Astoria residents and shoppers were all smiles on August 25, as they kicked off their shoes and soaked up some local sun at a temporary pedestrian plaza at Newtown Avenue and 33rd Street. Officials at the city Department of Transportation (DOT) closed the small street to vehicular traffic from 7 a.m. to midnight on Saturday and filled the strip with […]

Although summer vacation is winding down and school is starting soon, there are still fun activities for all ages in Queens. There will be two Children’s Cooking Classes, offered for free by the nonprofit, Allergic to Salad. For children ages two through 12, at 11 a.m., first on September 1 at Socrates Sculpture Park on Vernon Boulevard and Broadway in […]

Faced with miles of empty aisles and bare shelves, managers slammed the door on the Long Island City Pathmark Supermarket on August 24–one day earlier than announced. “There was nothing left to sell, so we shut down the operation sooner than we expected,” a store manager told the Gazette. “It was time to shut the doors.” The front doors of […]

State Senator Tony Avella was joined by Assemblymember Edward Braunstein, Community Board 11 Chair Jerry Iannece, civic leaders and dozens of fed up homeowners at a rally protesting the sudden increase in air traffic from LaGuardia Airport that has caused unbearable noise and air pollution for residents in Northeast Queens, including the neighborhoods of Bayside, Bay Terrace and North Flushing. […]

TLabor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. More than 100 years after the first Labor Day observance, there is still […]

The Martyrs’ Monument by sculptor, Albert Weinert, takes its inspiration from “La Marseillaise”, the national anthem of France. It was a favorite of Albert Parsons and he sang it in his cell just prior to his trip to the gallows. A laurel wreath is placed on the brow of the fallen hero, as the figure of Justice advances, resolutely toward […]

Samuel Gompers, an English-born American cigar maker became a labor union leader and a key figure in American labor history. Gompers was the founder of the American Federation of Labor (AFL), and served as that organization’s president from 1886 to 1894 and from 1895 until his death in 1924. Gompers promoted harmony among the different craft unions included in the […]

Living in the neighborhood since the late 1960s, I would occasionally see one or two local businesses leave. They would quickly be replaced by another. Over the past decades, I have witnessed many other changes to our neighborhood. On Northern Boulevard, our old Bowling Alley, the original Scobee Diner, the mini-Sears Roebuck on Great Neck Road, North Shore Bicycle, Little […]