On Monday, June 14, the United States will recognize Flag Day, the 233rd anniversary of the first Flag Act, passed by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777. The Act created the first flag for the original 13 colonies as they broke away from England. It stated that “the flag of the United States be made of thirteen stripes, alternate […]
188-Year-Old African, Native American Cemetery Established In Flushing
The former Martin’s Field, a final resting place for almost 1,000 African, Native and Caucasian Americans, was officially established as The Olde Towne of Flushing Burial Ground on May 23 in a ceremony that was attended by city Comptroller John Liu, City Councilmember Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone), Assemblymember Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows), Councilmember Peter Koo (R-Flushing) and representatives of Assemblymember Grace […]
Board 2 Hears From Borough, City Planning Departments
Little more than a week after holding a special meeting to present the Department of City Planning’s rezoning plan for Sunnyside and Woodside, John Young, director of the Queens Office of City Planning, and Tom Smith of the DCP were back at Sunnyside Community Services before Community Board 2, which convened its last meeting before the two-month summer break. Matthew […]
Things To Do Free Or Almost Free This Summer
New York City offers hundreds of events, exhibits and performances that are free or low-cost to the public. Following is a list of activities in all five boroughs: OUTDOOR AND PARK EVENTS With more than 14 miles of sand and coastline, New York City’s beaches provide a spectacular natural setting for fun in the sun. During beach season, lifeguards are […]
Following Fire, Vallone Wants Sprinklers In Pet Stores
City Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr. is calling for sprinklers to be installed in every pet store in New York City following a recent fire in a Steinway Street pet shop in which some birds perished. Firefighters from Ladder 116 in Long Island City and Engine Company 262 in Astoria saved almost all of the animals in the fire in the […]
Rape Victim’s Mom Confronts Killer
The mother of a young Chinese immigrant beaten to death by a drunken, pipe-wielding rapist—a total stranger to his victim—confronted the killer in a Queens courtroom on June 1. Guihua Yu wailed in her native Mandarin, “I want to kill that man. I want to kill him now. I want him dead now,” as the accused killer was walked into […]
Borough-Wide Blotter
102nd Precinct Cops Hunt Shooter Queens detectives are seeking help from the public to identify and locate a suspect in the May 27 shooting of a 31-year-old man. Cops said the suspect walked into a restaurant at 102-55 Queens Blvd. and fired multiple rounds from his weapon, striking the victim one time in the right leg. The suspect is described […]
Welling Court Mural Project Transforms Neighborhood
The large industrial walls at the triangle where 12th Street, 30th Avenue and Welling Court in Astoria intersect have long presented to the area an image of urban blight, having been targeted over and over again by graffiti vandals. Some of the residents of Welling Court, in their frustration over the problem, as well as their desire to beautify the […]
Queens Fire Companies Face Axe
The city’s budget crisis has Queens fire companies facing the axe. An unknown number of Queens companies, along with others across the city, are likely to be shuttered by the end of the summer to save $57 million, Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano told the City Council last week. “There is no way around this,” Cassano said. “Closing 20 companies [citywide] […]
Garden Players Bring ‘Monsters’ To Forest Hills
“Community” is one of the first words that come to mind as the original Garden Players production, “We Are Monsters” is about to begin. With Betina Hershey Russo at the helm of the GPs as artistic director, producer, director, choreographer, lyricist, writer, and teacher, the Garden Players continue to flourish. What Hershey Russo admittedly undertook as an experiment seven years […]