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🌱 Patch AM: Which Queens restaurants opened as longtime neighborhood favorites shut their doors?

Be sure to catch Herbert Holler's Annual 80s Night + 50th Birthday! on the Queens Patch calendar

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Hi there, Queens! We've got your morning read ready! Read on to stay connected. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

  • Which Queens restaurants opened as longtime neighborhood favorites shut their doors?
  • How a Queens public defender group’s ex-leader landed in federal trouble
  • How a Woodside gunpoint robbery fits into an 18-crime spree

Also on today's calendar: Herbert Holler's Annual 80s Night + 50th Birthday! and 9 more events.

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

Today's riddle: I think I’ll wear only one boot today. 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

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

  • Wednesday: Mostly cloudy and breezy, with a high of 35 and low of 30 degrees.
  • Thursday: Breezy with clouds and sun, temps: high: 35, low: 22.
  • Friday: Partly sunny, brisk and cold, with a high of 31 and low of 25 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Year in review: Queens' top business stories of 2025 (qns.com) — Queens diners saw big changes in 2025, with new hotspots like Boathouse Rooftop in Astoria, Dim Sum Palace and Serafina in Long Island City, and the borough’s first five-star hotel in Flushing, while beloved staples Brooks 1890 and Porto Bello closed after decades of service.
   

2. Queens Defenders founder Lori Zeno plans guilty plea in federal fraud case (nydailynews.com) — A former executive director of Queens Defenders is preparing to plead guilty in a federal fraud case tied to alleged misuse of hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Queens-based public defender group. Prosecutors say the funds supported personal luxuries and questionable hires, while related charges against two co-defendants remain pending. Queens residents may see continued scrutiny of the organization’s leadership and finances.
   

3. Thieves sought for 18 robberies targeting lone victims in Queens, the Bronx (nydailynews.com) — Police are searching for a crew linked to 18 robberies across Queens and the Bronx, including an October holdup of a 26-year-old man at gunpoint on 39th Ave. in Woodside. The suspects use two-wheeled vehicles, target lone victims, and sometimes beat or threaten them with weapons. Tipsters can contact Crime Stoppers confidentially.
   

4. QueensLink vs QueensWay: A Decade-Long Battle Over Abandoned Tracks Enters a New Chapter (nycitynewsservice.com) — Queens residents face a pivotal choice between reviving the Rockaway Beach rail line as the QueensLink subway or turning it into the QueensWay linear park, with funding and political backing now in flux. The piece details how Jackson Heights, Rockaways, Forest Hills, and other neighborhoods could gain or lose crucial transit options, and highlights concerns about equity, access, and whose voices are shaping this billion‑dollar corridor’s future.
   

📸 Around Queens

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Queens

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Update: Pet Reunited
    Cleo, a cat who went missing in Queens, NY, has been safely reunited with their family after 4 hours, 8 minutes. Message from Owner: "Cleo is my… (Nextdoor Briarwood (138St-Coolidge))
  • Possibly lost cat!
    Hello, my cat recently got out of the house during the night and he hasn’t shown up as he would come running back to the house. I walked around the… (Nextdoor Middle Village (Elliot-84St))

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 heard there’s only a 50 percent chance of snow.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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