Community Corner

🌊Queens Gets $120M To Address Flooding + ⚽️Astoria Celebrates Morocco

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

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Good morning, Queens! 🐧

  • 🌊 The House has passed legislation by Representative Grace Meng to fund nearly $120 million in environmental infrastructure upgrades in Queens.
  • 🇲🇦⚽️🎉 Crowds of thousands poured onto Steinway Street in Astoria, Queens this Saturday to celebrate Morocco's history-making World Cup victory against Portugal. Their win marks the first time ever that an African nation will play in the World Cup semifinals!
  • 🗳 Talk about a close race! Following a hand recount last week, just one vote separates incumbent Assemblymember Stacey Pheffer Amato and her Republican challenger Thomas Sullivan in the battle for Assembly District 23, with Pheffer Amato in the lead.

☔️ An a.m. rain or ❄️ snow shower. High: 42 Low: 28.

Here are the top stories today in Queens:

1. Representative Grace Meng's legislation to address flooding in Queens was passed by the House, authorizing the Army Corps of Engineers to spend nearly $120 million in environmental infrastructure upgrades in the borough. The congresswoman's legislation, which is part of the Water Resources and Development Act reauthorization, includes projects to improve water and wastewater infrastructure, stormwater management, and combined sewer overflows. Following the damage caused by Hurricanes Ida and Sandy, fighting for federal funding to address flooding issues in Queens has been a top priority for Meng. "Queens felt the brunt of Hurricane Ida last year and had to deal with more flooding caused by storms this year. Constituents shouldn't have to worry if their homes, cars and streets will flood every time rain is forecasted, and the House's passage of my legislation gets us one step closer to remedying the problem," Meng said.

Queens Courier

2. Crowds of thousands poured onto Steinway Street in Astoria, Queens this Saturday to celebrate Morocco's history-making victory against Portugal. Their win marks the first time ever that an African nation will play in the World Cup semifinals. Called Little North Africa or Little Egypt, this stretch of Steinway Street is a vibrant epicenter-of-sorts for New Yorkers with ties to North African countries. "It was really wonderful to see all these flags from all the countries, the Muslim countries, the Arabs, the Africans. Everyone was here celebrating the victory just like it's their own," said Mohamed Attia, director of the Street Vendor Project with the Urban Justice Center. "It means a lot for the Muslim community to see the ways that we can unite together and how much we have in common, how much people come together to celebrate and just have each other's back." On Wednesday, the Moroccan team will take on France.

CBS News New York ; The New York Times

3. Just when you thought the race for Assembly District 23 couldn't get any closer — it did! Now, just one vote separates incumbent Assemblymember Stacey Pheffer Amato and her Republican challenger Thomas Sullivan with Pheffer Amato in the lead. Following a hand recount completed by the city's Board of Election last week, of the approximately 32,000 cast in the race, 16,137 have gone to Pheffer Amato, and 16,136 have gone to Sullivan. However, there are still around 100 votes in the race that have yet to be counted, 94 of which are absentee ballots that Sullivan has legally contested. Whatever the fate of the absentee ballots, most of which are expected to go toward Pheffer Amato's total, its seems that two-time incumbent Pheffer Amato has won the race based on the results of the recount, which Sullivan said he "respects."

Queens Daily Eagle ; Queens Chronicle

4. City Comptroller Brad Lander is backing a bill introduced Wednesday by Queens Councilwoman Tiffany Cabán that would prohibit employers from firing workers without just cause. Cabán's bill dramatically expands the "Just Cause" law approved last year that protects fast-food workers from being fired or having their hours reduced by more than 15 percent "without just cause or a legitimate economic reason." Under Cabán's proposed expansion, the law would now "cover all employees and employers within the city regardless of size or pay."

New York Post

5. A Long Island man was indicted Friday on felony drug possession charges after he was caught driving two kilograms of fentanyl into Queens with the alleged intent to sell it. He now faces up to 30 years behind bars if convicted. The man was found with $80,000 worth of the deadly opioid on Nov. 28 after DEA agents and a Port Authority Police K-9 officer stopped him in Hollis, and a police dog, Balu, detected drugs in the trunk of the car. Agents found two bricks of fentanyl wrapped in shopping bags in the trunk of the man's Nissan Altima. "Overdose fatalities are up more than 50% in Queens this year," said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. "That is why this case is important and why my office will continue to work relentlessly to get this poison off of our streets." So far this year, 315 people in Queens have died of suspected drug overdoses — ODs from fentanyl account for more than 76% of those deaths.

New York Daily News

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

  • Deed Theft Ring Stole $1 Million Homes In Queens (Patch ; Queens Courier)
  • Winning lottery tickets sold in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Nassau (PIX11 News)
  • Op-ed | Fair Chance for Housing Act is a win in the fight against systemic racism (AM New York Metro)
  • Review: In 'Folds,' Caught Between Laughter and Grief at the Chocolate Factory Theater in Queens (The New York Times)
  • Caribbean Christmas: Laurelton School Hosts Jamaican Grand Market (Patch)
  • 'Vile, offensive and racially divisive': Queens lawmakers condemn racist remarks against Asian Americans during City Council hearing (Queens Courier)

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🗓 To Do Today in Queens:

  • Compost Build Volunteer Days (9:30 a.m.)
  • Step To Sweat (11 a.m.)
  • Musiquita Enrichment Program @ P.S. 144 (12:30 p.m.)
  • Chair Fitness (2 p.m.)
  • Spanish Class: Uno, Dos, Tres (3 p.m.)
  • Chess Class: From Beginner to Pro (3:30 p.m.)
  • Christmas Special: Air Dry Clay Workshop (5:30 p.m.)
  • Vegetarian Paneer Tikka Masala - In Person Cooking Class (@DidYouKhado) (6:30 p.m.)

🗣 Queens Chatter:

  • ❤️🧊 Life-size cubes that "Spread Love" now on view at the Queens Botanical Garden: "Be sure to visit all four life-size cubes as part of "Spread Love" mini murals by @UnfamousNY at the Garden! Now through March, QBG is generally open Tuesdays through Sundays, 8am-4:30pm and general Garden admission is FREE! The exhibition features an array of multidisciplinary local artists coming together to create a variety of mini murals with themes ranging from environmental awareness to mental health awareness, and more. Unfamous NY is a local multi-disciplinary art and lifestyle collective based in Queens, NY. Driven to create lasting experiences while representing the unique cultural identity of our city, we continue to develop our footprints in the New York urban art world." (Queens Botanical Garden via Facebook)
  • 🏞 A beautiful new playground for Woodside: "Queens needs state-of-the-art open space. Along with Council Member Julie Won, we're putting our money where our mouth is. Proud to allocate $1.5M for the Lawrence Virgilio Playground! Glad to join the CM and Queens Parks Commissioner yesterday to celebrate $7.1M in funding for its renovation." (Queens Borough President Donovan Richards via Facebook)
  • 🎨 Check out this incredible showcase of work by artists with special needs: "Proud to be invited to an inspiring opening reception hosted by The Chinese Alliance Center showcasing the artwork of artists with special needs. "See Through the Eyes of Artists With Special Needs" is on display until December 18 at 43-29 162nd St., check it out while you can!" (Councilmember Sandra Ung via Twitter)
  • 🦠 Virus rates are rising so consider wearing a mask: ".@nycHealthy has issued an advisory regarding the high levels of COVID-19, Influenza and RSV seen in the city. New Yorkers are strongly urged to wear masks in public indoor settings and crowded outdoor settings. More info here: https://on.nyc.gov/3ULqGDZ" (Speaker Adrienne Adams via Twitter)

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You're officially in the loop for today! See you all tomorrow for 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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