🌱 Spotted Lanternfly Warning In Queens + Dollar Hits In Little Manila

Good morning, friends! It's Thursday in Queens and I'm back in your inbox with everything that's fit to print about what's happening in the community today. I'll get right to it.

First, today's weather:

Very warm with plenty of sun. High: 89 Low: 74.

Here are the top three stories in Queens today:

1. Attention Queens residents! If you see a Spotted Lanternfly, the city Department of Parks is urging you to kill it. The department is taking desperate measures to stop the eye-catching, yet highly invasive, insect whose arrival in New York City has sounded a death knell for the region’s forests, crops, and neighborhood gardens, according to parks officials. Spotted Lanternflies are distinct; they have reddish wings and black spots. The department is urging residents in several western Queens neighborhoods — particularly in Astoria and Dutch Kills — to be on the lookout. (Western Queens Gazette)
2. The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has awarded New York City with a $7 million grant for greenway projects in underserved communities. Mayor Eric Adams announced earlier this week that NYC received the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant, which will be earmarked for the development of a comprehensive greenway vision plan — the first of its kind in over three decades — focused on the funding and future building out of new car-free transit corridors dedicated to walking and cycling across all five boroughs. An extension of the Jamaica Bay Greenway into southeast Queens was called out by AMNY as a potential area for a corridor. (The Architect's Newspaper)
3. A Filipino street food franchise has opened in Woodside’s Little Manila. Dollar Hits, a popular California-based restaurant, held a grand opening on Saturday for its new location at 39-04 64th Street. The restaurant is best known for its grilled skewers and offers more than 30 varieties including quintessential Filipino items such as “isaw,” a skewer of grilled pork intestines, “adidas,” which is grilled chicken feet, or “kwek kwek,” which is battered quail eggs. Although skewers were originally priced at $1 — as in “Dollar Hits” — when the business first opened in 2013 in California, the Woodside location is selling the skewers for $1.50 due to higher operating costs. (Astoria Post)

Today in Queens:

• Farm Community Volunteer Days, At Queens Botanical Garden (9:30 AM)
• Mixtape Bingo, At SingleCut Beersmiths (7:30 PM)

From my notebook:

• Celebrate the harvest season with apples and honey at Apples and Honey Day at the Queens Botanical Garden on Sunday, Sep. 11! Fill your day with themed crafts, apples, and honey tastings, local beer and cider, and more. (Queens Botanical Garden via Facebook)
• Three Queens organizations — Greater Jamaica Development Corporation, Long Island City Partnership, and the Business Outreach Center Network in Corona — were awarded funding from National Grid to support small businesses. (QNS.com)
• In the market for a new home? There are numerous open houses taking place this weekend in Queens. A three-bedroom, three-bathroom property is available for $699,00 on 116th St. in Jamaica; the open house will be held on Aug. 27 at 2:00 p.m. (Queens Patch)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

• A 50s and 60s Garden Concert! (August 28)
• A 50s & 60s Garden Concert at the College Point Cultural Center & Museum at Poppenhusen Institute (August 28)
• Walk for WORC Force (September 18)
• Add your event

Thanks for following along and staying informed! I'll see you around.

— 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.