QEDC’s StartUP! Helps Entrepreneurs

Do you live in Queens? Are you looking for funding to grow your business or get a new one off the ground? Queens Economic Development Corporation’s 15th annual StartUP! Competition offers a $10,000 grant to existing and startup businesses. Plus, participants have the opportunity to connect with other entrepreneurs in this completely free program, receive technical support from QEDC experts, […]

OANA January Meeting

Old Astoria Neighborhood Association’s January meeting will be held on January 20. The live stream will be available starting at 6:30 pm on their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/OANA.NewYork This event will also be streamed on YouTube at bit.ly/39lR8OY MEETING AGENDA: – NYC Campaign Finance Board: Rank Choice Voting: How and Why – Performing Arts: Valerie Green, Dance Entropy – New […]

COVID Vaccine Distribution Sites Ready & Waiting For Supply


As the City keeps expanding the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines throughout all five boroughs, a problem with supply jeopardizes the effort. The City reported under 186,000 first doses remaining as of January 15 and two of the largest hospital systems in the city, NYU and Mount Sinai, are no longer booking appointments with all systems expected to run out of […]

January’s CB1 Cabinet Meeting


January’s Community Board 1 cabinet meeting was conducted by teleconference. A roundtable discussion about dealing with COVID-19 led to inquiry about the price of tests for the presence of the disease – which, according to some at the meeting, is rising quickly. More money matters were covered by a man from the city comptroller’s office, who said funding for fighting […]

Local-Express

Micah Zevin

Micah Zevin is a librarian/poet living in Jackson Heights. He has published articles and poems at The Otter, the Newtown Literary Journal and Blog, Poetry and Politics, Reality Beach, Jokes Review, Post (Blank), the American Journal of Poetry, The Tower Journal, Five2OneMagazine, the What Rough Beast Series at Indolent Books, Heavy Feather Review, Big Other, The Bowery Gothic, Brooklyn Vol. […]

Big Apple Eats

“Big Apple Eats” is celebrating its 2nd year in our LIC/Astoria neighborhood and now is the time to place your order for fast, free delivery, or pick up. The sparkling clean kitchen is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch and it’s so important to support our local restaurants while dining restrictions are still in place. You’ll find Big […]

Pages From The Long Island Star Journal:

Get into a conversation with a long time Queens resident and you’re likely to discover a subscriber of the Long Island Star-Journal, a daily paper that informed the community about local and world news until it folded in 1968. A banner across the Star Journal masthead reminded readers that the newspaper’s name came from the merger of the Long Island […]

Ask Dr. Universe

Dear Dr. Universe: Why do some cheeses stink? —Cody, 11 Dear Cody, When you take a whiff of stinky cheese, that smell is coming from one of its very important ingredients: microorganisms. Microorganisms are so small, you’d need a microscope to see them, but sometimes they give off a big stink. To find out more about stinky cheese, I talked […]

The Pulpit


Times and dates are subject to change. Please call event sponsors to confirm. ****Many events and programs are being cancelled, postponed or will have modified hours due to the coronavirus. We advise that you call the specific site for info before going. ****To All Houses Of Worship: Please send us info you wish to announce in this column pertaining to […]

Former Riccardo’s Site Sells For $6.4M

Tony Bennett crooned to dozens of brides and grooms while working as a young waiter at then-Riccardo’s Catering Hall in Astoria, where generations of politicians launched campaigns, and civics gathered to forge a better future for their neighborhoods. Operators of the famed Astoria catering hall renamed “Riccardo’s by the Bridge,” served the needs and celebrations of its patrons for nearly […]