Church Thief Steals $800 + Astoria School Closures • Daily Digest

Good morning, Queens! It's Wednesday, Oct. 6. Is nothing sacred? A thief is caught on video stealing the collections box from an Astoria church. We have the details below.

Today's weather: Here comes the sun, with clouds yielding to sunshine. High: 71 Low: 61.

Here are the top stories today in Queens:

1. Police are hunting a man caught on video stealing hundreds of dollars from an Astoria church's collection box last week. (Patch.com)
2. A dozen public schools in Astoria and Long Island City are now either closed or partially closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. (Patch.com)
3. Read how New York, Brooklyn and Queens public libraries are doing away with late fees. (CBS New York)V
4. Vaccination mandates in city schools are creating vacancies. (Queens Chronicle)
5. Dozens of Queens residents showed up to rally for reproductive rights outside Borough Hall. (Flushing Post)

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Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Wednesday. See you all tomorrow morning for another update! If you're enjoying these newsletters, consider bringing some more friends and neighbors on board. You can send them this link to subscribe.

— Kevin Phinney

About me: Kevin Phinney has lived and worked as a writer and editor in Austin, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Seattle and New York City. He was born in Brooklyn, New York and was raised in El Paso. Phinney attended college in Austin. He has done television work as a reporter and commentator, and is a former host of a weekday drive-time radio show called "Kevin & Kevin in the Morning" on KGSR-FM (now known as Austin City Limits Radio). He is also the author of "Souled American, " a book tracking race relations in America through music. It was published by BILLBOARD Books, and is often used in college classrooms across the country.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Queens Daily? Email me at kevin.phinney@patch.com.