🌱 NYPD Officer Gets DWI + Operation Sleigh Ride + Meal Drive

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

First, today's weather:

Occasional morning rain. High: 46 Low: 29.

Here are the top 3 stories today in Queens:

1. An off-duty NYPD officer was arrested early Tuesday on drunk driving charges after he crashed into a car in Queens. Just before 4 a.m., Officer Patrick Gross, 32, allegedly struck a vehicle where the Long Island Expressway and Cross Island Parkway meet near Bayside. Gross, who joined the NYPD in 2015, was uncooperative and has been suspended without pay. (Audacy)
2. 7-Year-Old Jefferson Pesantez has joined NYPD’s Operation Sleigh Ride as an honorary member. Jefferson joined the force to assist with Operation Sleigh Ride and deliver upwards of 75,000 toys in just three days to underprivileged kids in every borough, including at the nonprofit Harlem Mothers SAVE. Jefferson has a new badge and a new prosthetic arm that was recently gifted to him in his new home of Queens, thanks to the community coming together. (CBS New York)
3. Hundreds of families in Queens will now have a Christmas meal to gather around thanks to the members of community organizations who came together in Long Island City on Monday. The meal drive, which was spearheaded by Jonathan Forgash, the co-founder of Queens Together, brought a truck full of turkeys into the parking lot of the Variety Boys and Girls Club, which were packed into trucks and cars to get the deliveries on the road. Queens Together is an association of restaurants supporting each other in business and helping communities in crisis. (WPIX 11 New York)

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From my notebook:

• Queens Borough President Donovan Richards' office, in partnership with Governor Kathy Hochul and NYSDOH - New York State Health Department, will host a vaccine pop up right here at Queens Borough Hall. (Facebook)
• It's been so unseasonably warm lately that the Rose Garden at Queens Botanical Garden is still managing to produce luscious roses. Take advantage of the season, and the free admission, and visit the Garden this winter to see what other surprising blooms show up this time of year. (Facebook)
• The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal is critical for the future of Queens. With advancement on the way and recovery from Ida, Queens has a need for infrastructure investment. (Facebook)

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That's it for today! I'll see you around.

— 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.