It was a joyous, packed house last Thursday at Queens Palace in Woodside as congregants of the Binapani Sangho religious organization and some… Read more

Parents who suffer a stillbirth are not currently entitled to the 12 weeks of Paid Family Leave that other families receive.

A bill in the state Senate and Assembly would amend what advocates call a “dangerous and inequitable gap” in the law. Read more

The Walgreens store at 63-37 108 St. in Forest Hills will close next month.

The store will close Feb. 20. An employee cited failure to get a new lease as the reason. A sign posted at the entrance is giving the news to customers who do not yet know prior to their arrival. Read more

Recent pitches by the New York Blood Center asking people to donate blood have taken a humorous approach.

It hurts less than dropping your cell phone, or running into your ex with a piece of spinach in your teeth, they say. Read more

As the political clash over Gov. Hochul’s nominee for chief justice of the Court of Appeals, Justice Hector LaSalle, reached a boiling point, Queens elected officials found themselves right in the middle.

State Sens. Jessica Ramos (D-East Elmhurst), Toby Stavisky (D-Whitestone) and John Liu (D-Flushing) were among the 10 Judiciary Committee members who voted not to advance LaSalle’s nomination to the full Senate last Wednesday, winning by a one-vote margin. Read more

City fire marshals have determined that a lithium-ion battery was the cause of a fire that killed an East Elmhurst man and injured 10 others, including four firefighters, Friday night.

Published and broadcast reports state that the dead man has been identified as Modesto Collado, 63. It is believed to be the first fatal blaze in the city this year that was caused by the rechargeable batteries that are used to power some e-bicycles and scooters. Read more

The push to make Diwali a school holiday in New York City public schools continued in Albany on Tuesday as lawmakers and residents rallied in support of the proposed legislation.

“We have never seen such enthusiasm for this cause,” said Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar (D-Woodhaven), the sponsor of the bill, on the Million Dollar Staircase of the New York State Capitol Building. Read more

A new bill introduced in the City Council last week would require the NYPD to host regular gun buyback programs throughout the five boroughs and provide the rewards.

The legislation was introduced by Councilmembers Carlina Rivera (D-Manhattan) and Rafael Salamanca Jr. (D-Bronx) last Thursday in the Committee on Public Safety. Read more

Following the culmination of a Fair Student Funding formula working group’s effort, Mayor Adams and Schools Chancellor David Banks have selected two of the panel’s recommendations to propose.

They are recommending a weight be added to the funding formula for students in temporary housing and another for schools that have a higher concentration of students with needs including those with disabilities, English language learners and those living in poverty. Read more

A daylong effort to address the conditions under the Richmond Hill train tracks near Babbage Street commenced over the weekend, much to the surprise of Kevin O’Leary, a Kew Gardens resident and member of Community Board 9, who has long called for attention to the site and happened upon on the scene on his way to a diner.

On Saturday, MTA police and its Right of Way Task Force responded to a complaint of illegal dumping under the trestle of the former LIRR station, according to an MTA spokesperson. LIRR personnel were on-site with equipment including two dump trucks to remove the debris, soil, sand and concrete that had been illegally dumped under the trestle. Read more

The first stage of construction to place elevators at the Queensboro Plaza subway station in Long Island City will result in the suspension of No. 7 train subway service between the plaza and 34th Street-Hudson Yards in Manhattan the weekend beginning on Feb. 4.

The station, which also serves the N and W lines, serves an estimated 70,000 riders per day. The suspension will take place between 12:15 a.m. on Feb. 4, a Saturday, through 5 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 6, in time for weekday morning rush hour service. Free shuttle buses will service all missed stations during the closure. Read more

Absent any measurable amount of snow by Sunday, Jan. 29, the New York City area will set the record for the latest-ever date in winter without the white stuff.

The simple answer according to experts consulted by the Chronicle was the same — it has just been too warm for snow to form and stick. But the underlying causes, they said, are myriad. Read more