Oct. 8, 2020 By Allie Griffin An additional 33 New York City public schools in parts of Queens and Brooklyn were shut down Thursday for at least two weeks in an eleventh hour move by the city and state. The schools are located within COVID-19 hotpots and were ordered to close by Governor Andrew Cuomo… Read more »
Oct. 5, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Queens Council Member Bob Holden is looking to repeal recently-passed legislation that bans the NYPD from using chokeholds. Holden said the anti-chokehold legislation – which made it a misdemeanor when cops use methods of restraints like chokeholds and kneeling on a suspect’s back – hampers officers from doing their… Read more »
By Suhail Bhat, THE CITY This story was originally published on 9/27/20 by THE CITY While some essential workers are getting a respite from intense demands posed by COVID-19, city Department of Sanitation employees are hauling record-busting volumes of garbage as more New Yorkers work and go to school from home. Residents, meanwhile, are complaining… Read more »
Sept. 25, 2020 By Allie Griffin New York City’s popular outdoor dining initiative will now be year-round and permanent, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today. The “Open Restaurants” program, where restaurants can set up outdoor dining on sidewalks and streets, will continue into the fall and winter months, de Blasio said. The “Open Streets: Restaurants”… Read more »
Sept. 24, 2020 By Allie Griffin Queens State Sen. Jessica Ramos and City Comptroller Scott Stringer are calling on the city to make its Open Streets program a year-round initiative. The officials penned a letter to the mayor Thursday asking him to extend the program that turns specific streets over to pedestrians and restaurants beyond… Read more »
Sept. 23, 2020 By Allie Griffin More than 9,000 city employees will be furloughed as the city faces a major budget deficit spurred by the coronavirus shutdown, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today. Thousands of managerial and non-union city employees must take five days of furlough between October and March, which will save the city… Read more »
Sept. 21, 2020 By Allie Griffin Brooklynites spelled out how they really feel about the New York City mayor and New York governor with a massive street mural over the weekend. Attendees of a Williamsburg block-party fed up with the elected officials painted “F–k Cuomo and de Blasio” in huge block letters across the blacktop… Read more »
Sept. 18, 2020 By Allie Griffin Community compost and food scraps drop-off sites are back up and running in Queens after the sites were shuttered for months due to pandemic-related budget cuts. The sites were reopened after the city’s executive budget restored $2.8 million to community composting for Fiscal Year 2021 last minute, the Department… Read more »
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 »