🔒 Rikers Just Lost Its First Building — For Good

🥵 97 Degrees Over the Fourth — How Not to Melt

🏆 The Real World Cup Drama Begins

🥪 This Woodside Deli Needs You to Show Up

🐱 She Survived Cancer, Then Saved 100 Cats

Something actually happened on Rikers Island this week — and it’s the kind of thing officials have been promising for years without following through. Mayor Mamdani permanently closed the North Infirmary Command on Monday, June 29, handing the 1932-era jail building over to the Department of Citywide Administrative Services. For the first time in the current closure effort, a Rikers facility is truly, officially offline.

The transfer is part of a city law requirement that Rikers facilities be handed off every six months as the closure plan moves forward. The Mamdani administration also transferred portions of the Anna M. Kross Center and George Motchan Detention Center — the first such transfers since 2021, when the process stalled under the previous administration. The vision is to eventually replace Rikers with four smaller borough-based jails, including one going up behind Queens Criminal Court in Kew Gardens, slated for completion around 2031.

That Queens jail will be the only one of the four designed to include space for women and gender-expansive individuals, plus a nursery and medical facilities for pregnant women. Progress has been slow across the board — but Monday’s announcements suggest the Mamdani administration is serious about breaking the logjam, one building at a time.

👉 Read more: Queens Daily Eagle  |  CBS New York

July 4th weekend is going to feel like the inside of a souvlaki oven. Starting Thursday, temperatures in Queens are expected to hit 97°F and stay there through Friday — with overnight lows barely dipping below the high 80s. If you don’t have AC at home, this is not a weekend to tough it out.

The good news: Astoria Pool opened last weekend and it’s free all summer long. At 330 by 165 feet, it’s the largest of the historic WPA pools and can hold over 5,500 people — even on a packed July 4th you’re usually not fighting for water space. You’ll find it at the northern end of Astoria Park (19th St & 23rd Dr), open daily. If you need a cooling center rather than a pool, NYC’s coolheat website has a locator: type in your zip code and it shows the closest spot with air conditioning.

The city’s heat plan should automatically activate when temperatures reach forecast levels — that means cooling buses and extended library hours. Watch for an announcement Thursday morning, and if you have elderly or isolated neighbors, check in on them. Extreme heat is hardest on people who are alone. Stay cool out there, Astoria.

👉 Astoria Pool: NYC Parks  |  Cooling centers: nyc.gov/coolheat

The group stage has wrapped, and starting this July 4th weekend, it’s single-elimination for the rest of the tournament. The Round of 16 kicks off Friday — one loss and you’re done — which makes every remaining match must-watch. And Astoria is showing every single one.

The Queens Fan Zone at USTA in Flushing closed June 27 after the group stage ended, but the neighborhood’s World Cup scene is very much alive. Bohemian Hall (29-19 24th Ave) has screens in the beer garden and promises to broadcast every remaining match through the final on July 19. Parlay Astoria is calling itself Queens’ World Cup HQ. And the city has added neighborhood watch parties across the five boroughs for knockout matches — check worldcup.nyc for Queens-area listings including Flushing Meadows and Corona Plaza dates.

The knockout bracket still has nations with massive Queens fan bases. Moroccan fans in Astoria, Brazilian fans in Jackson Heights, Ecuadorian fans on Roosevelt Avenue, Greek fans at every coffee shop — the neighborhood is going to stay loud through July 19. Grab your spot early, know the match schedule, and savor the fact that you live in the most electrifying place to watch this World Cup on the planet.

👉 Full schedule: FIFA World Cup 2026 NYNJ  |  NYC watch parties: worldcup.nyc

Joseph Cruz had a vision when he opened Locals at 47-02 48th Ave in Woodside back in March: a neighborhood deli that actually reflected the neighborhood. Dominican chimis. Chopped cheeses. Creole-style tenders. Hot dogs. Fresh ingredients. The kind of place where you grab lunch and feel good about it.

For a few weeks, it worked great. Business was booming and the early buzz was real. Then it got quiet. Cruz told QNS this month that despite social media promotions — specials that get barely two responses — foot traffic has steadily declined since that opening rush. He and partner Will Ortiz are now weighing whether to relocate rather than close entirely, and they’re giving the current spot one last push before deciding.

This is the story of a hundred small businesses in western Queens: a genuinely good idea, a genuinely good product, but needing the community to show up consistently to survive past the opening rush. If you’re near Woodside, stop by Locals this week. Grab a chimi, a chopped cheese, whatever. Independent spots with this kind of ambition deserve a real shot.

👉 Read more: QNS  |  47-02 48th Ave, Woodside

Amrita Sahadeo didn’t set out to become a community cat rescuer. She was recovering from a car accident and battling cervical cancer when she found herself spending more and more time caring for the strays and ferals in her neighborhood. What started in the attic of her home has turned into a full-time mission — one that has now touched the lives of more than 100 cats across Queens.

She practices TNR — trap, neuter, return — the most effective, humane method for managing community cat populations. She traps strays across Jamaica, Bayside, and wherever she gets a call, fosters them back to health, and works with the Animal Care Centers of NYC to get them what they need. On a given day she’s helping 25 cats. QNS published her story this month, and it’s worth a full read.

Stories like Amrita’s are the connective tissue of Queens neighborhoods — someone who transforms their own hardship into something that makes the community a little kinder and a little better. If you have a community cat situation or want to support TNR work in Queens, reach out to ACCNYC or local rescue networks. And if you see Amrita out there with a trap, wave hello.

👉 Read more: QNS  |  Support: Animal Care Centers of NYC

Astoria Insider is inviting local businesses and organizations to be featured in its growing community newsletter.

The platform highlights local news, events and community stories, providing businesses with an opportunity to reach a highly engaged local audience and showcase what they offer.

From restaurants and shops to services and community groups, all are encouraged to participate and share their story with readers across the Astoria and surrounding areas. Don’t own a business? That’s ok… Know of one that should be featured?

Those interested in being featured can reach out to learn more about available opportunities and upcoming editions. Click the button below to feature your business or send an email to [email protected] with your business details and we’ll reach out!