Amanda Salazar

In 2021, Assembly Member Steven Otis became the first chair of the Committee on Science and Technology, which he had advocated for the creation of. Since then, the Westchester County legislator has worked on financing clean water infrastructure projects, expanding universal broadband access for New Yorkers without internet access and deploying electric vehicle charging infrastructure around the state.

The New York City Economic Development Corp. is focused on finding innovative ways to use technology, especially artificial intelligence, to drive sustainable, equitable economic growth for New York residents and businesses. The EDC has a number of programs that support the city’s continued transformation into a “smart city.” President and CEO Andrew Kimball has had experience doing this work from his time as CEO of the Brooklyn Navy Yard and then Industry City.

Paul Rothman is the director of smart cities and internet of things at the New York City Office of Technology and Innovation. In this role, Rothman draws from his experiences in the private sector and academia to oversee the Smart City Testbed Program, which facilitates technology-driven pilot projects that can help city agencies plan for future innovations.

As co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Smart Cities and a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Rep. Yvette Clarke is invested in using technology and other innovative ways to advance the state’s ability to provide for its residents. Through her years of elected service, first as a New York City Council member and then in Congress, she has worked on finding ways to both leverage the use of technology and to protect constituents from it.

City & State’s latest Queens Power 100 – written and researched by City & State in partnership with journalist Sean Okula – features the current Queens leaders who keep the borough on the move.

The Salt Marsh Alliance, a nonprofit that hosts events and programming in the Marine Park Salt Marsh, hosted the Parks Department’s Director of Natural Areas Management Kip Stein, who spoke about restoration projects all over the salt marsh.

Following a rally at 2134 Coyle Street over a planned homeless shelter near the border of Sheepshead Bay and Marine Park, a large crowd gathered at the Carmine Carro Community Center, located at 3000 Fillmore Avenue, on Tuesday, March 18th.

The IHOP in Sheepshead Bay, located at 2951 Avenue U, is known for its comforting food and inviting atmosphere — but also for its community events. The restaurant hosted its most recent event, a fundraiser for P.S. 312 Bergen Beach, on Monday, March 10th. Between the hours of 3 and 10 p.m., 20% of all checks paid at the pancake joint were donated to the public school.

A giant light-up rainbow shines out of a pot of gold on a lush green lawn. A leprechaun dances a jig in the front bay window. Shamrocks adorn the façade of the house, mixing in with bright green lights. This is St. Patrick’s Day at Brooklyn’s Home for the Holidays, a private home in Georgetown adorned with decoration displays for every major holiday.

Happy guests shriek as they plummet down a 52-foot drop. Children excitedly interact with princesses and talking animals during a midday parade. Fireworks bloom in the sky every night, to an uplifting soundtrack that I passionately belt along to, even though I can’t sing.
This was my experience at work every day for nine months in the most magical place on Earth as an attractions staff member.

Councilwoman Farah Louis held a Town Hall at the Tuesday, February 25th Nieuw Amersfort Community Association (NACA) meeting to discuss quality of life issues in the neighborhood.

The deadline for the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy’s (JBRPC) annual Wetlands Fellowship application is fast approaching on Friday, March 7th.

Canarsie Community Development Inc. (CCDI) and the Consortium for Climate Risk in the Urban Northeast (CCRUN) are beginning a three-phase project in Canarsie to study residents’ experiences with flooding and sinking and to, hopefully, identify some potential solutions.

The Tuesday, February 11th meeting of the Mill Basin Civic Association (MCBA) provided attendees with a rundown of community news, events and issues, featuring a number of speakers from political offices and local businesses.

It’s official: the fastest kid in Canarsie, 3rd-grader Benjamin Jerome Mack Cartwright, Jr., also known as BJ, can now also be called the fastest kid in the world, having won first place in the Millrose Games’ “Youth Boys’ (U-8) Fastest Kid in the World” 55-meter race.