Tag: leroy-comrie

Mayor Adams marks one year of ‘Padlock to Protect’ with pizza and progress in Queens

padlock to protect

May. 15, 2025 By Bill Parry Mayor Eric Adams marked the one-year anniversary of the launch of the city’s “Operation Padlock to Protect” initiative at a pizzeria on the Rego Park and Middle Village border on Wednesday and touted the significant progress in shutting down more than 1,400 illegal smoke shops across the five…

Queens Library Book Fair honors 2025 Phenomenal Women at Richmond Hill Library

Richmond Hill Library

May. 8, 2025 By Colum Motherway The Richmond Hill Library was filled with pride, poetry, and powerful reflections as the Queens Library Book Fair hosted its seventh annual celebration on April 12, honoring two exceptional women whose impact continues to shape their communities. Captain Pratima Maldonado, the commanding officer of the NYPD’s 102nd Precinct…

Cuomo picks up new wave of Queens endorsements in bid for mayor

cuomo

Apr. 2, 2025 By Shane O’Brien A slew of Queens elected officials has formally endorsed former Governor Andrew Cuomo’s mayoral bid, following the backing of the Democratic Organization of Queens County and its chairman, U.S. Rep. Gregory W. Meeks. State senators Joseph P. Addabbo and Toby Ann Stavisky, Assembly Members David Weprin and Edward…

Queens Book Fair celebrates Black History at 7th educational initiative, honors two for exceptional contributions

Honorees Elizabeth Mitchell, principal 27Q064 Queens; Tangerine Clarke, Caribbean Life contributor; Dr. Veronica Wiltshire, moderator; and Dr. Dhanpaul Narine, founder of the Queens Book Fair & Literary Festival, Inc., after plaques were presented on behalf of the organization., during a Black History presentation, at the Queens Library Richmond Hill Branch, on Feb. 8.

Feb. 11, 2025 By Tangerine Clarke Black History on Feb. 8 received exceptional recognition and contributions from youths, thanks to the Queens Book Fair & Literary Festival Inc. founder, Dr. Dhanpaul Narine, an educator and uplifting leader, who celebrated the initiative’s seventh installment in the auditorium of the Richmond Hill Queens library. The enlightening program, […]

Elected officials denounce contractor’s treatment of cleaning staff in Queens and Manhattan

contractor

Jan. 23, 2025 By Shane O’Brien A coalition of New York City elected officials has condemned the actions of L&J Commercial and Residential Services after the contractor slashed wages and eliminated benefits for cleaning staff at Gertz Plaza Mall in Jamaica late last year. In an open letter to L&J president Luis Vigoya, the…

South Jamaica Houses see $548K sidewalk improvements completed

south jamaica houses

Dec. 31, 2024 By Czarinna Andres The New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC) celebrated the completion of significant sidewalk upgrades at the South Jamaica Houses during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, Dec. 18. The event, held at 109th Avenue and 160th Street in Jamaica, was attended by DDC Commissioner Tom Foley,…

Cleaners and security staff protest wage cuts and benefit losses at Gertz Plaza Mall in Jamaica

32BJ union members at Gertz Plaza Mall Tuesday protesting against a decision to slash wages and cut benefits for cleaners. Photo: BJ32

Dec. 2, 2024 By Shane O’Brien Dozens of Queens-based commercial cleaners and security staff held a protest at Gertz Plaza Mall in Jamaica on Tuesday, Nov. 26, decrying contractor L&J Commercial and Residential Services for slashing wages and cutting benefits earlier this month. Organized by 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the…

To better manage extreme rainfall, city begins replacing concrete medians in Queens Village with green infrastructure

Queens

Oct. 18, 2023 By Bill Parry The city has begun construction on a $3.9 million project that will transform seven large concrete medians in Queens Village into “green infrastructure sponges” that will absorb five million gallons of stormwater each year while reducing neighborhood flooding. New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Rohit Aggarwala announced on Oct. 18 that the green infrastructure medians will replace nearly three acres of what is currently impermeable concrete with subsurface drainage chambers and engineered rock and soil planted with ornamental grasses and perennial wildflowers, to mitigate flooding along Hillside Avenue and Winchester Boulevard…
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