Queens Daily Eagle

By Jacob Kaye The federal monitor tracking conditions on Rikers Island said the dangerous jail has remained mired in dysfunction and constitutional violations a little more than six months after a federal judge stripped the city of its control of the jail complex and appointed a remediation manager to lead the reform effort. Steve J. Martin, the monitor appointed by a federal judge to document and advise on conditions in Rikers Island as part of the ongoing civil rights case Nunez v.

By Ryan Schwach Five of the 12 communities in New York City that have seen the least amount of new, affordable housing over the past half decade are in Queens – and are now being targeted by the Mamdani administration for fast-tracked housing projects, angering some local legislators.

By Ryan Schwach The group hoping to push along an ambitious plan to build a new train line in South Queens is moving forward with three studies it hopes will illuminate the potential benefits of the project. Advocates behind the QueensLink said Wednesday that they are contracting three concurrent studies “designed to bring the project's economic, housing, and community engagement dimensions into sharper focus.” Funding for the studies comes from a $500,000 grant from the federal government.

By Ryan Schwach Earlier this summer, a 33-year-old man who had allegedly just killed his mother and sister set off an explosion in his Queens home amid a violent standoff with police. The July 25 incident, which resulted in the man being shot by cops, displaced more than two dozen residents on the isolated residential street of Ocean Crest Boulevard in Far Rockaway.

By Noah Powelson As the city’s “worst landlord” gets ready to head to court next week over conditions at one of its Queens buildings, Elmhurst tenants say they’ve been living without hot water for days and that many court-ordered repairs to crumbling building still haven’t taken place. Tenant organizers at 41-25 Case St., an Elmhurst apartment building owned by A&E Realty, told the Eagle on Wednesday that tenants have been living without hot water and heat since Saturday, Sept. 26.

By Noah Powelson A civil rights lawsuit alleging a blind man was discriminated against and prevented from participating in jury service because of his disability will proceed after receiving the green light from a federal judge on Thursday. U.S. District Judge Ramon Reyes ruled that Albert Elia’s lawsuit against the state’s court system will move forward after finding there was legal standing for it to be properly examined by a court.

By Noah Powelson The state must disclose all memos it sends to judges about how to interpret the law after an appellate court ruled against the Office of Court Administration’s contention that the memos were protected from the public. The unanimous decision by the Appellate Division, First Department, affirmed a previous state Supreme Court ruling made in response to a lawsuit against the state’s Office of Court Administration.

By Jacob Kaye A Queens dentist was arrested this week for filing $300,000 worth of allegedly fake Medicaid reimbursements, including some that claimed he performed dental procedures while he was jet-setting on a European vacation.

By Noah Powelson Over 25,000 Queens residents have lost access to federal food assistance programs over the past year — and elected officials said more could lose the benefit once new cuts go into effect this week. Queens U.S. Representative Grace Meng and State Senator John Liu called on Congress to delay a rule change that would require the state to cover an additional $200 million in administrative costs for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

By David L. Bell When I meet a 19-year-old in the clinic, the law tells me he is an adult. My medical training and more than two decades caring for adolescents and young adults tell me something more complicated. I see the gap between knowing right from wrong and consistently making sound decisions in moments of anger, fear, trauma, or peer pressure.