Community Corner
🔥Woodside Houses Need Heat + Randall's Island Poor Choice For Migrants
The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Queens.
Good morning, Queens! 🚖
- ⛽️ Elected officials and residents gathered in the cold rain outside of the Woodside Houses on Wednesday morning to demand that NYCHA permanently restore heat and hot water service. The housing complex's 2,900 residents have been without consistent service since August 2021.
- ⛺️Council Speaker Adrienne Adams (D-Queens), pushed back against Mayor Adams' plan to house asylum seekers in tents on Randalls Island.
- 🚑 An ambulance, not a hearst, carried slain FDNY EMS Capt. Allison Russo-Elling to her funeral on Wednesday.
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Here are the top stories today in Queens:
1. Western Queens elected officials and residents of Woodside Houses gathered at a news conference on Wednesday to demand that NYCHA permanently restore heat and hot water to the development after unreliable service since August 2021. The Woodside complex consists of 20 buildings with nearly 2,900 residents, who alerted local officials that they have lost heat at least 11 times, and were left without hot water at least 21 times since Hurricane Ida."For 10 months, we've tracked outages at Woodside Houses, and yet we still see the same negligence today that we saw 10 months ago," Assemblywoman Jessica González-Rojas said. "Residents are tired of being used as political props and then ignored when their basic needs are not met."
Queens Daily Eagle ; Queens Courier
2. Several City Council members, including Council Speaker Adrienne Adams (D-Queens), pushed back against Mayor Adams' plan to house asylum seekers in tents on Randalls Island. Instead, they offered an alternative housing solution: Manhattan's currently shuttered hotels. On Wednesday, Speaker Adrienne Adams said in a written statement: "Given its own flood risks in the middle of hurricane season and colder temperatures from exposure to the East River as winter approaches, Randalls Island is inconsistent with humanitarian relief. There are better options that New York City should explore to provide healthier and safer conditions for people who have already experienced so much trauma."
3. An ambulance, not a hearst, carried slain FDNY EMS Capt. Allison Russo-Elling to her funeral on Wednesday, just days after she was killed in a random act of violence half a block from her station house in Astoria. Hundreds of emergency workers stood silently at attention under soft rain to honor the captain and memorizalize her tireless service — at the time of her death, Russo-Elling was one of the oldest members of the city's EMS ranks, and was just months away from retirement. She had likely answered over 25,000 emergency calls during her career. When, during the service, the city's acting fire commissioner, Laura Kavanagh, announced that the late lieutenant would be promoted posthumously, the hall thundered with applause, and hundreds rose for a standing ovation.
4. On Monday, Congresswoman Grace Meng toured Queens College's Wastewater Epidemiology Training Laboratory (WETLAB) — a project she facilitated with $1,850,000 in federal funding. The money will be used to develop analysis strategies to detect dangerous pathogens — such as COVID-19, influenza, polio and monkeypox — in wastewater. According to Meng, the WETLAB project will be critical to ensuring New Yorkers are prepared and equipped to tackle public health challenges.
5. A Texas man, Jia Wang, 37, was charged with a hate crime and other offenes after his unholy behavior on the front lawn of Mary's Nativity-St. Ann Church in Flushing on Monday afternoon. Wang allegedly barreled over a church sign, grabbed a car jack and allegedly whacked a Mary statue until her face was obliterated, then defecated on the run-over sign. Rev. Jose Diaz witnessed the devilish scene unfold from the safety of the church front steps, where he recorded the incident. Wang was taken to a nearby hospital for a medical evaluation.
🗞 Hungry for more news? 🍴Snack on these headlines:
- Little Amal wraps up a 17-day walking tour of New York City after enchanting crowds across the five boroughs (Queens Courier)
- Tenant angry after hot steam from broken pipe repeatedly leaks into Queens apartment (ABC 7 New York)
- Some NYCHA residents in Queens frustrated after living without cooking gas for 5 months (CBS New York)
- Queens Borough President Richards To Host Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration (Press Release Desk)
- "Worn Out" Investigates the Evils of Fast Fashion and How You Can Help (Teen Vogue)
- Queens Theatre announces new season lineup of diverse plays, musicals.com (QNS)
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🗓 To Do Today in Queens:
- Love & Hiking Date For Couples (Self-Guided) (7 a.m.)
- Queens Hospital Center Farmers' Market (8 a.m.)
- Queens County Farm Free Admission Thursday (10 a.m.)
- Concerts with Project: Music Heals Us Presents the Carr-Petrova Duo (4 p.m.)
- New York Chinese Chorus (5 p.m.)
- Sicilian Folk & Roots Music (6 p.m.)
- Connecting with Ukraine for Teens (7 p.m.)
- LIVE at Culture Lab LIC: Free Outdoor Concerts! (7 p.m.)
🗣 Queens Chatter:
- 👩🏫 Happy Belated National Teachers Day! : "This World's Fair Wednesday also falls on National Teachers Day! At the '64 World's Fair, the Hall of Education presented new developments and innovations of education concepts and architects from Frederich P. Wiedersum Associates created renderings for the "School of Tomorrow." The postcard reads: "The structure, envisioned for the Year 2000 as a Regional Center containing year-round facilities for cultural, educational, and recreational activities for all age groups...A Demonstration Center closely linked to the model display, features a presentation of today's most advanced education concepts and learning facilities plus projected 21st Century techniques. The "School of Tomorrow" was designed by Frederich P. Wiedersum Associates, Architects-Engineers of Valley Stream, New York, who planned the Hall of Education for International Fair Consultants, Inc." (Queens Museum via Facebook)
- 🍫 The Chocolate Factory Theater had its first-ever gala: "Culture is king here in #Queens — I dare you to find a borough with better, stronger or more beloved cultural organizations than ours. The Chocolate Factory Theater— a stunning hub of artistry — is one of them. Proud to have been honored and its first-ever gala last week, but I'm even prouder to be a strong supporter and funder of this space." (Queens Borough President Donovan Richards via Facebook)
- 💾 Queens Tech + Innovation Challenge workshop: "Kicking off the 2023 Queens Tech + Innovation Challenge with our first workshop for Food & Bev-based entrepreneurs. If you're currently selling products at retail stores, this workshop is for you!
We're excited to have Kim Robinson, founder of 3pts, discuss the strategies and tactics that you need to drive store sales, and make sure your product isn't dropped." (Queens Economic Development Corporation via Facebook)
More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!
Events:
- Saint Luke's Church Rummage Sale (October 8)
- EmblemHealth Healthier Futures Wellness Expo: Free Live Music & More! (October 8)
- Celebrate Free Laundry Day at 4 Clean Rite Center locations (October 10)
- "Fence Your Best" Film Screening (October 12)
- City Gate Productions Presents: Rabbit Hole by David Lindsay-Abaire (October 14)
- Poppenhusen's Fall Festival (October 15)
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Housing:
- Immaculate House Size 3 Bed 2 Baths With Dining Area Convertible To 4th Bedroom! 🔥 (Details)
- Add your listing
Other classifieds:
- Behind The Scoreboard – Mini-Pitch Soccer Arrives In Yonkers (Details)
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You're officially in the loop for today. I'll be back in your inbox tomorrow with another update!
— Emma Radu Fighera
Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Queens Daily? Contact me at queens@patch.com
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