“Welcome to the first day of winter,” Borough President Helen Marshall said on a chilly, although technically, fall day. Marshall welcomed the city’s Department of Housing and Preservation Development (HPD) to the November meeting of the borough cabinet for a presentation on procedures to resolve heat and hot water complaints. “Heat season” for 2008- 2009 began on October 1 and […]
Crime Takes A Beating In Astoria
Crime is taking a beating in communities throughout Astoria and Long Island City, thanks to police at the 114th Precinct. Recent statistics released by 114th Precinct Commanding Officer Deputy Inspector Paul E. Vorbeck show that overall crime has continued to nosedive in the precinct area. Police at the Astoria Boulevard stationhouse have reduced the number of homicides, felony assaults, car […]
Townsend Harris H.S.Celebrates Intel Award
Townsend Harris H.S. at Queens College held a community-wide celebration on November 21 after the school was named the recipient of the Intel 2008 School of Distinction for Science Excellence award. Newly appointed Principal Kenneth Bonamo and Susan Brustein, Assistant Principal of Science and Technology, were joined in the festivities by the Townsend Harris H.S. science faculty, students, and community […]
Board 1 Calls For Hotel Construction Halt
In a significant test of new zoning regulations in Dutch Kills, Community Board 1 unanimously rejected the completion of a 14-story hotel. The developer, Wilshire Hospitality LLC, was issued a stop work order by the Department of Buildings on October 7 when new Dutch Kills zoning went into effect on the basis that the foundation was not complete. The proposed […]
City Mulls Plans For Queens Boulevard Bike Lanes
City officials are rolling out a plan to convert two vehicle lanes on Queens Boulevard for use by city cyclists. Preliminary plans released by the city Department of Transportation call for bike lanes that would begin at the foot of the Queensboro Bridge and extend to service roads running along Queens Boulevard through Jackson Heights and Elmhurst. Advocates of the […]
CCNY Students Protest Tuition Hike
Upset by Governor David Paterson’s proposal to hike tuition in the middle of the year, CUNY students, some of them dressed like life-sized pawns, gathered at the steps of City Hall November 17, to urge the state legislature to stop trading access to affordable education like so many chess pieces. The governor’s proposal to increase CUNY tuition by $300 this […]
NY’s Bravest Save Workers From 5-Alarm Blaze In LIC
Workers rescued from a 5-alarm inferno in Long Island City last weekend are calling firefighters at Ladder 216 their heroes, describing how the firefighters climbed through shooting flames and plumes of smoke to bring the workers to safety. Employees of Vantage Properties were working on November 22 at the property investment firm’s offices on the third floor of the building […]
Financial Relief, Companionship Are Home Sharing Benefits
With rising rents and fuel costs, many Queens residents are turning to Home Sharing, New York Foundation for Senior Citizens’ free matching service and affordable housing option, to help to cope with the cost of maintaining a home or as an alternative to renting their own apartment. The only such service in New York City, Home Sharing matches “hosts” who […]
Bad Economy Has Lots Of People Helping Others This Holiday Season
With the year-end holiday season upon us and many more people without jobs and facing higher living costs, government agencies and elected officials are pitching in more than ever before to try to extend a helping hand. All these efforts are aimed at helping people to stretch their incomes a little further to cope with the winter cold and to […]
Graffiti Vandal Nabbed By Subway Rider Pic
City Councilmember Peter Vallone called on Queens District Attorney Richard Brown to seek mandatory jail time for a graffiti writer who allegedly defaced an N-train subway car and was photographed in the act by an alert subway rider using a cellphone camera. The suspect, Andrew Morello, 18, was arrested by 114th Precinct cops. He faces several graffiti related charges. In […]