By TimesLedger Staff
City to stop sheltering at Corona hotel
New York City will stop housing homeless people at a Corona hotel by 2019 as the de Blasio administration begins a phase-out of 35 commercial hotel facilities in Queens.
The use of hotels, including the Maspeth Holiday Inn Express which drew nightly protests last year, will be replaced by 90 shelters as part of a five-year plan that will offer homeless New Yorkers the opportunity to be sheltered in their home boroughs.
“Although the city has used hotels as a temporary stop-gap solution, homeless New Yorkers deserve more suitable housing while they transition back into a home of their own,” State Assemblyman Francisco Moya said.
NYC Ferry opens long-awaited Astoria route
Ferry service returned to Astoria this week for the first time in more than 80 years.
NYC Ferry launched its Astoria route from its landing stage on Hallets Cove with stops at Long Island City and Roosevelt Island, Midtown Manhattan and Wall Street.
“More and more New Yorkers need a better way to get around… NYC Ferry is part of that answer,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said of the launch.
Q-Guide: America’s Sweethearts at QED
In this week’s Q-Guide we focus on QED in Astoria, one of Queens’ most popular entertainment spots, where America’s Sweethearts do their thing every third Monday of the month.
America’s Sweethearts is a nostalgia-styled trio, performing jazzy renditions of tunes from the ’30s and ’40s – sung in precise three-part harmony – along with perfectly syncopated dance moves.
Sports: Soccer star Maia Cabrera heads to St. John’s
Also in this week’s TimesLedger, we spoke with St. John’s soccer freshman, Maia Cabrera
A three-sport standout at Forest Hills High School, Cabrera excelled on the soccer field during her senior season in 2016.
Last summer, she was selected to play on Israel’s U19 team for the UEFA European Championships and scored a goal against Russia in the qualifying round.
Queens Beat is a weekly video recap of some of the top news and stories in the borough.
