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🌱 Patch AM: How a shuttered LIC school became Queens’ contemporary art powerhouse

Coming up on the Queens Patch calendar: The Forest Hills Chamber Music Series

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Good morning Queens! Your connection to what's happening around town is here. Take a sip of coffee and read on. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

  • How a shuttered LIC school became Queens’ contemporary art powerhouse
  • How Queens detectives finally tracked the suspected killer across state lines
  • How an online chat led to a Queens student’s alleged abduction

Also on today's calendar: The Forest Hills Chamber Music Series and 9 more events.

Find out what's happening in Queensfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Today's riddle: I am on a seafood diet. 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

Find out what's happening in Queensfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

  • Sunday: A p.m. rain or snow shower, with a high of 48 and low of 31 degrees.
  • Monday: Breezy in the a.m.; sunshine, temps: high: 43, low: 34.
  • Tuesday: Sunny; breezy in the p.m., with a high of 45 and low of 41 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Brief lesson on the rise of a Long Island City art mecca: Our Neighborhood, The Way it Was (qns.com) — Long Island City’s former P.S. 1 schoolhouse in Queens has evolved from a 19th-century neighborhood classroom hub into MoMA PS1, a major contemporary art space. This piece traces its journey through city consolidation, closure, and rebirth as an arts anchor that helped spark LIC’s cultural boom, while inviting longtime Queens residents to share memories and old photos.
   

2. Man who murdered Queens ex-girlfriend captured in S.C., to be brought back to NYC (nydailynews.com) — A woman who had recently moved to East Elmhurst to rebuild her life was fatally shot outside her Queens home, and the ex-boyfriend accused of tracking her down has now been arrested in South Carolina and faces extradition. Queens prosecutors and the NYPD are working to bring him back to the borough on murder and weapons charges, while her family and local officials remember her resilience and kindness.
   

3. Long Island man indicted for supposedly kidnapping 11-year-old Queens girl he lured via Discord (abc7ny.com) — An 11-year-old girl was taken from her Queens school after online contact with an adult on the gaming app Discord, according to prosecutors. Suffolk County authorities say she was later found safely and a Long Island man has been indicted on kidnapping and child endangerment charges, with a court date set for February 17, 2026.
   

4. Who is Kamar Samuels, NYC's new schools chancellor? His plans on integration, gifted programs and more (nydailynews.com) — New schools chancellor Kamar Samuels has already been on the ground in Queens, visiting a Corona preschool and a Ridgewood school sheltering families displaced by a major fire. As he settles into leading the city’s school system, he’s outlining plans on integration, school mergers, class size, and gifted programs that will shape classrooms across Queens and the rest of New York City.
   

5. The Daily Dirt: Pinnacle's apartments sell despite tenant pleas. What's next? (therealdeal.com) — A major sale of more than 5,000 rent-stabilized apartments is moving ahead in New York City despite tenant opposition and city concerns, with a court hearing set for January 15. For Queens readers, note that Assembly member Claire Valdez of Queens has been endorsed in a closely watched congressional race spanning neighborhoods like Ridgewood and Astoria.
   

📸 Around Queens

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Queens

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • ICYMI: The International Women’s Conference Returns to Hofstra University A Celebration of Women’s Leadership —Phillip Andrews Read on Patch
  • Please share & repost to help reunite this lost dog!
    Benji was LOST on January 9, 2026 in Queens, NY 11365 near ran to the left of the hse at 71-43 166th St Sharing for a neighbor. For the latest… (Nextdoor Briarwood (138St-Coolidge))
  • I have some things I want to get rid of and I don't want them to go to waste.
    My mother had a stroke and had these items, but has sense passed away. I have been trying to find an organization that deals with disabilities to… (Nextdoor St Albans (South 120th Ave))

Ok Queens! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I see food and I eat it.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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