Stories from surrounding communities, closest first.
The Long Island Times · Syosset, NY
Nearby: Syosset, NYMore than 500 children, parents and community members turned out Saturday, October 24 for “A Ghoul’s Day Out,” the Children’s Medical Fund of New York’s (CMFNY) first fall festival, held on the Blumenfeld Development Group grounds in Syosset. All proceeds benefit pediatric mental health and therapeutic care at Cohen Children’s Medical Center. The event offered pony rides, a petting zoo, carnival games, seasonal crafts, an artisan market, and a lineup of local food trucks, as well as the “Ghost Giving Wall,” where donors added personalized ghost stickers to mark their gifts and monthly pledges to young patients. “Our goal was to bring local families together for an unforgettable day while directly addressing one of the most pressing health challenges of our time, the youth mental health crisis,” said Sarah Blumenfeld, event co-chair.
The Hechinger Report · Glen Cove, NY
Nearby: Glen Cove, NYVALLEJO, Calif. — Minutes before first bell, Penny Núñez-Brandão scanned the crowd outside Glen Cove Elementary School, looking for familiar faces. “I don’t see any,” the fifth grader told her mom one morning this August. “None of my friends are coming.” The start of a new school year can be nerve-racking under any circumstances. But for Penny and thousands of students across the U.S., this academic year brought the added difficulty of adjusting to an entirely new school after their previous one shuttered. As U.S. birth rates continue a multi-decade slide and state and federal education funding dries up, an increasing number of cash-strapped school districts around the country have resorted to closing campuses to save money. A total of 1,156 schools closed during the last academic year — the highest number since the pandemic, according to an analysis of federal data by Big Local News at Stanford University.
QNS · Queens, NY
Nearby: Queens, NYThere were year-over-year increases in the median asking price for homes and rent for apartments across Queens in October 2026, according to a report by StreetEasy. The median asking price in Queens over this period of time rose 1.4%, from $670,612 in October 2025 to $689,000 in October 2026. There was also a 5.4% jump in the number of homes for sale, from 3,201 in 2025 to 3,373 in 2026. While inventory went up, the number of homes to enter contract fell 8.4%, from 368 last year to 337 this year. The median number of days available homes in Queens spent on the market went down from 69 days to 60 days. Queens' jump in median asking price of homes went against the trends of Manhattan, Brooklyn and New York City as a whole. Manhattan's 5.2% drop and Brooklyn's 9% decline carried more weight than Queens on the citywide trend of median asking price, which went down 5.2%, from $1,049,579 in October 2025 to $995,000 in October 2026.
Business Insider · Queens, NY
Nearby: Queens, NYAMD's CEO, Lisa Su, grew up in Queens and obtained three degrees from MIT. She's also the cousin of Jensen Huang, former CEO of rival Nvidia, who resigned on Thursday. Here is a look at her career rise, personal life, and challenges over the years. Editor's note: This story was originally published in October of 2025 and has been updated to reflect Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's resignation. Lisa Su is the engineer behind one of the most dramatic corporate turnarounds in the tech industry. The Taiwanese American CEO is widely credited with transforming AMD from a struggling semiconductor firm on the brink of collapse into a global powerhouse competing head-to-head with Intel and Nvidia. When Su joined AMD in 2012, the company's market value was under $2 billion. Within a decade of her leadership, AMD's innovations in high-performance computing and graphics, especially the Ryzen CPUs and EPYC server processors, catapulted the company's value to over $950 billion as of Thursday.
QNS · Queens, NY
Nearby: Queens, NYThe employees who help keep the city running behind the scenes are gaining a collective voice in the workplace, as community board district managers have officially been recognized as union members of Communications Workers of America Local 1180. The feat marks a first for the district managers, who oversee the day-to-day operations of the city's 59 community boards. James McClelland, district manager of Queens Community Board 9, announced the news during the board's Nov. 10 meeting at Queens Borough Hall. He said he was honored to have been entrusted by his fellow district managers to represent Queens during the organizing effort and was selected to serve on the union's collective bargaining committee. “After nearly 25 years in public service, I understand the dedication and commitment this work demands,” McClelland said.
Hoodline · Farmingdale, NY
Nearby: Farmingdale, NYA 2-year-old dog named Keanu is headed to Farmingdale High School as the Long Island district's newest facility dog, trained in more than 40 tasks over 18 months with a volunteer puppy raiser before crossing the stage at a graduation ceremony in Medford. He joins a small, elite class of working dogs stepping into one of the more emotionally significant roles a school community can offer a canine: helping students and staff navigate grief, stress, and everyday school life. Keanu was one of 12 dogs honored alongside their handlers at the Medford graduation, according to ABC7 New York. Rudy Breedy, a representative of Canine Companions' Northeast region, described the path each animal takes before earning its new role, noting that the dogs spend 18 months with a volunteer puppy raiser before training and crossing what he called the finish line to become either a service or facility dog.
Hoodline · Kew Gardens, NY
Nearby: Kew Gardens, NYA driver struck and killed a pedestrian crossing 11th Street at 38th Avenue in Long Island City early Monday, then drove off without stopping, according to police. The victim was rushed to Weill Cornell Medical Center, where he later died. According to the New York Daily News, police say the driver pulled a red SUV out of a parking space on 38th Avenue, turned left onto 11th Street, and struck the pedestrian before fleeing the scene. The outlet identified the victim as 71-year-old Aftab Alam, who police said lived in Kew Gardens, and reported that medics rushed him to Weill Cornell Medical Center, where he died. A separate account from QNS describes the same crash differently. The Queens outlet reported that he was crossing the street at 38th Avenue and 11th Street at approximately 12:10 a.m. on Nov. 2.
QNS · Flushing, NY
Nearby: Flushing, NYThe next installment of Flushing Town Hall’s Global Mashup concert series brings together Hollywood and Bollywood, with bands performing classic tunes from classic films made in both America and India. “For generations, Hollywood has given us mystery, magic, romance, and joy, along with soundtracks that still get people singing and dancing decades later,” the storied Flushing venue says in its announcement. “Bollywood has done the same, with infectious rhythms, sweeping melodies, and show-stopping dance numbers loved by audiences around the globe. For this very special Global Mashup, these two musical worlds collide.” The show is set for Saturday, Nov. 14. The concert starts at 8 p.m., with dance lessons preceding it at 7. Performing Hollywood tracks will be band leaders Ray Naccari and Dakota McLeod, Naccari also on piano/keyboards and McLeod on vocals, Keith Anthony Fluitt on vocals, Chulo Gatewood on bass and Greg Barrett on drums.
The Indypendent · Ozone Park, NY
Nearby: Ozone Park, NYAmid calls for Mayor Mamdani to fire her last month, Commish Tisch announced her decision to allow a disciplinary proceeding to move forward in the 2016 Crown Heights slaying of Delrawn Small by Officer Wayne Isaacs. Tisch made that determination in late August. For the past decade, Small’s family had been calling for Isaacs to face a departmental trial, which could result in his termination from the police force. The New York Times provided favorable coverage of Tisch’s pro-accountability decision. The timing of that announcement came in the wake of outrage expressed by the family of Win Rosario, who was gunned down by two cops while experiencing a mental health episode at his home in Ozone Park. Because of what Tisch called an administrative “mistake,” one of the two officers, Salvatore Alongi, retired three weeks before the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board brought charges, thus dodging discipline (and keeping his pension).
QNS · Far Rockaway, NY
Nearby: Far Rockaway, NYSign up for our weekly email newsletter to stay updated on the latest housing lotteries in New York City. New York City has launched an affordable housing lottery for 15 units at 139 Beach 29th St. in Far Rockaway. The 6-story residential building has 74 total housing units, with 59 at market rate. All 15 apartments set aside in the housing lottery are intended for those earning 80% of the area median income and with an asset limit of $135,680. Two-bedroom units account for each apartment set aside in the housing lottery. The monthly rent is $2,713. Up to five people can occupy one of these units, as long as their annual household income adds up to between $101,863 and $146,560. [caption id="attachment_629135" align="alignnone" width="1086"] The interior of a unit at 139 Beach 29th St. in Far Rockaway. Rendering courtesy of NYC Housing Connect[/caption] On-site amenities for residents include a shared laundry room, a fitness center and covered parking.
QNS · Rego Park, NY
Nearby: Rego Park, NYPolice from the 112th Precinct are looking for a suspect in connection with a sexual abuse incident involving a teenage girl in broad daylight on an MTA Q53 bus in Rego Park last month. Police say the 16-year-old victim was riding in the northbound Q53 in the vicinity of Woodhaven Boulevard and Metropolitan Avenue at around 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 22, when a stranger approached her. The unidentified man proceeded to engage in a lewd act while touching the girl’s buttocks, police said Wednesday. The victim exited the bus while the creep remained on board the northbound Q53. [caption id="attachment_629221" align="alignnone" width="1600"] The girl exited the bus while the creep remained on board as it continued north on Woodhaven Boulevard toward Middle Village. Photo courtesy of the MTA[/caption] An NYPD spokesperson said it is unclear if the teenager reported the incident to the driver before exiting. The victim was not injured during the encounter, police said.
