Community Corner

Menu Of Ideas For BQE Redesign + Ozanam Nurses Demand Fair Contract

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

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Good morning, Queens!🧣

  • 🛣 City officials announced Tuesday that they were considering "menu of design ideas" for rebuilding the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.
  • 🏥 Nurses and members of the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) rallied outside Ozanam Hall of Queens Nursing Home in Bayside on Tuesday to demand a fair contract.
  • 😔🐋 A 32-foot baby sperm whale died after it washed up on Rockaway Beach in Queens.

🌬 Breezy. High: 41 Low: 31.

Here are the top stories in Queens today:

1. City officials announced Tuesday that they were considering a variety of options for redesigning and rebuilding the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway near the Brooklyn Heights Promenade — including bringing back two traffic lanes that were recently eliminated. The outdated B.Q.E was built in the 1940s and was never designed to carry 129,000 vehicles a day as one of the city's busiest thoroughfares. Mayor Eric Adams has pushed to fast-track the project, and the projected timeline for completion of the project is 2032. "This is just step one," Adams said of the ideas put forth at public meetings inviting community input. "But these concepts push the boundaries and fully explore what is possible for B.Q.E. Central, and we are excited to hear from New Yorkers as we determine which one will become a reality."

The New York Times ; New York Daily News

2. Nurses and members of the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) rallied outside Ozanam Hall of Queens Nursing Home in Bayside on Tuesday to demand a fair contract that includes safe staffing ratios amid the lack of workers, strong retention policies, and good health care benefits. "I work at night, and we used to have three nurses to care for 50 residents. Now we are lucky to have two nurses working," said Sabrina Adonus, a nurse who has worked for the facility since 2006. "Some nights I'm by myself trying to give total care for 50 patients." According to the NYSNA, many Ozanam nurses are regularly being pushed into working 16-hour shifts — mandated overtime they say is a result of unsafe staffing conditions. Tuesday's informational picket, which was attended by Assembly members Edward Braunstein and Ron Kim, comes after almost eight months of contract negotiations during which time the nurses didn't feel as though their voices were being heard.

Queens Courier ; Patch

3. A 32-foot baby sperm whale died after it washed up on Rockaway Beach in Queens on Tuesday around 9 a.m., the city's Parks Department said. Surfers and construction workers tried in vain to push the massive animal back into the water as seen in video posted to social media. "We mourn the loss of this awe-inspiring creature," a Parks spokesman said. Now, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Atlantic Marine Conversation Society and the state Department of Environmental Conservation are working with the Parks Department on plans for the whale's examination and disposal.

New York Daily News

4. The city's Department of Transportation completed its pilot project, working with both Council Members Menin and Julie Won (D-Queens), to install a weather-resistant bike lane covering the span that connects Roosevelt Island in Manhattan to Astoria in Queens. At a news conference on Friday on the Manhattan side of the bridge, Paul Krikler, a cyclist and co-chair of the Roosevelt Island Community Board 8 Committee, said that safety was a key reason for the $100,000 project. "Cyclists were getting punctured tires all the time from riding on the metal grating," Krikler said, adding "I'm thrilled that the cheese grater has been covered in the bike lanes… no slipping. Thank you, DOT."

AM New York Metro

5. The development company BlueSky Management NY settled to pay Ridgewood tenants $1,000 after the company threatened to lock them out of their apartments if they failed to comply with lease termination notices. BlueSky bought two adjoining buildings in Ridgewood in June 2022, one of which was rent-stabilized, and told tenants that the buildings were no longer covered by Rent Stabilization Law because of renovation. After sending the termination notices, the company then sent the lockout threats to remaining tenants in October via text messages, emails, and letters. According to the settlement agreement, tenants who harassed will receive $1,000 in restitution, and additional apartments will be returned to rent stabilization.

Patch ; Queens Courier

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

  • Two Men Indicted After Queens Killing Of Aspiring Drill Rapper (Patch)
  • Lewis Latimer House Museum offers writing workshop scholarship to eight Queens writers (Queens Courier)
  • The Top Inexpensive New York Restaurants of 2022 (The New York Times)
  • Astoria's 'Museum Of Nostalgia' Opening Shop For Vintage Toys (Patch)

🗓 To Do Today in Queens:

  • YWCA Food Pantry (10 a.m.)
  • Christmas Family Special | Hand-made Bag Workshop (2 p.m.)
  • Queens Botanical Garden Free Admission Wednesdays (2 p.m.)
  • Holiday Card Making & Letter to Santa at SKYVIEW (Kids Event) (4 p.m.)
  • The New York Winter Lantern Festival — Illuminate the Farm (5 p.m.)
  • Sweat & Sculpt (5 p.m.)
  • Laughing Buddha Open Mic Spectacular (5:30 p.m.)
  • Children's Book Club (6 p.m.)

🗣 Queens Chatter:

  • ❤️ Thank you $50,000 in food and supplies donations: "This is what community looks like. Proud of our Queens General Assembly for partnering with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who generously donated $50K of food/supplies, and Ponce Bank, who donated $2k to transport the supplies — all for our neighbors most in need! To our food pantries, thank you for being on the ground every day helping feed our families — we know it hasn't been easy, but we have your back. This donation will ensure Queens families can put food on the table now, as we keep working to fight food insecurity." (Queens Borough President Donovan Richards via Facebook)
  • 🌷 Thanks HSBC the tulips at Queens Botanical Garden: "THANK YOU @HSBC for all your volunteer work at the Garden! Thanks to #QBGVolunteers, thousands of tulips will bloom this spring at the Garden! 🌷🌷🌷 #NYCTulips #Tulips #NYCVolunteers #NYCVolunteering #CorporateGiving #CorporateVolunteer" (Queens Botanical Garden via Facebook)
  • 🍁 Excitement builds for Maple Playground: "Maple Playground is a popular open space in the heart of Flushing, but all of that use eventually takes its toll. Yesterday, I joined a groundbreaking with @QnsBPRichards and @NYCParks to mark the start of a complete reconstruction of the playground. Work should be done by fall." (Council Member Sandra Ung via Twitter)
  • 📚Congrats to these reading challenge winners: "I did a lot today, but this was the highlight: Presenting these children from my district with special medals for completing my reading challenge! #TheFuture #JoyOfReading" (Jenifer Rajkumar via Twitter)

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Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Wednesday off right! 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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