The Flushing Blog

After more than a decade of local advocacy, a dangerous intersection in Whitestone finally received an all-way stop sign.

The new traffic control at 163rd Street and 24th Road is a relief to Councilman Paul Vallone, who has been advocating for it since 2014.

According to Vallone, residents Cyrille Kousiaris and Salvatore Cippo circulated a petition and submitted it to DOT back in 2013.

Last December, Cippo reached out to Vallone to report a series of recent car collisions at the intersection.

Without the all-way stop, there would have been six continuous blocks along 163rd Street without a stop sign.

“In 2007, I moved to a corner house in Whitestone, and soon after I started to see accidents due to speeding on 163rd Street and poor visibility on the adjacent road,” Cippo said in a statement. “In the last 12 years, Cyrille has lost two new cars to accidents and my house was hit by a car.

“A new stop sign was installed on July 15, saving someone from injury or possible death,” he added.

Mosquito season is back, and the Health Department is stepping up its pesticide treatment in local marshes.

The Health Department is conducting a second aerial larviciding treatment to marshes and wetland areas throughout the city from Wednesday, July 17 to Friday, July 19, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

In case of bad weather, application would be delayed to Friday, Monday and Tuesday.

The helicopter will treat only non-residential areas.

To date, no human cases of West Nile virus have been reported this season, according to the Health Department.

The agency will use environmentally-friendly and EPA-approved “VectoLex® FG,” which contains naturally occurring bacteria and kills young mosquitos before they grow into adults.

The most effective way to control mosquitos, the department notes, is to eliminate standing water.

Here are the Queens areas that will be part of the aerial larviciding:

• Alley Pond Park – Alley Creek
• Linden Hill/College Point – Abandoned Flushing Airport
• Edgemere, Somerville – Dubos Point and Edgemere Park
• Brookville Park
• Kissena Park

Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao, one of Flushing’s most recognizable soup dumpling spots, closed its doors last month.

While local residents and foodies wondered what happened, the mom-and-pop restaurant was plotting an upgrade and expansion to One Fulton Square.

Nan Xiang plans to reopen in the fall into a bigger and better space – able to accommodate 150 guests – just 100 feet from its original location. The restaurant will move into a 5,113-square-foot space with a 10-year lease. F&T Group will be its new landlord.

Known for its crab and pork soup dumplings, steamed buns and Shanghainese dim sum, Nan Xiang also serves crispy noodles, fried rice cakes, scallion pancaked and pan-fried dumplings.

Other restaurants at One Fulton Square include Pappa Rich, Guan Fu, IKI Modern Japanese Cuisine, The Coop and Leaf Bar and Lounge.

Flushing will soon have its first beer garden.

Tangram, the 1.2 million-square-foot mixed-use mega-development that will have a 4DX theater and a luxury hotel, announced last week that it will open the neighborhood’s first beer garden.

It will be called “The Beer Assembly,” and it comes from Todd Leong, who also opened Lucky Rice and Leaf Bar & Lounge Cocktail Bar at One Fulton Square in Flushing.

The beer garden will feature a selection of craft brews from around the world, paired with a food menu inspired by skewers.

It will be part of Tangram’s 24,000-square-foot food hall. Guests will be able to eat and drink as they wish inside the development.

Earlier this month, Tangram also announced that Xiao Long Kan Hot Pot, a hot pot chain, will also come to Flushing.

There’s a lot of anticipation for Tangram to open. Stay tuned for more announcements!

The winners of this year’s Mother’s Day Essay Contest for grades two through five are:

• 2nd Grade: Allison Kim, from PS 159 in Bayside
• 3rd Grade: Marilena Korahais, from PS 209 in Whitestone
• 4th Grade: Isabella Delvey, from PS 32 in Auburndale
• 5th Grade: Isabella Andrea Cortes, from PS 107 in Auburndale

According to Assemblyman Ed Braunstein, nearly 200 students from schools in his district participated.

All of the winners received a gift card, while all participants received a New York State Assembly Certificate of Merit.

The second annual Flushing’s World Fair will take place on Friday, June 28 and Saturday, June 29.

The two-day business expo will feature marketing panels, walking tours and a food crawl through the best Flushing has to offer.

The event will again feature the “Passport to Flushing,” which contains special promotions and discounts by some of the neighborhood’s best local restaurants and cultural venues.

Organizers expect hundreds of attendees this year, which will kick off with a breakfast and Asian-American women entrepreneurs panel at Queens College.

For more information and full schedule of the Flushing’s World Fair, visit their website here.