🌱 Feud Leads To Stolen Ashes + Man Charged In Attack On Toddler

Happy Monday, Queens! Let's get you all caught up to start today off on an informed note.

First, today's weather:

Partly sunny and milder. High: 52 Low: 38.

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Here are the top three stories today in Queens:

1. A feud between a woman and her deceased sister's children has led to the alleged theft of the sister's ashes from a Queens funeral home. According to a lawsuit, the woman posed as her niece to contact Leahy-McDonald Funeral Home in Richmond Hill, then had a young relative pick up the ashes of Mohie Mangru. The facility reportedly released the ashes without confirming the recipient's identity. Mangru's daughter, Noressa Bethune, stated she later learned another person had claimed the ashes and spread them at Rockaway Beach. (New York Post)
2. A suspect with a history of "unprovoked assaults on strangers," according to police, has been charged with attacking a two-year-old in Queens. According to the young victim's grandmother, the man approached the scroller, then screamed and shoved the stroller onto Robinson Street near 45th Avenue. Police have arrested Christopher Elder, who faces charges in three other attacks. (NBC New York)
3. Beginning today, Mar. 14, all Queens Public Library locations will offer free at-home COVID-19 test kits for pick up. Kits will be available during regular service hours until an hour before closing. The library has imposed a limit of two kits per person while supplies last. (Press Release Desk)

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Today in Queens:

• DIY: Gardening for Small Spaces - Rego Park Branch Library (3:00 PM)
• Introduction to JavaScript Series - Whitestone Branch Library (6:00 PM)
• Beat The Blues Concerts Presents Get Up And Swing - Glen Oaks Branch Library (7:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Police are looking for a group of suspects, as many as four people, accused in a string of robberies in Queens. (CBS New York)
• President Biden announced his intent to appoint new members of the President's Advisory Committee on the Arts, including Diane Robertson, who grew up in Queens. (The White House)
• Meet Sandra Lindsay, a nurse from Long Island Jewish Medical Center — and the first COVID-19 vaccine recipient in the United States. (The Journal News)

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Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Monday. I'll be back in your inbox tomorrow morning with another 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.