Community Corner

📜 New Bill Guarantees Right to Legal Counsel + 62 Guns Bought Back

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

Emma Radu Fighera's profile picture
Emma Radu Fighera, Patch Contributing WriterVerified Patch Staff BadgeVerified User Badge
|
(Patch Media)

Good morning, Queens! 🍃

Another Monday, another opportunity to make fanciful claims about new beginnings, fresh starts, clean slates... ah, Monday. Here's what you need to know as we embark on this newly-minted, hot-off-the-presses, bright and beautiful week:

  • 🧾 A new bill sponsored by a Queens Assemblymember would establish a right to legal representation for those involved in immigration court proceedings.
  • 🔫💰 62 guns were collected on Saturday as part of a gun buyback program that has taken a total of 400 guns off the streets since its inception.
  • 📚 Some NYC schools are continuing to use a reading curriculum many consider defunct.

🌤 Breezy with clouds and sun. High: 75 Low: 59.

📢 I'm looking for business owners and marketers in Queens who want to build awareness, connect with customers and increase sales.

I have a limited number of sponsorships available to introduce our Queens Daily readers to local businesses they need to know about. If that's you, then I invite you to learn more and secure your spot now.

Here are the top stories in Queens today:

1. Assemblymember Catalina Cruz of Queens, and state Sen. Brad Hoylman of Manhattan have sponsored The Access to Representation Act (S81B/A1961) — a new bill that would establish a right to legal representation for those involved in immigration court proceedings. "New York must have the infrastructure in place to support asylum seekers as they arrive in our state," Cruz said in a statement. This initiative comes after many thousands of asylum-seekers were transported to New York City over the past months, and, if passed, the bill would make New York the first state to guarantee a right to counsel in civil federal proceedings.

Gothamist


2. Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz hosted a gun buyback event on Saturday that led to the collection of 62 guns. This is the seventh such event hosted by Katz's administration as part of a program that provides compensation in return for working, unloaded firearms — no questions asked. In total, nearly 400 guns have been collected since the program's inception. "Taking guns off the streets is essential to preserving public safety and fighting crime," said Attorney General Letitia James, whose office co-sponsored the event. "Gun buybacks are one of the many measures we are taking to prevent potential tragedies and save lives. Every New Yorker deserves to feel safe in their neighborhood, and my office will continue to do everything to protect communities in Queens and across the state."

1010 WINS ; Shore News Network


3. Some NYC schools continue to use a popular but ineffective reading curriculum that Schools Chancellor David Banks pledged to replace earlier this year. Queens public school parent Heather Dailey, whose son attends P.S./M.S. 219, said the school continues to use the controversial old program, known as the Calkins curriculum, which has been criticized for not placing sufficient emphasis on phonics. "The audacity of a school system to knowingly use a curriculum that's failing many students," said Dailey, who worries her son is learning phonics in a way that puts students with learning differences at disadvantages.

Gothamist


4. Hundreds of people gathered in Jamaica, Queens on Saturday to attend a Zumba master class led by none other than Beto Perez — the founder of the Latin-inspired dance and cardio workout sensation. Attendees cheered as Perez arrived at Amazura Night Club, where the event was hosted in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. This was the first master class session in New York City since the start of the pandemic. Perez created Zumba in Colombia in 2001, and the dance phenomenon quickly took the world by storm, with the brand now in over 180 countries with over 200,000 locations.

Spectrum News NY1


5. The president of a Queens-based construction company has been charged with fraud in connection with $12 million worth of public contracts to perform general contracting work at City homeless shelters. Four other employees were also arrested for their role in the years-long money laundering scheme. From around 2014 through 2018, the defendants, among other things, submitted fraudulent documentation in support of requests for payment on the contracts. They made up fake employees, wrote fraudulent checks, opened multiple bank accounts, used the identities of other persons without authorization, submitted fraudulent Medicaid certifications, etc. to conceal the scheme.

Department of Justice ; Patch


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

  • 15-year-old student critically hurt after being beaten in Queens subway station (NBC New York)
  • Strong winds rip tree from the ground in Flushing (ABC 7 New York)
  • Upstate brothers caught subway surfing in Queens (New York Daily News)
  • Woman 'intentionally' killed in Queens hit and run; 4 men stabbed nearby (Spectrum News NY1)
  • Unlicensed hit-and-run driver who killed 5-year-old boy faces up to 7 years in prison (NBC New York)
  • NYPD Highway Division locked in an unending, seemingly unwinable, battle against drag racing (New York Daily News)

From our sponsor:

Today's Queens Daily is brought to you by EmblemHealth. When it comes to heart health, what you don't know can hurt you. Take this quiz to test your knowledge and learn more about heart health.

🗓 To Do Today in Queens:

  • Open Adult Table Tennis (6 a.m.)
  • Chair Fitness (2 p.m.)
  • Kids Karate (6 p.m.)
  • Live Music: Ari Hoenig Trio (6 p.m.)
  • Bingo Mondays at Friends Tavern (6 p.m.)
  • Meet the Playwright Presents: "Y?" (7 p.m.)
  • Movies Under The Stars: Grease (7 p.m.)
  • Wild Goose Open Mic (7:30 p.m.)

🗣 Queens Chatter:

  • Happy Rosh Hashanah to those who celebrate: "Each Rosh Hashanah, we pray for a year of sweetness & health, of justice & blessing, of t'shuvah & redemption, of community & resilience. May 5783 be that year for you, and for all of us. Even on Twitter. L'Shana Tova!" (Comptroller Brad Lander via Twitter)
  • Turnip this season!: "Turnip to the farm this weekend to get your fill of fresh veggies! Hakurei turnips are naturally sweet, and so versatile. Make the most of their crispy, smooth texture by chopping them into a salad with arugula, nuts, and apples or bring out their buttery side when you sautée them with a ginger soy sauce topping. Easy weeknight dinner, here we come! Find them at the Farmstand with other seasonal picks harvested straight from our fields. https://www.queensfarm.org/farmstand/" (The Queens County Farm Musem via Facebook)
  • Donovan Richards visits Puerto Rico: "In Puerto Rico 🇵🇷 surveying damage and assisting in relief efforts with Mayor Eric Adams this weekend.We will always stand with the 6th borough in Queens." (Queens Borough President Donovan Richards via Facebook)
  • Happy Belated Rabbit Day -- apologies to all the bunnies out there for my lateness: "Happy #InternationalRabbitDay. Zoologists at the Queens Zoo are working to boost the population of rare New England cottontail rabbits. Loss of the dense thicket habitat preferred by New England cottontails has resulted in a dramatic 85% decline in the range of these vulnerable rabbits since 1960. Through captive breeding by the Queens Zoo and other partners, followed by releases into the wild, we're working hard to bolster the populations of these iconic American animals, and help establish new colonies in safe habitats." (Queens Zoo via Facebook)
  • Back to school tutoring: "Happy #BackToSchool season! @Brainfuse
    HelpNow offers homework help, online tutoring and more school support for kids in Grades K-12. A library card and a Wi-Fi connection are all that your child needs! https://landing.brainfuse.com/authenticate.asp?u=main.queenspl.ny.brainfuse.com" (Queens Public Library via Twitter)


More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

Announcements:

That's it for today! I'll catch up with you bright and early tomorrow with another update.

— Emma Radu Fighera

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

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

More from Queens