🌱 Zenon Taverna Closed + Mandalay Club + Damaged Menorah

Happy Thursday, neighbors! Let's get you all caught up on what's happening locally to start today off on an informed note.

First, today's weather:

An afternoon shower in spots. High: 57 Low: 42.

Here are the top stories in Queens today:

1. An NYC Burmese restaurant, Mandalay Club, has launched in a Queens ghost kitchen. On Thursday, Chef Myo Moe and co-owner Daniel Bendjy are opening the doors of their sophomore project at an NYC outpost of CloudKitchens, a ghost kitchen chain run by disgraced Uber founder Travis Kalanick, located at 40-05 Skillman Avenue on the cusp of Sunnyside and Long Island City. The menu at Mandalay Club draws from an inland region rife with cattle farming, and Bendjy says it will be “more rustic, more countryside.” (Eater NY)
2. A Queens mom has been living in 'hell' fighting prosecutors over fake gun charges. Elizaveta Zlatkis was charged with felony possession of 22 guns in Dec. 2019, but many of the firearms are just props her then-husband supplied to rappers for music videos. While the Queens District Attorney’s Office eventually dropped the felony counts, Zlatkis remains charged with several misdemeanors and prosecutors are refusing to let the case go. (New York Post)
3. The NY Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating after a menorah was damaged in Hollis Hills. Chabad Rabbi Yerachmiel Zalmanov, who erected the menorah, called the police over the weekend after he saw the large public menorah was knocked into the street. A similar menorah at the same street corner, on Union Turnpike and 220th Street, was knocked over twice in 2014, and no arrests were made for those incidents. (Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
4. The Ryan Seacrest Foundation is opening its 12th 'Seacrest Studio' at Cohen Children's Medical Center in Glen Oaks. The center will be home to the foundation's only state-of-the-art Seacrest Studio in New York, which will be used by pediatric patients to explore the creative realms of radio, television, and new media. The studio, opening in 2022, will be located prominently in the atrium of Cohen Children's Medical Center. (WABC-TV)
5. Astoria's Zenon Taverna has closed after serving the community for 33 years. The Greek-Cypriot taverna, located on 31st Avenue, closed their doors at the end of the day on Sunday, Nov. 28. The owners of the family-run business said they closed due to the challenges of running a small business. (Greek Reporter)

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Today in Queens:

• It’s Time for Kind: Pop Culture and Kindness Trivia - Astoria Branch Library (3:30 PM)
• Literary Thursdays: One Last Stop with Casey McQuiston - Astoria Branch Library (4:00 PM)
• The Double Life of Amphibians: A Hunters Point Environmental Education Center Program - Astoria Branch Library (4:00 PM)
• Chat with a Scientist: Waste Management: A Hunters Point Environmental Education Center Program - Astoria Branch Library (5:00 PM)
• Creative Online Job Searching - Astoria Branch Library (5:00 PM)
• CreArt and Culture Lab LIC Presents "Classic Music Moving Forward" - Culture Lab LIC (7:30 PM)

From my notebook:

• Queens Botanical Garden: "⏱❄️ Winter Wonder Countdown! Join us THREE DAYS from now on Saturday, and see our magnificent tree light up! 🎄 We will also have a menorah lighting. 🕎 As part of the free event, enjoy selfies with Santa (donations welcome), musical performances, crafts, a tree tour, sales at the QBG Shop, and a selection of beverages at the Holiday Bar for purchase." (Facebook)
• Queens Borough President Donovan Richards: "Today is World AIDS Day, and as the fight continues, let's commemorate the lives lost due to an AIDS related illness. We must also ensure the fight to end AIDS continues, making sure no one is left behind. #WorldAIDSDay" (Facebook)
• Queens Museum: "38 million people worldwide are living with HIV and AIDS, and only 62% have access to antiretroviral medication. In the United States, healthcare remains inaccessible for many, as the costs of HIV treatments continue to skyrocket. World Aids Day we are partnering with Visual Aids to help raise awareness around HIV/Aids with ENDURING CARE – an afternoon of film screenings focused on stories of collective care, mutual aid, and solidarity while pointing to the negligence of governments and nonprofits. Tomorrow, Dec 1, from 12pm - 5pm. we will be presenting 7 commissioned short films on a loop in the Museum’s theatre." (Facebook)
• Queens Chamber of Commerce: "With 73 businesses participating, the Long Island City Partnership Community Gift Card highlights all that the sprawling neighborhood has to offer for all spheres of life and for all ages, from food to arts and culture, to fitness, to family-friendly activities." (Facebook)
• Queens, New York: "Check out great Korean folk art in Flushing Dec. 1-Dec. 20. Info: https://bit.ly/3CTWi1l" (Facebook)

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You're all caught up for today! I'll be back in your inbox tomorrow with another update. If you're liking these newsletters, consider inviting some of your friends and neighbors to read along. You can send them this link to subscribe.

— Miranda Fraraccio

About me: Miranda Fraraccio is a born and raised Rhode Islander. She works as a freelance copywriter for content creation agency Lightning Media Partners and as an assistant producer for a live-lit storytelling show in Chicago. She holds a degree in Writing & Rhetoric and Communication Studies from The University of Rhode Island. In her free time, you can find her traveling, hiking, or photographing her neighborhood as a street photographer.