North/Northeast Queens News

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The anxiety and complications of getting into the high school or middle school of your choice in New York City have sometimes made getting a mortgage look simple.

Last week, the process was made simpler — though no less anxiety-inducing — when the city announced a new, streamlined application process that will take effect for the 2020 school year.

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Long after dark, when the traffic on Woodhaven Boulevard dies down and the speed of cars picks up, drivers last Friday got a surprise.

More than 20 people lined the traffic median strips at 91st Avenue waving signs that said a man had been killed three weeks earlier crossing the boulevard at that spot and asking them to slow down.

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If one works at or patronizes a business on Queens Boulevard between 61st and 64th streets on the Maspeth-Woodside border, you might say the nearby parking is inconvenient.

A curbside section of 61st Street south of the boulevard is reserved for delivery trucks from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. The full block between 61st and 64th is a no-standing zone including a city bus stop. Turn southbound onto 64th and there are spaces clearly marked with a large sign for firefighters assigned to FDNY’s Rescue Co. 4 and Engine Co. 292, a half block to the east on the boulevard.

A 38-year-old woman has been extradited from London to face homicide charges after a Queens County grand jury indicted her in 2016. Donna Francis — whom authorities said is not a doctor — allegedly performed a butt enhancement procedure on a Maryland woman, causing her death in May 2015.

Francis’ last known New York address was on Huxley Street in Rosedale.

As passionate birders and wildlife advocates walked the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Center’s trail, they spent just as much time swatting away mosquitoes as they did spotting shorebirds.

That’s because, according to the organizers of the 14th annual Shorebird Festival, the conditions on Aug. 17 were not too conducive to birding. It was quite muggy and overcast as Don Riepe, president of the American Littoral Society’s Northeast Chapter, and others led dozens on the walk.

Al Jackson, the Met pitcher with the most victories before Tom Seaver, died on Monday after a long illness at the Emerald Nursing Home in Port St. Lucie, Fla., the team announced. He was 83.

The southpaw went 43-80 in six seasons with the Mets. His 10 shutouts were also a team record until Seaver surpassed the mark. Seaver would also pass Jackson in the losses column.

It’s hard to believe that my son is about to start middle school. He’s excited about having his own locker and the robotics course he’ll be taking. He’s looking forward to meeting new classmates and having more independence at school.

Instead of the normal anxiety that comes when your child is starting a new school (and middle school, no less!), my husband and I are going into this new school year with deep pits in our stomachs. Our son has a great middle school, but our younger daughter’s education is threatened because Mayor de Blasio is refusing to provide a location for a second Success Academy middle school in Queens.

Dozens of anti-Semitic fliers were seen near the Halsey Street subway station by Norman Street and Wyckoff Avenue in Ridgewood last week, according to reports.

The fliers depict the top of the head of someone wearing a Star of David kippah, along with the words “Worthless F---ing Cancer Filled Jew.”