Variety B&G Club Slammed By Storm



A large portion of the Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens in Astoria remains off-limits to youngsters this week after strong winds from a severe thunder and lightning storm slammed into the building on August 18, ripping off a portion of the roof and causing flood damage to several rooms below. The wind tore off a portion of the […]

DA: LaGuardia ‘Bomber’ Unfit For Trial



The 32-year-old Manhattan man who terrified passengers and shut down air travel after he displayed a fake bomb to police at LaGuardia Airport on August 1 has been found unfit to stand trial and ordered placed in a state psychiatric hospital, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. Scott McGann had been indicted on charges of placing a fake explosive device […]

Con Ed Customers Break 2009 Peak Use Record



Con Edison customers broke a 2009 peak-electricity demand record last Thursday, August 20, for the third time in 10 days when the company delivered 12,083 megawatts (MW) at 5 p.m. It’s the first day peak demand topped 12,000 megawatts (MW) this year and the 30th time in company history since the milestone was first crossed in 2001. Thursday’s electricity draw […]

Immaculate Conception Celebrates 85th Anniversary



Immaculate Conception School, 21- 63 29th St., Astoria is celebrating the 85th anniversary of its founding on November 14. A Mass at Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church, 21- 47 29th St., will be celebrated at 5 p.m., followed by a reception at Riccardo’s by the Bridge, 21-01 24th Ave., Astoria, with cocktails at 7 p.m., followed by a dinner-dance at […]

Manhole Fires Cause Sunnyside Power Failure



The first steamy temperatures of the summer of 2009 caused underground cables to overheat in Sunnyside on August 17. The smoking cables blacked out more than 90 Con Edison customers living on 44th Street between Skillman and 43rd Avenues at about 11 p.m., an agency spokesperson said. Con Ed crews worked through the night to repair the damaged cables and […]

Rx Coverage For Adults 18-64, Aug. 27



Learn about access to free medications for people without prescription drug coverage on Thursday, August 27 from 6-8:30 p.m. Meet the experts at the Healthy Living Forum, partnered by Global Healthy Living Foundation, Queens B.P. Helen Marshall, NYS Senator Shirley Huntley, and sponsored by Pfizer Helpful Answers®. The forum will be held at 90-40 160th St. or 159-15 Jamaica Ave. […]

Plank Falls From Elevated Train Station



A decayed piece of wood approximately two feet long with a pointed edge fell from a deteriorating overhang at the Ditmars Boulevard station of the N and W elevated train lines onto the 31st Street sidewalk at about 5 p.m. Wednesday, August 19. No one was hurt, but City Councilmember Peter F. Vallone Jr. is calling on the MTA to […]

Vallone Sr. Seeks A Little Help From Some Friends



Former City Council Speaker Peter Vallone Sr., still working enthusiastically at the grassroots level after about a half century in politics, wants to enlist all of his many friends in his son Paul’s campaign for election to the City Council in the 19th District covering Bayside, Douglaston, Whitestone, Flushing and Beechhurst. He sent out a notice “to all of my […]

Kids, Cops Celebrate Reading At 2009 Youth Enrichment Expo



Youngsters from neighborhoods throughout Northern Queens spent their summer hunting down dinosaurs, chasing pirates and letting their imaginations run wild through the wonder of books. Thanks to the Youth Enrichment Program established by NYPD Assistant Chief Diana Pizzuti, worlds of exploration, enrichment and excitement opened for more than 200 youngsters who participated in the summer reading program. Pizzuti, commanding officer […]

St. Michael’s Cemetery Holds Yearly 9/11 Memorial Service



“The focus is on families this year,” Edward Horn, director of community affairs at St. Michael’s Cemetery, 72-02 Astoria Blvd., East Elmhurst, said of the cemetery’s eighth annual 9/11 memorial service. On Saturday, September 12, at 2 p.m., families and friends will join in honoring and remembering the members of the New York City Fire Department, Police Department and Port […]