🌱 Queens Man Cleared Of 2014 Murder + Gianaris’ Puppy Mill Bill

Welcome back, Queens! I'm here in your inbox this morning to tell you everything you need to know about what's going on around town. Let's do it...

First, today's weather:

Winds subsiding; morning rain. High: 78 Low: 61.

Here are the top three stories today in Queens:

1. Do you know this man? Police have released photos of the man wanted for punching a woman at a subway station in April. On Apr. 2 at around 5:50 p.m., a man slugged a woman, who was allegedly hit for no reason, in the back of the head as she got off a train inside the Forest Hills-71 Avenue train station. According to police, the suspect then fled the station to parts unknown wearing a black-colored hoody and gray pants. Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). (Forest Hills Post)
2. A Queens man has been freed after being cleared in a 2014 murder. When Prakash Churaman was 15, he was charged with second-degree murder — accused of being one of three masked intruders in a home invasion in Queens — after a woman was killed and a man was shot and injured. According to Churaman’s attorneys, there is no physical evidence tying him to the home invasion, and no gun was ever recovered. Now, they plan to sue the city and the detectives who investigated the crime. (Spectrum News NY1)
3. A Queens politician's bill that aims to end puppy mills awaits Gov. Hochul’s signature. Mike Gianaris has been championing this bill in the state senate for years — it finally passed last week after several failed attempts. The state legislation, which has passed both legislative chambers for the first time, calls for the end of puppy mills and breeding farms. (Sunnyside Post)

Today in Queens:

• Farm Community Volunteer Days, At Queens Botanical Garden (9:30 AM)
• Thursday Mobile Devices Class, At Queens Public Library (11:30 AM)
• Hillcrest Crochet Club, At Queens Public Library (12:30 PM)

From my notebook:

• During a meeting on Monday, the Queens Borough Board approved a smoke-free resolution designed to help eliminate the dangers of secondhand smoke in housing units. (QNS.com)
• A Beaufort County, South Carolina double murder suspect who was on the run for months has been captured in Queens. (WJCL News Savannah)
• A man was shot during a wild daytime shootout near a Woodside playground on Tuesday. (Queens Post)

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Alrighty, you're all caught up for today! 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, 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.