Sept. 7, 2022 By Christian Murray The state’s mask mandate for public transit has been lifted, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday. Hochul said the state will immediately end masking rules on subways, buses, Metro-North and the Long Island Rail Road. The new policy also applies to airports, for-hire vehicles, correctional facilities, detention centers and homeless… Read more »
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Plaxall Closes Its Plastics Factory After 70 Years, Focus is Now on Real Estate
Aug. 30, 2022 By Christian Murray Plaxall, a prominent Long Island City real estate company that got its start in western Queens as a plastics manufacturer 70 years ago, has closed its factory on 46th Avenue. The family-owned company, which was founded by Louis Pfohl as an industrial design firm in 1938, came of age… Read more »
East Elmhurst Man Pleads Guilty to Plotting Terrorist Attack in Queens in Support of ISIS
Aug. 29, 2022 By Christian Murray A 22-year-old East Elmhurst man pleaded guilty Friday in Brooklyn federal court for attempting to plot a terrorist attack in Queens on behalf of ISIS. Awais Chudhary, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Pakistan, was arrested two years ago at his Butler Street house after the FBI alleged that… Read more »
Op-Ed: The Criminal Legal System is Overburdened, but We Have the Tools to Build Real Public Safety
Aug. 15, 2022 Op-Ed By Kristen Gonzalez, Candidate for State Senate District 59 If you walk into a courtroom and watch arraignments in any New York City borough, you will see person after person brought before the judge suffering from mental illness, experiencing homelessness, or both. It is estimated, for example, that over half of… Read more »
Nomiki Konst Drops Out of Race for Senate District 59, Endorses Kristen Gonzalez
Aug. 15, 2022 By Christian Murray Astoria resident and left-wing candidate Nomiki Konst has dropped out of the race to represent Senate District 59 and has endorsed a fellow progressive. Konst announced Saturday that she has exited the race to represent the district and has endorsed the DSA-backed candidate Kristen Gonzalez. The newly-formed district covers… Read more »
MTA Eyes Congestion Pricing Toll of Up to $23 Per Vehicle Trip into Manhattan
This article was originally published by The CITY on Aug. 10, 2022 By Jose Martinez and Rachel Holliday Smith The years-long effort to toll vehicles in the most congested parts of Manhattan as a way to bankroll billions of dollars in mass-transit improvements and reduce traffic is no longer stuck in neutral. Today officials released… Read more »
Judge Orders Redo for NYC Schools Budget
This article was originally published by Chalkbeat New York on Aug. 5, 2022, By Reema Amin and Amy Zimmer A Manhattan judge ruled Friday to throw out the New York City education department’s budget and allow the City Council and Mayor Eric Adams to reconsider how to fund schools this year. Judge Lyle Frank ruled… Read more »
Long Island City-Based Barbershop Opens Williamsburg Location
Aug. 4, 2022 By Czarinna Andres A popular barbershop that was established in Long Island City in 2014 has opened its fourth venue—this one in Williamsburg. Otis & Finn, a LGBT owned barbershop that has two locations in Long Island City, opened its second Brooklyn location last month at 154 Grand St. in Williamsburg. The… Read more »
Speed Cameras to Operate 24/7 Beginning Aug. 1
July 31, 2022 By Czarinna Andres The city’s speed cameras will be in operation 24/7 starting Aug. 1. The 2,000-plus cameras that have been placed across the five boroughs will be snapping photos 24/7 beginning Monday. The City will be issuing $50 tickets to drivers who are pictured going more than 10 miles per hour… Read more »
Crowley Picks Up Endorsements from Mayor Eric Adams and Council Speaker Adrienne Adams
July 30, 2022 By Christian Murray Elizabeth Crowley has received two high-profile endorsements from leading moderates in New York City. Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams have both announced their support of Crowley’s candidacy for the 59th state senate district, a hotly contested seat that covers Astoria and Long Island… Read more »