Community Corner

⚡️Construction Starts On $6 Bil Hydroelectricity Line + New Draft Map

The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Queens.

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Good morning, Queens! 🌂

  • ⚡️ Construction began last week on the 339-mile-long, $6 billion Champlain Hudson Power Express line, which will bring clean electricity from Quebec to the site of ConEd's Astoria power station.
  • 💸 The Invest in Our New York coalition of advocates and elected officials launched its campaign Monday to raise $40 billion of revenue through increased taxes on the state's wealthy.
  • 🗺 For the first time in the New York Independent Redistricting Commission's short history, Republican and Democratic commissioners were able to agree on a set of new state Assembly lines.

🌧 Morning drizzle, then rain. High: 56 Low: 52.

Here are the top stories today in Queens:

1. Construction began last week on the 339-mile-long, $6 billion Champlain Hudson Power Express line, which will bring clean electricity from Quebec to the site of ConEd's Astoria power station, officials announced. The major project will be operational by the spring of 2026. Once finished, the line will draw energy from Canadian hydropower dams, run underground below the Hudson River, then connect to the newly built Charles Poletti Power Plant, north of 20th Avenue facing Luyster Creek, near the existing Con Edison campus. The Champlain Hudson Power Express will contain enough hydroelectricity to power 1 million homes and will play a significant role in helping New York reach its goal of getting 70 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

Patch

2. For the first time in the New York Independent Redistricting Commission's short history, Republican and Democratic commissioners were able to agree on a set of new state Assembly lines, but the map is far from final. In addition to producing the new Assembly draft map, the commission elected a new set of leaders, and set a statewide public hearing schedule on the new districts, which will begin in January. "I would say that this is a significant moment, maybe even an historic one in which a single map is being produced by the commission," said Charles Nesbitt, a former Republican state legislator, who won the uncontested vote to serve as the commission's vice chair. "I think that in itself signals an era of cooperation and productive work by this commission that is important for all the state of New York." The public hearing for the Queens Assembly districts will take place at 4 p.m. on Feb. 16 at Queens Borough Hall.

Queens Daily Eagle

3. The Invest in Our New York coalition of advocates and elected officials launched its campaign Monday to raise $40 billion of revenue through increased taxes on the state's wealthy, in order to fund a wide array of public investments and social programs. Members of the coalition say the state's wealthiest people can afford a slightly higher tax bill, and that the money can go much further supporting the working class, who are struggling to afford rising costs for housing, health care, and education. "Everybody always worries about whether billionaires and the wealthy are gonna get up and leave from New York," said Queens state Senator Jessica Ramos at a rally in front of City Hall on Monday. "I'm sick of seeing working-class New Yorkers have to leave New York state."

AM New York Metro

4. Western Queens Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas, who represents Jackson Heights and nearby areas, plans to introduce a bill that aims to decriminalize the sexual activity of people living with a sexually transmitted disease, and to expunge any prior conviction should it become law. Currently, a 76-year-old law, the New York State Public Health Law 2307, makes it a misdemeanor for any person with a STD to have intercourse with another, with no exceptions, including for cases when a person discloses that they have an STD or uses protection. "Our laws should reflect modern-day science," said González-Rojas, who made the announcement on Dec. 1, which was World AIDS day. "We know that increasing access to testing, treatment and other resources helps to curb the transmission of STIs [sexually transmitted infections], not criminalization. This archaic part of New York's Public Health Law belongs in the trash heap of history, and I urge my colleagues in Albany to support this bill in the upcoming legislative session." Though the law is seldom enforced, it does put undocumented immigrants at risk of deportation.

Sunnyside Post

5. Local politicians gathered on Friday, Dec. 2, to flip the switch to illuminate hundreds of artisan-made lanterns for the second New York City Winter Lantern Festival brought to the farm by Kaleido Arts & Entertainment Group. Haokun Liu, who helps to produce the festival, explained that its preparation begins six months in advance. "Everything here is hand-made," said Liu. "We have over 100 artisans in China who make (the lanterns). Then we ship everything here from the Sichuan province and 23 artists travel from China to New York (to assemble the final production)."

Queens Courier

🗞 Hungry for more news? 🍽 Snack on these headlines:

  • Kew Gardens Interchange Completed After Seven Years Under Construction (Patch)
  • Some NYC Charter Schools Shrank During COVID, but Sector Keeps Growing Overall (The City)
  • Plan Tests Tense Relationship Between N.Y.P.D. and Mentally Ill People (The New York Times)
  • International real estate firm grants $25K to Queens College (Queens Courier)
  • New York Thruway Authority begins potential toll-increase process (Spectrum News NY1)

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🗓 To Do Today in Queens:

  • Fitness Walk (9 a.m.)
  • JFK Airport Food Service Hiring Event (9 a.m.)
  • Queens County Farm Museum Free Admission Tuesday (9 a.m.)
  • Volunteer at 9 Million Reasons / Evangel Food Pantry (12 p.m.)
  • Adult Open Badminton (12 p.m.)
  • Vegetarian Pad Thai Noodles: In Person Cooking Class (1 p.m.)
  • Detective Keith Williams After School Program (3 p.m.)
  • The New York Winter Lantern Festival: Illuminate the Farm (5 p.m.)
  • Elf Trivia (7:30 p.m.)

🗣 Queens Chatter:

  • 🚫 Zero tolerance for antisemitism: "Antisemitism in our public discourse is not disconnected from rising hate crimes against Jewish New Yorkers. Hate speech of any kind should have no platform, and it must be rejected as part of our broader efforts to ensure everyone is safe." (Speaker Adrienne Adams via Twitter)
  • 🎓 It's never too late to graduate college: "College should be accessible to all, not just the few. We're making that a reality at York College / CUNY alongside Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez and NYC Council Speaker Adrienne Adams as we broke ground today on York's new student welcome center, which also serve as a base for the CUNY Reconnect Initiative. Envisioned and made possible by Speaker Adams, CUNY Reconnect makes higher education more accessible by providing re-enrollment support to New Yorkers who have earned college credit but left school before earning a degree. It's never too late to graduate." (Queens Borough President Donovan Richards via Facebook)
  • 🌹Did someone say poinsettia season? "It's time to pick your perfect poinsettia from the farm store greenhouse! Choose from small (4.5 inches), medium (6.5 inches) and large (8 inches) in a range of red, cream, and pink hues. Did you know the colorful 'petals' of poinsettias are actually special leaves called bracts, which help the plant attract pollinators? These tropical plants bloom in response to the shorter days of winter, making them a holiday favorite. Poinsettias enjoy warm temps, bright daylight, and moist, well-draining soil." (The Queens County Farm Museum via Facebook)
  • 💡 Pick up your Akari lights in time for the holidays: "If your holiday requires more Akari lights, don't delay, order from shop.noguchi.org today for holiday delivery. The #NoguchiShop is open to visit in person during Museum hours: Wednesday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. No reservations are needed to visit the Shop." (The Noguchi Museum via Facebook)
  • 🎥 Don't miss this weekend's screenings: "This weekend, join us for the start of CURATORS' CHOICE 2022, more EXTENDED CUTS, a 40's holiday classic, William Wyler's underrated early silent (restored in 4K), a special #aidsawareness month screening, and more! Learn more about what's in our theater: https://movingimage.us/whats-on/screenings-and-series/" (Museum of the Moving Image via Twitter)

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Thanks for following along and staying informed! I'll be in your inbox tomorrow morning with another update.

— Emma Radu Fighera

About me: Emma Radu Fighera is a reporter born and raised in Queens, New York. She studied Literature and Studio Art at Hamilton College, where she helped run the only daily publication on campus, The Daily Bull newsletter. This past spring she earned her M.S. from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Queens Daily? Contact me at queens@patch.com

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