Sept. 10, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City straphangers who refuse to wear a mask or face covering will soon face fines of $50, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday. NYPD and MTA officers can begin issuing fines to commuters who refuse to cover their mouth or nose onboard city subways, buses, Long Island Rail… Read more »
Sept. 10, 2020 By Allie Griffin The cost to rent an apartment in Queens has dropped by more than 5 percent from a year ago, according to a new report. The average amount paid to rent a studio, one-bedroom or two-bedroom apartment was down across the board, compared to the same time last year, according… Read more »
Sept. 9, 2020 By Allie Griffin Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) riders will be able to avoid crowded trains by tapping into a new feature on the rail system’s app. LIRR officials unveiled the new feature to the TrainTime app Tuesday that predicts how crowded a specific train will be on a scale of one… Read more »
Sept. 9, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City restaurants will be able to serve patrons indoors at the end of the month, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday. Indoor dining will resume in the city beginning Sept. 30 at a reduced capacity, Cuomo said. Restaurants will be able to seat patrons inside at 25 percent… Read more »
Sept. 9, 2020 By Allie Griffin Governor Andrew Cuomo said New York City must create an enforcement mechanism before indoor dining can make a return. The city must create a plan to enforce and inspect restaurants for COVID-19 compliance before indoor dining can reopen in the Big Apple, he said Tuesday. “If we have the enforcement… Read more »
Sept. 8, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City has fallen behind on its goal to offer 100,000 free childcare seats when schools reopen for blending learning — with the mayor now saying only 30,000 seats will be available on Sept. 21, the first day of school. The city will build out the program to… Read more »
Sept. 3, 2020 By Allie Griffin City Comptroller Scott Stringer proposed a “bike-to-school” plan for New York City high school students Thursday. Stringer called on the city and philanthropic partners to provide free bikes and Citi Bike memberships to low-income public high school students. He also wants the city to build one and a half… Read more »
Sept. 3, 2020 By Allie Griffin Shopping malls and casinos are allowed to reopen in New York City next week– after being closed for six months in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Malls and casinos are permitted to reopen on Wednesday, Sept. 9 on the condition that they have an adequate air filtration system in… Read more »
Sept. 2, 2020 By Allie Griffin Mayor Bill de Blasio said he will give restaurants an answer this month as to if and when indoor dining can reopen. The mayor said restaurant owners and workers deserve a clear answer soon as more and more industry leaders and politicians have been calling on the city to reopen… Read more »
Sept. 1, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City schools will reopen more than 10 days later than originally planned, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today. Public school buildings were set to reopen next week on Thursday, Sept. 10, but de Blasio pushed back the reopening date to Monday, Sept. 21 in a last-minute change… Read more »