Community Corner

🦠Schumer Calls For Federal Support To Combat RSV Virus+ 260 Trees Cut

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

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Good morning, Queens! 🐞

  • 🦠 Sen. Schumer is calling on the federal government to step up its efforts to combat the virus known as RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, which primarily affects children.
  • 🌳 The state Department of Transportation has started clearing approximately 260 trees to make way for the expansion of the Long Island Expressway in eastern Queens.
  • 💵 The city and Department of Correction will pay up to $300 million to a class of individuals formerly detained on Rikers Island for allegedly violating detainees' rights by failing to release them within three hours after they posted bail.

☀️ Mostly sunny. High: 49 Low: 42.

Here are the top stories in Queens today:

1. The state Department of Transportation has started clearing approximately 260 trees to make way for the expansion of the Long Island Expressway in eastern Queens as part of an $83 million effort to reduce traffic congestion. The half-century old trees are being chopped down to make way for new auxiliary lane, and entrance and exit ramps in Bayside and Oakland Gardens. An agency spokesperson said more than three times as many trees and 7,620 new shrubs will replace the downed trees — however, local horticulturalists say that won't cut it. "You can't replace a 60-year-old tree with a new tree," said Glaeser, a horticulture consultant with a doctorate in philosophy and plant biology. "Large trees deliver 70 times more benefits than small, newly planted trees."

Gothamist

2. Senator Chuck Schumer is calling on the federal government to step up its efforts to combat the virus known as RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus. Cohen Children's Medical Center in Queens saw a 44% increase in admissions in October and November, and RSV accounted for most of the cases. RSV has been particularly common among children, and is easily transmissible by droplets from coughs and sneezes. Though most cases are mild, some infants and younger children have had dangerous symptoms including difficulty breathing. The growing incidents of RSV cases, along with rising COVID and flu rates, have been causing a range of problems at overwhelmed hospitals. "It's caused backlogs, and the fact that it's in tandem with an increase in flu and we still have COVID means that a lot of our hospitals are getting overwhelmed," Schumer said at a press conference. "It's straining health care providers across the board."

New York Daily News

3. The city and Department of Correction will pay up to $300 million to a class of individuals formerly detained on Rikers Island for allegedly violating detainees' rights by failing to release them within three hours after they posted bail. Though the city continues to deny that it violated detainees' rights by failing to release them in a timely manner, it has agreed to the $300 million payout, which was reached last month. Though the agreement has yet to be approved by the federal judge presiding over the case, it mandates that the city will pay $3,500 to each detainee whose release from Rikers Island was delayed by three or more hours — the ruling may apply to up to 82,000 people, records show.

Queens Daily Eagle

4. Another unlicensed cannabis store has opened up in Kew Gardens, Queens, with no negative repercussions from the city. Dominick Pistone, president to the Kew Gardens Civic Association, said, "At best they're jumping the gun. At worst, they're illegal. How are they being allowed to operate? Why are they being allowed to operate?" The illicit marijuana store, called "Pre-Roll World," advertises products with California labels, claiming they were grown or manufactured on the West coast. However, under New York's "seed to sale" law, marijuana products sold in the Empire State must be farmed and manufactured here.

New York Post

5. The Fair Chance for Housing Act, a bill designed to prevent housing discrimination on the basis of arrest or criminal history or pending charges, is up for its first public hearing next week. According to the bill's text, landlords, owners, agents, employees and real estate brokers would be prohibited from obtaining criminal record information at any stage in the process — however, this would not apply to NYCHA housing. It would also not prohibit inquiries into the state sex offender registry. "Every human being deserves a roof over their head and a bed to sleep on," said Councilmember Shekar Krishnan (D-Jackson Heights) in a statement to the Chronicle. "We won't be able to solve our housing crisis by making it more difficult for people to find a home. People in homes equals safer communities."

Queens Chronicle

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

  • Ridgewood intersection receives long-awaited stop signs, crosswalks (Queens Courier)
  • Bernadette Mayer, Poet Who Celebrated the Ordinary, Dies at 77 (The New York Times)
  • Lab tests prove Queens 'Duck Sauce Killer' widow never touched husband's guns, lawyer says (New York Daily News)
  • Greek-American Homeowners Association Hold 31st Annual Thanksgiving Lunch (Queens Gazette)
  • Pair of armed robbers stole $10K from Queens smoke shop: NYPD (FOX 5 New York)
  • Man slashed in face during attack on Queens subway platform (1010 WINS)

🗓 To Do Today in Queens:

  • Socrates Sculpture Park Free Admission Monday (8 a.m.)
  • New York Balloon Master Class (10 a.m.)
  • JFK Airport Food Service Hiring Event (12 p.m.)
  • It's Time For Kind: Preserve And Share Your Family's History (1 p.m.)
  • Chair Fitness (2 p.m.)
  • Photo Skills: Photography on iPhone (2:15 p.m.)
  • Detective Keith Williams After School Program (3 p.m.)
  • Library Privacy Week at QPL: Google Maps and Location Privacy (In-Person) (6 p.m.)
  • NA Meetings: Stepping To Life Group (7 p.m.)

🗣 Queens Chatter:

  • 🧷 Diaper community: "It's the season of giving, and that's exactly what we're doing here in Queens. My team was proud to partner with the Fund for the City of New York yesterday to help distribute 5,000 diapers to local CBOs, supporting families in need across the borough.
    This is what community looks like." (Queens Borough President Donovan Richards via Facebook)
  • 🎄📚 Special outdoor holiday reading at the Queens Farm: "Bundle up and grab those winter boots! Queens Farm will host a special outdoor holiday reading of O. Henry's The Gift of the Magi on Saturday, December 17th. Accomplished voice actor, audiobook narrator, theatre director and Queens native Kevin R. Free will lead story time in the farm's 3-acre pasture. First published in 1905, The Gift of the Magi tells the story of struggling newlyweds so eager to give each other a Christmas gift that each sells the one thing the other holds most dear. O. Henry penned the tale at Pete's Tavern, NYC's longest continually operated bar and restaurant. Since 1905, this story has secured its place among the American literary canon and become synonymous with the Christmas season. General Admission is free; reservations encouraged: https://www.queensfarm.org/o-henrys-the-gift-of-magi/" (The Queens County Farm Museum via Facebook)
  • 🗝 Key to the City resource fair held in the city's most diverse district in Elmhurst: "Yesterday's @thenyic Key to the City resource fair, hosted here in the most diverse district, will connect immigrant NYers, especially asylum seekers, with the services they urgently need. @nycspeakeradams and I were proud to join you all on Woodside Ave Open Street in #Elmhurst!" (Council Member Shekar Krishnan via Twitter)
  • 🧑‍🎄 Wag your tail for Santa: "So excited to stop by #WaggingTails on Metropolitan Avenue in #ForestHills today to pose with Santa & neighbors to support @TuffTails. I was happy to give a donation to the cause, or should I say "paws"." (Council Member Lynn Schulman via Twitter)

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Alrighty, you're all caught up for today. I'll see you back in your inbox tomorrow morning with a new 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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