Sept. 17, 2020 By Allie Griffin The City Council passed a bill Wednesday that will require the city to explore the use of drones for building facade inspections. The bill, co-sponsored by Northeast Queens Council Member Paul Vallone, will require the Department of Buildings (DOB) to study the safety and feasibility of using drones to… Read more »
Sept. 17, 2020 By Allie Griffin The start of in-person classes at the city’s public schools has been delayed yet again for the majority of students. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the reopening of most school buildings will be pushed back further — on a rolling basis — just four days before they were… Read more »
Sept. 16, 2020 By Allie Griffin The city will ramp up its sanitation efforts to keep streets trash-free after having cut the Department of Sanitation’s budget by $106 million. Residents have been complaining of overflowing trash bins since the Sanitation budget took a hit and the department’s commissioner Kathryn Garcia even resigned over the cuts…. Read more »
Sept. 15, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City launches a special multi-agency team to address COVID-19 cases at city schools, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday. De Blasio unveiled the “DOE COVID Response Situation Room” that brings together the Department of Education, the Department of Health and the Test & Trace Corps to create… Read more »
Sept. 10, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City straphangers who refuse to wear a mask or face covering will soon face fines of $50, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday. NYPD and MTA officers can begin issuing fines to commuters who refuse to cover their mouth or nose onboard city subways, buses, Long Island Rail… Read more »
Sept. 10, 2020 By Allie Griffin The cost to rent an apartment in Queens has dropped by more than 5 percent from a year ago, according to a new report. The average amount paid to rent a studio, one-bedroom or two-bedroom apartment was down across the board, compared to the same time last year, according… Read more »
Sept. 9, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City restaurants will be able to serve patrons indoors at the end of the month, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday. Indoor dining will resume in the city beginning Sept. 30 at a reduced capacity, Cuomo said. Restaurants will be able to seat patrons inside at 25 percent… Read more »
Sept. 9, 2020 By Allie Griffin Governor Andrew Cuomo said New York City must create an enforcement mechanism before indoor dining can make a return. The city must create a plan to enforce and inspect restaurants for COVID-19 compliance before indoor dining can reopen in the Big Apple, he said Tuesday. “If we have the enforcement… Read more »
Sept. 8, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City has fallen behind on its goal to offer 100,000 free childcare seats when schools reopen for blending learning — with the mayor now saying only 30,000 seats will be available on Sept. 21, the first day of school. The city will build out the program to… Read more »
Sept. 8, 2020 By Allie Griffin A 35-year-old Brooklyn prosecutor was struck and killed by a bus Monday while she was riding her bicycle through South Williamsburg. Sarah Pitts, a Senior District Attorney with Brooklyn D.A. Eric Gonzalez’s office, was riding a bike eastbound on Wythe Avenue around 12:35 a.m. when she struck by a… Read more »