🌱 A Year Of No Heat In NYCHA Astoria Houses + Redrawn District Lines

Good morning, Queens! 😁

• 😡 Some residents of the Astoria Houses NYCHA development have not had heat in their apartments since last December. Not only that but some tenants say they are dealing with sewage seeping into their bathtubs, and unknown substances, including asbestos, on their walls.
• 🗺 The Independent Redistricting Commission released newly redrawn State Assembly maps Thursday, which contain some major changes to Astoria and Long Island City.
• 🔫 An enormous cache of 67 firearms were seized during multiple raids in Queens and Long Island Thursday.

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☀️ Mostly sunny. High: 48 Low: 42.

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Here are the top stories today in Queens:

1. Some residents of the Astoria Houses NYCHA development have not had heat in their apartments since last December, with no word from management on when the issue will be fixed. Not only that but some tenants say they are dealing with sewage seeping into their bathtubs, and unknown substances, including asbestos, on their walls. Despite the horrific, unfair conditions, many residents are hesitant to make a fuss for fear of retaliation. "It's not fair that we have to pay our rent with no heat," said Barbara Torres, who has been a tenant of Astoria Houses for more than 20 years. Torres has a list of the numerous times she has taken NYCHA to court over the years, often to no avail. "To be exposed to it through the mold, through all this stuff, and I had to fight so hard in court for them to come knock down the wall," she said. CBS2 last visited Astoria Houses on Nov. 20, and covered a rally at City Hall to protest the deplorable living conditions, but NYCHA has done nothing to address their blatant shortcomings. In fact, NYCHA even claimed there were no outages at the time of the rally. Torres says her next court date with NYCHA for heat-related complaints is Dec. 19. Hopefully, that day marks the end of her and her neighbors' struggles with neglectful management.

CBS New York

2. The Independent Redistricting Commission released newly redrawn State Assembly maps Thursday, which contain some major changes to Astoria and Long Island City, including a district that jumps to Manhattan. This dramatic change would be in District 36, which currently covers western Astoria, Dutch Kills, and part of Long Island City. Under the new legislative maps, the district would be shifted westward to cover Roosevelt Island and parts of Midtown East and the Upper East Side. Another newly proposed change sees Jackson Heights-based District 34 shift westward to center almost entirely on Astoria, encompassing most of the neighborhood north of 34th Avenue. Perhaps the oddest-shaped of the redrawn district lines is the new, U-shaped District 38, which covers a large stretch from Long Island City to Rego Park, and dips into Brooklyn along the way. The commission's new draft maps undergo a number of public hearings before a final version is proposed in early 2023.

Patch

3. An enormous cache of 67 firearms — 51 of which were weapons without serial numbers or other identifying markers, known as "ghost" guns — were seized during multiple raids in Queens and Long Island Thursday. Following a six-month investigation, which included hundreds of hours of physical and covert surveillance, court-authorized wiretapping of numerous target phones, and undercover operations, Attorney General Letitia James' Organized Crime Task Force and the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force took down the interstate ghost gun trafficking ring that operated between Pennsylvania and Queens and Suffolk counties. The 438-count indictment charges three men — two Suffolk residents and a South Carolina man — with trafficking 47 illegal firearms, including assault weapons, machine guns and semiautomatic pistols. The gun trafficking operation also sold gun accessories such as rapid-fire modification devices, silencers, high-capacity magazines, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. "I will not allow our streets to be flooded with ghost guns, assault rifles, or other weapons of war," James said. "Giving criminals easy access to illegal and untraceable guns is a threat to all New Yorkers and a danger that my office will not tolerate. High-capacity ammunition magazines and rapid-fire modification devices can easily turn firearms into mass-murder machines."

Queens Courier ; New York State Attorney General

4. The affordable clothing store Primark opened a new location in Jamaica on Thursday, its third store location in the city, and 15th store in the country. The 34,000-square-foot store on Jamaica Avenue, which carries well-priced clothing, accessories, shoes, home goods and beauty products, seeks to start things off on the right foot by donating school materials to the nearby Jamaica Children's School, where approximately 80 percent of the student population comes from households at or below the poverty level, according to Primark. The international chain has partnered with the Kids in Need Foundation to supply each classroom with a full semester's worth of learning materials, and is also providing each student with a new backpack and a $50 Primark gift card.

Time Out ; Patch

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

• NYPD detective falls from chopper during training exercise at police academy in Queens (PIX11 New York News)
• Forest Hills Family-Focused Nonprofit Receives $450000 gift (Patch)
• Last remaining Queens Assembly race continues in court with recount looming (Queens Daily Eagle)
• Flushing's first beer hall opens at Tangram, bringing globally inspired beverages, food and music (Queens Courier)
• Adams calls for crackdown on hate speech spread on social media, no more plea deals for those charged with hate crimes (AM New York Metro)

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🗓 To Do Today in Queens:

• Pop-Up Park Picnic: Couple Date Night (Self-Guided) (7 a.m.)
• Active Parenting Workshop (8:30 a.m.)
• Volunteer at 9 Million Reasons / Evangel Food Pantry (8:45 a.m.)
• Exhibition - Living with The Walking Dead (2 p.m.)
• New York Hall of Science Free Hours (2 p.m.)
• Queer Shabbat at Queens College Hillel (4:30 p.m.)
• The New York Winter Lantern Festival – Illuminate the Farm (5 p.m.)
• ALL•URE: The Take Over Tour (6 p.m.)

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🗣 Queens Chatter:

• 🎗Commemorating AIDS Awareness month: "For AIDS Awareness month, MoMI presents Yen Tan's 1985 on DEC 10, with a conversation featuring star Cory Michael Smith and local advocates Jimmy Van Bramer, Sainabou Njai & Frank Naso. Bit.ly/1985film #WorldAIDSDay" (Museum of the Moving Image via Facebook)
• 👊 Combat HIV prejudice and stigma: "Today on #WorldAIDSDay, the @NYCCouncil reaffirms its commitment to support those living with HIV/AIDS here in NYC. We must continue to come together to combat the prejudice and stigma associated with HIV/AIDS and ensure that all who need treatment have access." (Speaker Adrienne Adams via Twitter)
• 🚨 FREE legal advice on immigration this Friday: "Sookyung Vitale, an attorney with Queens Legal Services (@QLSNews) will provide free legal advice on immigration matters in my office from 10AM-1PM on Friday. Call (718) 888-8747 for an appointment. Sookyung speaks both English and Korean." (Council Member Sandra Ung via Twitter)
• 🐑 Meet Queens' newly named lambs, Butternut, Pepper, Rosemary, Ginger, and Sweet Pea: "We recently invited our social media followers to help us choose names for these Jacob Mix Lambs, and the results are in! These ewes are now known as (left to right) Butternut, Pepper, Rosemary, Ginger, and Sweet Pea. Make sure to say hello to them during your next visit!" (The Queens County Farm Museum via Facebook)
• 🚌 Don't drive in the bus lane or else: "The @MTA will begin issuing violations to drivers who use the Q44 SBS bus lane beginning Friday, December 2. Cameras along the route have been issuing warnings since October 3. The Q44 runs between Main Street in Flushing and Archer Avenue in Jamaica." (Council Member Sandra Ung via Twitter)

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More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

• Office Furniture & Soft Seating Warehouse Clearance Liquidation (December 3)
• HSS Online Workshop: De-Stress & Express Yourself with Art! (December 6)
• Deck the Walls (December 6)
• Berkeley College MBA Information Session (December 6)
• Learn About Exercise & Complementary Therapies for Inflammatory Arthritis Pain! (December 7)
• Manage Your Hip Pain: Tips from Hospital for Special Surgery (December 8)
• Dan Wilbur - Live Album Recording (December 8)
• Ugly Holiday Sweater Day Party (December 10)
• Berkeley College Legal and Justice Studies/National Security Career Seminar (December 14)
• Winter Events at The Poppenhusen Institute (December 17)
• Holiday Lights At The Bronx Zoo (December 23)
• Add your event

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Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Friday. I'll be in your inbox tomorrow 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