scott Stringer are calling on the city to make its Open Streets program a year-round initiative. The officials penned a letter to the mayor Thursday asking him to extend the program that turns specific streets over to pedestrians and restaurants beyond… Read more »

Queens Memory Project Celebrates 10 Years of Collecting Borough Memories

Sept. 24, 2020 By Allie Griffin The Queens Memory Project, an ongoing community archiving program supported by the Queens Public Library and Queens College Library, will celebrate its 10-year anniversary next week with a Facebook Live event. The project, in which volunteers record interviews with Queens residents, has collected more than 600 oral histories of… Read more »

De Blasio Announces Furloughs for Another 9,000 City Employees

Sept. 23, 2020 By Allie Griffin More than 9,000 city employees will be furloughed as the city faces a major budget deficit spurred by the coronavirus shutdown, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today. Thousands of managerial and non-union city employees must take five days of furlough between October and March, which will save the city… Read more »