14 DECEMBER 30, 2021 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Queens’ top stories from January 2021
BY BILL PARRY
BPARRY@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
As 2021 comes to an end, QNS has compiled a list of
the biggest stories, events and people of Queens
that grabbed our attention this year.
Here is a look back at the top stories for the month
of January.
TRIPLE SHOOTING AT KEW
GARDENS HOTEL MARKS FIRST
HOMICIDE OF 2021: NYPD
One person was killed and two others were injured
in a shooting at the Umbrella Hotel in Kew Gardens
early in the morning of Friday, Jan. 1, marking the
fi rst homicide of the new year, according to the NYPD.
Offi cers from the 102nd Precinct responded to a
call regarding the shooting just aft er 1 a.m. on Friday,
Jan. 1. Upon their arrival, offi cers discovered three
people had been shot.
A police spokesperson said the shooting victims
were together at the hotel and engaged in a dispute
with a group of at least four people before the
shooting.
NORTHWELL HEALTH’S URGENT
CARE FACILITIES BEGIN COVID-19
VACCINATIONS
Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care became
the fi rst urgent care network in the nation approved
to receive and administer the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
Aft er receiving its initial allocation, the New York
urgent care network began vaccinating team members
on the front line during the fi rst week of January.
The Moderna vaccine provides the same protective
technology as the Pfi zer vaccine, and both have
similar effi cacy levels of around 95%. Like the Pfi zer
vaccine, Moderna’s inoculation requires two shots.
However, the interval between the Moderna vaccine
One person was killed and two others were injured in a shooting at the Umbrella Hotel in Kew
Gardens early in the morning of Friday, Jan. 1. Photo by Mari Estrella
is 28 days, while the time frame between Pfi zer’s
doses is 21 days.
QUEENS RESTAURANTS TAKE PART
IN RESTAURANT WEEK TO GO
A record 570 restaurants, including 45 from Queens,
participated in Restaurant Week To Go in an eff ort to
promote eating locally at a time when indoor dining
was closed. Participating restaurants provided diners
with an entrée and at least one side dish for lunch
or dinner, all for $20.21. Some of the restaurants also
off ered these deals the following week.
According to NYC & Company, the record-setting
570 participants is 200 more than any NYC Restaurant
Week since 1992. The organization added that Restaurant
Week To Go aims to allow customers to safely
enjoy restaurants while allowing the establishments
to “make takeout and delivery a revenue stream to
help get through the winter months.”
QUEENS LOSES NEARLY 200 CHAIN
STORES, THIRD-LARGEST DECLINE
IN THE CITY
Queens saw an 11% drop in chain store locations
in 2020, the third-largest drop out of all the fi ve
boroughs. The Center for an Urban Future’s 13th
annual State of the Chains report found more than
1,000 chain stores across New York City closed either
temporarily or permanently over the past year or
nearly one in every seven locations that were open
at this time last year.
In Queens, 198 chain stores shut their doors over the
past year. The report found the number of chain stores
in the city declined by 13% over the last year, with 2%
closing temporarily and 11% not indicating whether
closures were permanent.
YEAR IN REVIEW
Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care became the fi rst urgent care network in the nation
approved to receive and administer the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann
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