Feb. 15, 2021 Op-Ed By Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer Long before COVID hit New York City, small businesses were struggling to compete against big box retailers with exorbitant commercial rents on the rise. Before the pandemic, commercial rents had gone up by 22 percent on average. Vacant space had doubled in the decade leading up… Read more »
Feb. 15, 2021 By Michael Dorgan An online job fair is scheduled to take place Thursday to help out-of-work residents find employment as the one-year anniversary of lockdown restrictions grows near. The virtual fair, which is being hosted by Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, will kick off via Zoom on Feb. 18 at 2 p.m…. Read more »
Feb. 14, 2021 By Christina Santucci A five-alarm fire tore through a convenience store in Richmond Hill Sunday morning leaving three people injured– including two firefighters, officials said. The blaze erupted at the Dollar Jackpot, located at 107-08 Jamaica Ave., at around 7:30 a.m. and firefighters arrived to face flames “blowing out the storefront windows,”… Read more »
Feb. 12, 2021 By Allie Griffin New York City pharmacies are now offering the COVID-19 vaccine to New Yorkers 65 and older through a federal program that significantly boosts the city’s vaccine effort. More than 250 pharmacies across the five boroughs are now administering the potentially life-saving vaccine, including 188 Walgreens/Duane Reade stores, 75 Rite… Read more »
Feb. 10, 2021 By Allie Griffin A massive COVID-19 vaccination site, specifically for Queens residents, will open in Jamaica later this month. The federally-run vaccination site will open at York College the week of Feb. 24, Governor Andrew Cuomo and federal officials announced today. The facility will have the capacity to vaccinate 3,000 people a… Read more »
Feb. 10, 2021 Op-Ed By Brent O’Leary Do you want to have a say as to who the next mayor is—or who your next city council member will be? If so, I urge you to check your party registration and make sure you are registered as a Democrat. The deadline to do so is Feb…. Read more »
Feb. 10, 2021 By Allie Griffin Three COVID-19 vaccine pop-up sites will open in eastern Queens this week, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Tuesday. The three sites — which will be located in Bayside, Jamaica and South Richmond Hill — are part of a state effort to create neighborhood-based vaccine sites at community centers, public housing… Read more »
Feb. 10, 2021 By Allie Griffin A Queens resident running for City Council is in danger of losing her family home due to her father’s inability to repay a taxi medallion loan he took out years ago. Felicia Singh, a school teacher running for the Council District 32 seat representing Southeast Queens, said she was… Read more »
Feb. 9, 2021 By Christina Santucci The Citi Field megasite is set to open Wednesday, but only 800 shots are expected to be dispensed at the stadium this week. Mayor Bill de Blasio had announced last month Citi Field would scale up to vaccinating between 5,000 and 7,000 people per day. But currently there are… Read more »
Feb. 9, 2021 By Allie Griffin Northeast Queens lawmakers are again calling on City Hall to create COVID-19 vaccination sites in their districts. A group of lawmakers and local advocates joined together Monday to demand the city add vaccine sites to the a stretch of northeast Queens that is completely void of such facilities. There… Read more »