🌱49th St./43rd Ave. Junction Renamed + NYC Cream Cheese Shortage

Up and at 'em, Queens! Let's get you started this Monday with everything you need to know going on today in town.

First, today's weather:

Warmer with a passing shower. High: 64 Low: 35.

Here are the top stories today in Queens:

1. A street in Queens has been named after Irish LGBT rights campaigner Tarlach MacNiallais, who passed away last April from a COVID-related illness. At a Friday night ceremony, Tarlach MacNiallais Way was unveiled as the new official name of the junction of 49th Street and 43rd Avenue. MacNiallais moved from Ireland to the U.S. in the mid-1980s, when he became involved in the gay rights movement in New York. He also managed a project in Queens for people with learning difficulties. (RTE.ie)
2. A schmear shortage is threatening one of New York City's most treasured local delicacies: a fresh bagel with cream cheese. Supply chain issues have plagued the United States for months, causing scarcities of everything from cars to running shoes. Now, bagel purveyors across the five boroughs are starting to feel the impacts as they scramble to find and hoard as much cream cheese as they can. (Free: Yahoo! News; Subscription: The New York Times)
   
3. A 38-year-old homeless man has been arrested for the attempted rape of a woman in Queens earlier this week, police said Saturday. Tyrone Brown is accused of approaching a 30-year-old woman from behind as she was walking up the street stairwell leading from the 169th Street F train subway station near Hillside Avenue in Jamaica about 6:10 a.m. Wednesday. The alleged assailant then assaulted the woman but fled after being seen by a passerby. (New York Post)
4. FEMA announced on Friday that it would be extending its disaster assistance deadline for New Yorkers impacted by Hurricane Ida. NYC residents who live in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island have until Jan. 4 to apply for federal disaster assistance. Residents of several other NY counties can also apply for assistance by the new deadline. The U.S. Small Business Administration, which offers loans to businesses, tenants, and homeowners, is additionally accepting applications through Jan. 4. (WPIX 11 New York)
5. A rookie NYPD cop was arrested for stalking his ex-girlfriend, police and law enforcement sources said Saturday. 31-year-old Jonathan Pierre-Lys is accused of monitoring his ex’s whereabouts in Queens using a tracking device. Pierre-Lys works in the 7th Precinct on the Lower East Side. (Free: Yahoo! News, Subscription: New York Daily News)

Today's Queens Daily is brought to you in part by Newrez, a leading nationwide mortgage lender. Make a smart move for your future and refinance with Newrez today. Call 844-979-1707 to connect with a Newrez loan officer. Newrez, LLC (NMLS #3013)

Today in Queens:

• VIRTUAL Recovery Coach Academy (PARC Queens) (9:30 AM)
• DIY: Grassroots Bioremediation: Cleaning Our Environment with Microbes Fungi & Plants (10:00 AM)
• Crosswords - Astoria Branch Library (10:30 AM)
• Youth Justice Court - Astoria Branch Library (4:00 PM)
• A Jazzy Afternoon with Dario Chiazzolino (4:00 PM)
• UCP Professional Learning Series Webinar (6:00 PM)
• Beat the Blues Concerts Presents The Jazzy Remix Jukebox Performed by Acute Inflections (7:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Queens Borough President Donovan Richards: "We're turning Queens Borough Hall into a world of wishes and wonder on Friday, Dec. 17. Bring the whole family to #KewGardens for a spectacular evening of hot cocoa, donuts and a free screening of “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey.” See you then! RSVP: queensbp.org/rsvp." (Facebook)
• Queens Museum: "Meet our #Year of Uncertainty Artists-In-Residence, Gabo Camnitzer Tecumseh Ceaser, Utsa Hazarika, Mo Kong, Julian Louis Phillips, and Alex Strada & Tali Keren. Each artist has shaped exhibitions in progress that are be on view in our galleries through February 2022. [...] To learn more about each artist, and ongoing Year Of Uncertainty programming, click here: (https://qnsmu.se/YoUAiRVid)" (Facebook)
• Queens Botanical Garden: "Just a friendly, colorful reminder that admission to the Garden is FREE now through March. We are open Tuesday through Sunday, 8am to 4:30pm. 📷 Anne Tan-Detchkov @tandetchkov" (Facebook)
• Queens, New York: "WTC store is selling Queens-made items until Dec. 31. It's in the Oculus in Lower Manhattan. Info: https://bit.ly/3dkPBLk " (Facebook)

From our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Featured businesses:

• Add your business here

Events:

• WEBINAR: Deconstructing Leg Pain (December 8)
• Big Apple Circus is NOW OPEN in New York City! (December 12)
• Add your event

Alrighty, you're all good for today! I'll see you soon. If you're enjoying these newsletters, consider bringing some more friends and neighbors on board. You can send them this link to subscribe.

— Miranda Fraraccio

About me: Miranda Fraraccio is a born and raised Rhode Islander. She works as a freelance copywriter for content creation agency Lightning Media Partners and as an assistant producer for a live-lit storytelling show in Chicago. She holds a degree in Writing & Rhetoric and Communication Studies from The University of Rhode Island. In her free time, you can find her traveling, hiking, or photographing her neighborhood as a street photographer.