While this year brought forth a royal wedding, ongoing aftermath of Hurricane Maria and the Brett Kavanaugh hearing, 2018 was an equally big year for news throughout Queens.
Our website has reached incredible new heights in 2018, thanks in large to the support from our readers. QNS.com, which features content from The Queens Courier, The Courier Sun, the Ridgewood Times, the Times Newsweekly, the TimesLedger, the Bayside Times, the LIC Courier and BORO Magazine, achieved 7 million page views as of Dec. 12. As of Dec. 26, the website achieved a record 7.3 million page views.
Here’s a look at the most viewed stories on QNS.com, which collectively gained nearly 360,000 page views this year.
- On Dec. 11, a 15-year-old boy slashed a fellow student at Benjamin Cardozo High School in Bayside, causing a 2 1/2-hour lockdown. The suspect reportedly got into a verbal argument with the victim that morning before slashing him with an unknown object. The teen, whose identity was not disclosed due to his age, ultimately turned himself in that same day.
- In February, Elmhurst’s beloved Georgia Diner announced that it would close its doors at its Queens Boulevard location in March. The diner merged with the Nevada Diner on March 25, bringing the same great food and the Georgia Diner name to the Nevada Diner’s location less than half a mile away.
- Jocelyn Zacarias, 14, of Rego Park went missing on July 5 after leaving her phone at home and not telling her parents where she was going. Two days later, Zacarias was found safe and sound.
- Students and teachers at Forest Hills High School underwent a “precautionary” lockdown in March after a reported shooting threat. The culprit, identified as 16-year-old Ishrak Hossain, was arraigned for making terroristic threats that caused the lockdown.
- Several medical professionals in Queens were among 13 who were arrested in June for their roles in a Medicare and Medicaid scheme that made millions of dollars in fraudulent claims.
- In April, PropertyShark released its quarterly report that outlined the city’s 50 most expensive neighborhoods in the first quarter of 2018. Seven Queens neighborhoods made the list, including Belle Harbor, Queensboro Hill and Auburndale.
- Two Queens men, one from Ridgewood and the other from Flushing, were the latest borough residents to win big in the New York Lottery in July. The men won a combined total of $19.5M in the May 30 drawings.
- It was reported in July that the borough’s last Kmart, located in Middle Village, would be closing in the fall. The closing marked the end of Sears Holdings’ presence in Queens.
- The Outback Steakhouse location at the Queens Place mall abruptly closed down in August. The owners of the Outback Steakhouse chain indicated that the decision to close the restaurant down “was based solely on business circumstances.”
- On April 24, the body of 17-year-old Andy Peralta was found in Flushing’s Kissena Park. The NYPD ruled the death a homicide and started an investigation.
