Sept. 15, 2021 By Allie Griffin Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will introduce a bill in the House of Representatives this week to extend federal unemployment insurance through February, she announced Tuesday. The federal unemployment benefits expired Sept. 6 — leaving millions of Americans without income as they look for work. An estimated 800,000 New York City… Read more »
Sept. 15, 2021 By Allie Griffin Police exchanged several rounds of fire with a man who was holding his wife—an off-duty NYPD officer—hostage in South Ozone Park Tuesday. Cops shot and wounded the irate man who used his wife’s service weapon to threaten her inside their home on 133rd Avenue near 130th Street. The off-duty… Read more »
Sept. 14, 2021 By Allie Griffin Catholic school students in Queens and Brooklyn have the option to learn fully online, the Diocese said Monday — the same day public school students returned to school with no remote option at all. Elementary and middle school students at Catholic academies across Queens and Brooklyn can attend school… Read more »
Sept. 14, 2021 By Allie Griffin Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer wants to make a pandemic-era program that allows performers to host ticketed events on city streets a permanent fixture in the city. Van Bramer introduced a bill last week to make the temporary “Open Culture” permit program permanent and year-round. The Council’s Committee on… Read more »
Sept. 10, 2021 By Allie Griffin The LaGuardia AirTrain project is likely to be the world’s most expensive transit project per rider in history, according to a new report. The $2.1 billion project — a 1.5 mile rail line linking LaGuardia Airport to the 7 train and Long Island Rail Road at Willets Point —… Read more »
Sept. 10, 2021 By Allie Griffin Saturday marks two decades since the collapse of the Twin Towers and the loss of 2,977 people on a day forever etched into New Yorkers’ memories. Many organizations are hosting ceremonies and vigils to commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and honor the lives lost that day. Here’s where… Read more »
Sept. 10, 2021 By Christian Murray A 21-year-old Far Rockaway man who allegedly filed bogus claims to collect more than $150,000 in unemployment insurance has been indicted on grand larceny charges, the Queens District Attorney’s office announced Thursday. Keijohn Graham, of Hanson Court in Far Rockaway, allegedly bilked the system by illegally tapping into the… Read more »
Sept. 9, 2021 By Allie Griffin A group of Queens officials who have lived in basement apartments themselves said Wednesday that calls to remove such units are not realistic. Critics who want the city to crack down on illegal basement apartments and end their use say the units are unsafe and lead to overcrowding. They… Read more »
Sept. 9, 2021 By Christian Murray Several state legislators representing districts in Queens are calling on the schools Chancellor to provide public school students with a remote learning option. The Queens officials signed onto a letter penned by Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz Tuesday that urges Chancellor Meisha Ross Porter to offer a remote learning option. “We… Read more »
Sept. 8, 2021 By Christian Murray A teenager was indicted by a Queens County grand jury today on murder and a weapons charge for the 2019 killing of a 14-year-old boy on the basketball courts at Baisley Park Houses in South Jamaica. Sean Brown, a reputed gang member who is currently 18-years old, allegedly gunned… Read more »