🌱 Holocaust Letter Returned 76 Years Later + Makina Cafe Opening

Happy Saturday, people of Queens! Here's what's going on around Queens today.

First, today's weather:

Snow, some heavy, 3-6"; windy. High: 21 Low: 13.

Here are the top three stories today in Queens:

1. A letter that was written during the Holocaust was found at a flea market and returned to the original family in Forest Hills, Queens after 76 years. Ilse Loewenberg had written the letter when she was 37-years-old in 1945, to let her sister know that she’d survived an incredible ordeal through the war. The letter was recently discovered by Chelsey Brown, a New York-based interior designer and antiques collector, who purchased it herself and did the legwork to figure out where it needed to go. (WPIX 11 New York)
2. A gunman who shot three men in a Queens parking lot last month has been arrested, according to police. The suspect, 24-year-old Jasiah Bruce, was arrested at around 11 a.m. on Thursday in connection to the Dec. 18 shooting that broke out at a parking lot near Baisley Boulevard and Guy Brewer Boulevard in Jamaica. Bruce, who has seven prior arrests, has been charged with three counts each of attempted murder, assault, criminal use of a firearm, criminal possession of a loaded firearm, reckless endangerment, criminal sale of cannabis, and criminal possession of cannabis. (New York Post)
3. A popular Ethiopian and Eritrean food truck will soon be opening its first brick-and-mortar restaurant in Sunnyside. Makina Cafe is expected to open at 46-11 Skillman Ave. in mid-April, in the site previously occupied by Saffron Garden, an Indian restaurant. According to Eden Egziabher, Makina Cafe's owner, the eatery will feature many of the menu items that have made the original food trucks successful, as well as additional dinner options, a full coffee bar, and a cocktail list. (Long Island City Post)

Today in Queens:

• Virtual Saturday Science Lab: On The Wing, At The Long Island City Library Virtual (11:00 AM)
• The Man In The Porkpie Hat: Buster Keaton Shorts, At Museum Of The Moving Image (1:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• The Year Of The Tiger is almost here and so is the Flushing Lunar New Year Parade next Saturday. Queens Borough President Donovan Richards is proud to stand with the parade committee and the AAPI community to say that the community will never shy away from celebrating its culture and diversity. See you Feb. 5! (Facebook)
• Join the Queens Museum Family Programs online for Multilingual Storytelling today at 12:00 pm. Honoring the Portuguese language, Brazilian artists Bel Falleiros and Renata Cruz will share "Principe," a book created by Renata and inspired by the Guarani folktale Il Churrinche. (Facebook)

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Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Saturday off right! I'll catch up with you bright and early tomorrow with another update.

— Miranda Fraraccio

About me: Miranda Fraraccio is a born and raised Rhode Islander. 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, hiking, or photographing her neighborhood as a street photographer.