🌱 Phase Two Of Sunset Cove Park + NYPD Pension And Crime Stats

Hello again, neighbors! It's me, Miranda Fraraccio, your host of the Queens Daily. Let's get this day started off right, with a quick guide to everything you need to know about what's happening these days in town.

First, today's weather:

A t-storm around in the p.m. High: 89 Low: 71.

Here are the top three stories in Queens today:

1. New York City Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue joined Borough President Donovan Richards and others in celebrating the groundbreaking of phase two of the Sunset Cove Park Project. The project will create a new boardwalk and outdoor classroom. The area where Sunset Cove sits was once closed for over a decade, a notorious dumping ground. Today, the park contains 4.5 acres of salt marsh and 7 acres of maritime upland for people to enjoy. (City Life Org)
2. Top of the class: a Queens teacher received the Citywide Award for Excellence. Described as a "game-changing force," Anastasia Difino created new curricula for elementary students in Queensboro Hill to meet the needs of immigrant and ESL students. She was awarded the FLAG Award for Teaching Excellence, which comes with $25,000 for herself and $10,000 for her school. (Patch)
3. According to NYPD pension numbers, more than 1,500 NYPD officers have retired or resigned this year. Compared with the 561 new recruits welcomed at the Jul. 1 Police Academy Graduation, the police department may be running low on officers in the near future. On the bright side, crime has dropped 71 percent in the past 29 years, and shooting incidents are down year-over-year compared to June 2021. However, the overall crime index has risen, with double-digit increases in grand larceny, robbery, and burglary. Click the link to see more stats. (Western Queens Gazette)

From our sponsor:

Interested in insanely high-paying cash back cards with no annual fee? A long-time credit card writer says these are some of the best deals he's seen in his years of writing for top financial websites.

You can pocket a $200 bonus with these high-paying cash back credit cards. Plus, enjoy high ongoing cash back rates, no annual fee, or 0% interest for 15 months on purchases. Start racking up huge cash back rewards. Visit here to learn more.

Today in Queens:

• Compost Beautification Community Volunteer Day at Queens Botanical Garden (1:00 PM)
• Craig Greenberg Band at Culture Lab LIC (7:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Queens Chamber of Commerce hosted a webinar presented by Ed Cresci And Google For Business. The webinar covered how to boost your Google results standing and how to be found online without spending money. Watch the recording of the webinar at the link. (Queens Chamber of Commerce via Facebook)
• Queens Economic Development Corporation took a food tour of Richmond Hill. Locations included Gurudwara The Sikh Cultural Society, Desi Bites, Kaieteur Express, and Little Guyana Bake Shop. See the full spread at the link. (Queens Economic Development Corporation via Facebook)
• Ride on! Queens Borough President Donovan Richards wanted to remind you about the Youth Bike Jamboree. On Saturday, Jul. 16, starting at noon, kids are invited to ride their bikes, play games, and enjoy some safe entertainment. (Queens Borough President Donovan Richards via Facebook)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

• Adult Painting Classes (July 15)
• City of Water Day Celebration College Point Waterfront: Then and Now (July 17)
• Add your event

For sale:

• 3 Bedroom Coop, Wellesley Gardens, Douglaston (Details)
• Add your item

Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Thursday. I'll see you back in your inbox tomorrow 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.