Aug. 17, 2023 By Bill Parry Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz moved quickly to bring criminal charges against an alleged sexual predator from Jamaica in connection with a brutal rooftop rape earlier this week. Jerson Vasquez, 23, of 170th Street, was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court on Aug. 16 on charges of rape in the…
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Aug. 15, 2023 By Carlotta Mohamed On July 29, members of the South Jamaica community gathered at the corner of Sutphin Boulevard and Shore Avenue as it was co-named ‘SWAM Way’ in honor of the SWAM House of Discipline, one of the oldest and most popular martial arts dojos led by Sijo Abdul Mutakabbir. Mutakabbir…
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Aug. 15, 2023 By Anthony Medina Police from the 102nd Precinct are searching for the trio believed to be behind the Aug. 14 robbery of a corner store on Jamaica Avenue in Woodhaven. Police say a 20-year-old man was working inside the Convenience and Exotic store, located at 88-01 Jamaica Ave., at approximately 11:15 p.m.,…
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Aug. 15, 2023 By Bill Parry Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz and the NYPD announced the borough-wide expansion of her Merchants Business Improvement Program on Aug. 15. Piloted in Jamaica, Flushing and Astoria last spring, the initiative combats repeat shoplifting and the harassment and threatening of customers and store staff by a handful of repeat…
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Aug. 15, 2023 By Bill Parry While it remains difficult to pinpoint the exact number of illegal smoke shops and unlicensed cannabis dispensaries that have proliferated across Queens, it is estimated that more than 8,000 are operating citywide. On Monday a new law was enacted that gives the authorities the power to fine landlords for…
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Aug. 14, 2023 By Bill Parry When St. Albans’ favorite son LL Cool J brought his Rock The Bells Festival to Forest Hills Stadium on Aug. 5, he was just over a mile away from where a unique eight-foot-tall bronze sculpture of him stood until recently in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Astoria-based sculptor Sherwin Banfield…
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Aug. 14, 2023 By Anthony Medina Drivers who frequent Park Lane South in Richmond Hill may have to consider thinking twice before using residential streets to bypass everyday traffic congestion. In a joint letter sent to the New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez on Tuesday, Aug. 8, Queens Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi, Senator…
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Aug. 11, 2023 By Anthony Medina and Bill Parry A 93-year-old woman was killed and a 69-year-old woman was injured while the FDNY battled a two-alarm fire in Ozone Park Friday afternoon, and the FDNY Fire Marshal’s office announced Saturday that the blaze was caused by a lithium-ion battery that caused such intense heat that it…
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Aug. 11, 2023 By Bill Parry The city has completed a $5.7 million pedestrian safety and infrastructure improvement project in downtown Jamaica on Parsons Boulevard between Archer Avenue and Jamaica Avenue. The project targeted a stretch of Parsons Boulevard that ranks in the top 10% of corridors borough-wide with crashes resulting in fatalities and serious…
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Aug. 10, 2023 By John Schilling There’s plenty to enjoy in Queens this weekend from musical performances and comedy shows to cultural celebrations and tasty food. Check out these events happening throughout the borough, including a multi-cultural dance party, a day of music and food with a view of the East River, a Barbie-themed brunch…
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