🌱 Homeless Encampment Sweeps + NE Queens District Maps Thrown Out

Good morning, Queens! Let's get you all caught up to start this day off on an informed note. Here's what's happening in Queens today.

First, today's weather:

Mostly sunny. High: 53 Low: 43.

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Here are the top three stories in Queens today:

1. Over the past two weeks, the city has cleared over 200 homeless encampments across the five boroughs, provoking criticism from some Queens officials and homeless advocates. Between Mar. 18 and Mar. 30, teams removed 239 encampments in the city so they can connect those living on the streets with shelters and social services, said Mayor Eric Adams. Councilmember Jennifer Gutiérrez called on Adams to end the “sweeps of homeless encampments.” See the statement from local representatives on LIC Post. (LIC Post)
2. A Queens lawmaker is hoping to pass new legislation that every New Yorker could one day own a small chunk of the Buffalo Bills if the team leaves the state. Queens Assemblymember Ron Kim and Brooklyn State Senator Jabari Brisport claim that "if a major sports franchise takes public dollars to build a new stadium and later decides to leave New York, the state government will have the option to purchase 50 percent of the club." Just days earlier, Governor Kathy Hochul offered $850 million in public funds to the Bills so they can construct a new $1.4 billion stadium. (Queens Daily Eagle)
3. District maps that have divided Northeast Queens have been tossed out by a New York judge. After Acting State Supreme Court Judge Patrick McAllister ruled that Democrats unconstitutionally redistricted the maps to benefit their party, Baysiders may be reunited with other conservative parts of northeast Queens divided under redesigned legislative maps. Governor Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James plan to appeal the decision. (Patch)

Today in Queens:

• Virtual Saturday Science Lab: Up Up Up into the Sky! Hosted By Glen Oaks Public Library (11:00 AM)
• Opening Reception For "The Worm At The Core" At Culture Lab LIC (6:00 PM)
• Unik Saturdays At Solletto Astoria (10:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• JetBlue played an April Fool's Day joke on Friday by announcing a new “Queens Express” nonstop flight that would have taken passengers from JFK Airport in Jamaica to LaGuardia Airport in Jackson Heights. Wishful thinking! (WPIX 11 New York)
• Ready for the weekend, Queens? Here are seven things to do in the city this weekend. (QNS.com)
• Check out the four hospitals that have been ranked the most racially inclusive in NYC and the U.S. at the link. (New York City Health and Hospitals)

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Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Saturday. I'll see you back in your inbox Monday with a new update!

— Miranda Fraraccio

About me: Miranda Fraraccio is a born and raised Rhode Islander, now living in New York. She works as a staff writer for content creation agency Lightning Media Partners and is a graduate of The University of Rhode Island, where she earned a degree in Writing & Rhetoric and Communication Studies. In her free time, you can find her traveling, drinking tea, or photographing her neighborhood as a street photographer.