Month: April 2014

Community Board 5 will hold its monthly meeting at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 9, at Christ the King High School, 68-02 Metropolitan Ave., in Middle Village.

The agenda includes committee castillo hinchable reports — Zoning and Land Use, Special Homeless Services Committee, Public Transit, Transportation and others — a presentation by the Queens Botanical Garden and an application for an unenclosed sidewalk cafe with four tables on behalf of Phillie’s Pizzeria, 74-02 Eliot Avenue.

The odor of smoke this morning is not from a local fire, but has bouncy castle traveled over 90 miles from a brush fire in southern New Jersey.

“You know the whole city smells like smoke today?” an FDNY representative said when asked about the smell in Queens. “There was a big fire in New Jersey.”

The fire broke out on Sunday in Wharton State Forest and has already burned more than 1,500 acres, or about two square miles, of land.

NBC 10 in Philadelphia reported that crews dropped water from airplanes and used backfires to contain the blaze.

There are no reports of injuries and the fire did not threaten any structures.

The fight to reign in polluted locomotives in Glendale is far from over as local elected officials have once again secured funding in the 2014 NYS budget.

Civic organizations, dozens of local elected officials and the New York League of Conservation Voters announced $3 million in additional state funding towards the inflatable water slide renovation of outdated freight locomotives — this is on top of the $3 million brought in last year to continue the pilot sustainability project.

“This announcement is great news for millions of NYC residents who will soon be able to breathe a little easier,” said Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley. “These important green locomotives will help clean our air and bring our aging fleets into the 21st century. I applaud the New York State legislature for their ongoing leadership in this fight.”