City Council District 32 has a new contender. Lew Simon, leader of the 23rd Assembly District, has officially declared his candidacy as a Democrat for the upcoming race, where he will vie with incumbent Republican Councilmember Eric Ulrich. Simon was backed by the Queens Democratic Party on Monday, May 20 after announcing his candidacy last [...]
Almost seven months after Sandy significantly damaged the A train in the Rockaways, the subway will fully start running in the area on May 30, the MTA announced today. The storm washed-out 1,500 feet of tracks, and damaged miles of signal, power and communications wires. Two stations were also completely flooded and needed to be [...]
A big fight for an increasingly popular sport is underway. Mixed martial arts (MMA) could become legal in New York later this year, but there are still a few jabs advocates have to block. Nine Queens assemblymembers sponsored a bill that would make the sport legal. The bill, sponsored by two legislators from Queens, passed [...]
Kids can keep their minds sharp this summer with another chapter of the state Assembly’s Summer Reading Challenge. The program looks to beat the “summer slide” in which kids may not keep up with reading while school’s out. Sponsored by Assemblymember Phillip Goldfeder, this year’s theme is “Dig into reading” for children; for tweens it’s [...]
Local and citywide leaders say the MTA is throwing the Rockaways under the bus. Public Advocate Bill de Blasio joined with Assemblymember Phillip Goldfeder and Councilmember Donovan Richards in Far Rockaway on Friday, April 19 to decry the decreased shuttle bus service to the Sandy-affected peninsula. A train service to the Rockaways last ran on [...]
Since Sandy ravaged the tristate area, homeowners battling with insurance companies have resorted to paying for damages out of their own pockets. “Right now, we’re using our savings,” said Rose Miller, 86, of Belle Harbor. “I keep my fingers crossed every time I take money out. We’re holding our breath with each payment.” Initially, residents [...]
While the night marked 85 years of serving its community, the West Hamilton Beach Volunteer Fire Department dedicated its annual dinner/dance to all of those who pitched in during Sandy — particularly the men and women who were on duty that night. Volunteers, friends, family and local leaders celebrated another year of community service on [...]
It might be lights out for LIPA in its current form. The Moreland Commission, established to examine response from utility companies after Sandy, has offered Governor Andrew Cuomo three options to reshape the power company after it was lambasted for poor response times and mismanagement after the storm. The first is to let the power [...]
Tolls on the Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge, suspended since Sandy, went back into the effect on Saturday, December 1. Crossing once again costs $3.25 in the cash lane and $1.80 for E-ZPass users. Since the bridge reopened a few days after the storm, fares going across the Cross Bay, along with the Marine Parkway-Gil [...]
Noreen Ellis registered for the NYC Rapid Repairs program the first day it became available. Her home on Beach 122 Street in the Rockaways swallowed seven feet of water, blowing out its electrical, plumbing and heating systems during Sandy. The program promised contact within 48 hours of registering. For six days, her phone went quiet. [...]
