🌱 State Employee Union Ratifies Contract + Mosquito Spray Next Week

Hello again, neighbors! I'm back with your fresh edition of the Queens Daily, fresh off the presses. Let's get this Thursday started off right, with a quick guide to everything you need to know about what's going on around town.

📣 Our readers love to celebrate good news! You can now shout out your big announcement at the top of the Queens Daily newsletter. Whether it's a grand opening, new product for sale, birthday, anniversary, engagement, wedding, or new baby, let everyone celebrate alongside you! Submit your announcement here.

First, today's weather:

Mostly sunny, hot, and humid. High: 90 Low: 76.

Here are the top three stories in Queens today:

1. The largest public sector labor union in the state of New York ratified a five-year contract. According to Governor Hochul, the agreement includes two percent raises for the first two years and three percent for the remaining three years. CSEA President Mary Sullivan thanked the negotiating team for delivering the new state contract. Click the link to learn more about the negotiation process. (Spectrum News NY1)
2. Queens will receive additional rounds of mosquito spray next week. The Health Department is working to eliminate mosquitoes with spraying scheduled for Monday, Aug. 8 between 8:30 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. the following morning. In the case of inclement weather, the spraying will take place on Aug. 9 instead. (AMNY)
3. Looking for a new home in Queens? Here are five new homes on the local market. A four-bed, two-bath home in Floral Park is listed for $839,999. Another home in Jamaica Estates is listed for just under $1.4 million with three beds and four baths. To see the full spread of houses, click the link. (Queens Patch)

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Today in Queens:

• Norah Jones at Forest Hills Stadium (7:00 PM)
• Nat Janoff Group at Culture Lab LIC (7:00 PM)
• Flamenco Latino 2022 Más Allá Series at Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning (7:30 PM)
• Queensboro Dance Festival Pop-up Performance at George Seuffert, Sr. Bandshell (7:30 PM)

From my notebook:

• Queens Botanical Garden's Jennifer Ko shared her favorite botanical highlights at the Garden. Click the link to watch the video discussing the purple coneflower. (Queens Botanical Garden via Facebook)
• The New York City Health Department is celebrating the unveiling of a new mural. The mural is dedicated to mental health and is located at the John F. Kennedy International Airport. See it at the link. (nyc.gov)
• Norman Wayne Schneiderhan, who began the World's Largest Truck Convoy for the Special Olympics, died on Jul. 26. The 70-year-old, who was born in Queens, raised over $5 million for Special Olympics. (Land Line Media)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

• Adult and Family Painting Workshops (August 5)
• JAMS Under the Stars (August 5)
• Jamaica Arts & Music Summer (JAMS) Festival (August 6)
• Add your event

Announcements:

• Behind The Scoreboard – NYC Ice Welcomes A Lady Coach (Details)
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Housing:

• True Two Bedroom ** 66-10 Yellowstone Blvd. 4J Forest Hills, NY 11375 (Details)
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You're officially in the loop for today! See you all tomorrow morning for 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.