🌱 Fire In Illegal Basement Apt + Queens School Named Best In New York

Morning, Queens! Let's get this Thursday started off right. Here's everything you need to know about what's happening today in Queens.

First, today's weather:

Mostly sunny, windy and cool. High: 54 Low: 40.

Are you a local business owner or marketer? We can help you effortlessly run effective ads that reach customers in Queens. Click here to learn more.

Here are the top three stories in Queens today:

1. A fire in an illegal basement apartment took the life of one man on Wednesday morning. At around 4:30 a.m., a fire ripped through a multi-family home on Befell Street in the Jamaica section of Queens, taking the life of a 61-year-old victim. According to the Department of Buildings, the building owner has been cited for the illegal cellar apartment, as well as an illegal backyard concrete structure that measured 8-foot by 15-foot attached to the main house. (NBC New York)
2. Two men teamed up to rob a woman in a wheelchair as she crossed a Queens street in the middle of the afternoon. According to police, the two suspects approached the woman from behind while she was crossing north on Cross Bay Boulevard and 161st Avenue on Apr. 11 at around 2:45 p.m. No injuries were reported; however, the men made off with the woman's iPhone 12. (NBC New York)
3. A Queens school has been named the best in New York for the second year in a row. Townsend Harris High School, located on the Queens College campus in Kew Gardens Hills, took the number one spot on the U.S. News and World Report's latest "Best High Schools" annual ranking, and the 19th spot in national rankings. The school is a part of the city's public school system and was one of only several schools in Queens that got a top spot on the nationwide list. (Patch)

Today in Queens:

• Little Hands Signing: Stories By Hand With Kathy MacMillan, At Glen Oaks Branch Library (11:00 AM)
• Compost Beautification Community Volunteer Day, At Queens Botanical Garden (2:00 PM)
• Plant Hero - Gardening With Garbage: A Hunters Point Environmental Education Center Program, At Long Island City Library (4:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• A 14-year-old boy with autism was found safe on Wednesday after vanishing from a Queens home on Tuesday afternoon. (PIX11)
• Councilwoman Lee has announced a districtwide litter cleanup throughout District 23 in Queens. (QNS.com)
• A fourth man was arrested in the kidnapping of a Fort Lee resident. (Patch)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

• The Learning Experience- Summer Camp Ages 2-10 years old (April 29)
• Oratorio Society of Queens - Harmony Hustle 5K Run/Walk/Bike Fundraiser (April 30)
• Jewish Sports Heritage Association Induction Ceremony (May 1)
• Free Children's Concert: K is for Klezmer (May 1)
• David Krakauer and his Acoustic Klezmer Quartet (May 1)
• Faith the Competitive Edge (May 4)
• Hire A Pro To Tackle Mom's To-Do List (May 8)
• Add your event

Announcements:

• National Football Foundation Honors Suffolk County Players (Details)
• Add your announcement

Job listings:

• Real Estate Agent Wanted (Details)
• Add your job listing

Loving the Queens Daily? Here are all the ways you can get more involved:

• Send a friend or neighbor this link so they can subscribe
• Get your local business showcased in front of readers

Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Thursday off right! I'll see you 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.