The intersection at 26th Avenue and Francis Lewis Boulevard is a tricky one for motorists to navigate, and making a left turn is often particularly challenging. But state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside), who has had it on his to-do list to change this scenario for about three years, does not see the situation improving any time soon. Comment

The group of senior citizens shuffled across 39th Street in Sunnyside, cautiously looking in all directions as they approached the spot at 43rd Avenue where cyclist Gelasio Reyes was struck and killed by an alleged drunk and unlicensed driver on April 2. Comment

The Port Authority Police Department will not help airlines remove paying passengers from overbooked flights, nor if they need to make room for crew members. The commander of the PAPD has warned his officers not to make the same mistake that occurred last week in Chicago when Dr. David Dao was forcibly removed from a United Airlines flight in Chicago. Comments (7)

The cost of housing the homeless in commercial hotels has skyrocketed in recent months, with the city spending $530,000 per day, up from $400,000 per day just four months ago, according to a new analysis released Monday by City Comptroller Scott Stringer. That’s an increase of 32.5 percent. Comments (2)

Born on April 14, 1866, in Feeding Hills, Mass., Anne Sullivan is best known as the teacher and lifelong companion of Helen Keller. Stricken with an eye disease that left her nearly blind, Sullivan began teaching Keller at age 20 following her graduation from the renowned Perkins School for the Blind in her home state. By signing words into her hand for various objects such as water and a drinking mug, Sullivan taught Keller braille and entered the world of her strong-willed charge to free her soul from darkness. Sullivan was with Helen Keller until 1936, when Sullivan died in Forest Hills, Queens. Comment

The city has nearly completed a redesign and safety upgrade on a dangerous stretch of Astoria Boulevard in East Elmhurst. Comment

A coming-of-age tale about Bayside is now in paperback from author and former resident Lou Duro. Comments (3)

After the state budget passed a week beyond its official deadline, state Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Flushing) held a roundtable to discuss the victories and disappointments of fiscal year 2017. Comment

A week before oral arguments at the New York State Courts of Appeals, former Councilman Hiram Monserrate and Elmhurst community leaders gathered on the steps of City Hall Tuesday to once again demand that Mayor Bill de Blasio honor the original Willets Point Redevelopment Plan that guaranteed affordable housing. Comments (2)

Christ the King senior Jose Alvarado didn’t shy away from his leadership role with the Royals this season, finding a balance between talk and action to jumpstart his squad. Comment

In honor of Earth Day, City Councilman Costa Constantinides (D-Astoria) and state Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas (D-Astoria) are organizing the Astoria Climate Action Rally. The event is set for April 28, on the Great Lawn at Astoria Park. Comments (2)

Queens boasted some of the top hoops talent in the city this year. Here are the players who packed their stat sheets and racked up the victories. Comment

Longtime ‘Dozo boys basketball coach Ron Naclerio has been pacing the sidelines for years, but a recent opportunity has him doing it in front of the camera, booking a handful of gigs on TV. Comment

Film Comment

Jack Turner connected on the game-winning hit in the bottom of the fifth to lift Archbishop Molloy to a much-needed 2-1 victory over Xaverian on Tuesday. Comment

Assemblyman David Weprin, Co-President of the National Association of Jewish Legislators, issued the following statement in response to comments made by White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer. Comment

Comitato Festa Di Maria SS Del Romitello De Borgetto is more than just a mouthful. The East Elmhurst social club, founded in 1979 by Steve Giambrone, 81, has been a slice of home for him and other Sicilians in the neighborhood who came to the United States from Borgetto, a mountain town about a half-hour drive south of Palermo. Comments (1)

Greg Mays, the founder of A Better Jamaica arts and culture organization, is presenting Bangladeshi Delights Saturday at the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning, which is the third out of eight installation within the Delightful Festival series so far this year Comment

A Douglaston mansion is up for rent this summer for the price of a Manhattan one-bedroom apartment. Comments (2)

It’s Immigrant Heritage Week. The city Department of Small Business Services announced Tuesday a new guide offering step-by-step advice for immigrant entrepreneurs planning, launching, or growing a small business. Comments (2)

Ferry service to Astoria gets underway Aug. 1, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday as he welcomed the first three of 20 new NYC Ferry vessels into New York Harbor. Comments (2)

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is on a hot streak when it comes to transportation projects. Last year he oversaw the completion of the first stage of the 2nd Avenue subway line, which was 96 years in the making. He also announced the construction to rebuild LaGuardia airport. On April 12, he released the final Environmental Impact Statement for the LIRR Expansion Project. Comments (1)

A grand jury has indicted a Far Rockaway man on charges of killing an adult female cat by throwing it off a third-story balcony, then stomping the animal to death in the sight of witnesses, including children, the Queens district attorney said. Comments (1)

A Pennsylvania man has been arraigned on assault, conspiracy and other charges for his alleged role in the December 2015 slashing of a 16-year-old Whitestone girl, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. Comment

Three Flushing residents have been indicted for allegedly running a multi-state prostitution ring, the acting U.S. attorney in the Buffalo area said last week. Comments (15)

Spin the roulette wheel before you take a Long Island Rail Road train into Penn Station. Comments (1)

Queens Museum introduced several new exhibits on the main floor when it opened its doors Sunday. Comment

The St. Francis Prep baseball grabbed a 2-0 win April 13, defeating the Crusaders with solid defense and strong pitching. Comment

The Rockaway Beach Branch’s preservation as a potential rail corridor — and not as a park — is essential for the further development in Queens. The Friends of the Queensway published an editorial April 12 outlining their concerns with reactivation, which laid out a series of points that I think need to be addressed. Comments (4)

The Brooklyn-Queens Connector may have derailed in its planning phase. Mayor Bill de Blasio conceded Monday night that funding issues could shelve his proposed street car system, known as the BQX, which would run 16 miles along the waterfront from Astoria to Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Comments (1)

The lives of 22 girls living in a Long Island City shelter for homeless families have improved dramatically thanks to a collaborative effort by several concerned adults. Comment

As the Brooklyn man accused of murdering Howard Beach jogger Karina Vetrano was arraigned Tuesday, a Queens prosecutor made public a statement the suspect allegedly gave to police saying he had “just lost it.” Comment

The mobster who owns a Corona pizzeria was sentenced Tuesday to 18 years in prison for narcotics-trafficking and firearms-related offenses. Following a two-week trial in Brooklyn in July, Gregorio Gigliotti, 61, a resident of the Malba section of Whitestone, and his son Angelo, were convicted by a federal jury of crimes including conspiracy to import cocaine. Comment

Queens business owners are coming together to send aid to Venezuelans injured during violent protest amid the economic crisis gripping the South American country. Comment

With the early-season struggles of Jose Reyes and Curtis Granderson, the Mets should turn to Neil Walker to fill in at the top of the order. Comment

Akeem Browder and fellow criminal justice advocates joined members of the breakaway Independent Democratic Conference Tuesday in calling on the city to plan to remove juveniles from Rikers Island within a year as required by recently passed Raise the Age legislation. Comments (1)

Newly elected Congressman Tom Suozzi (D-LittleNeck) answered Whitestone residents’ burning questions at a town hall meeting Tuesday evening. The congressman, who opened his Queens office Wednesday at 250-02 Northern Blvd., attended the town hall meeting hosted by We Love Whitestone at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church. Comments (1)

Tony Bennett may be 90 years old, but the jazz crooner from Astoria is still smooth and energetic on stage. Comment

Friends of Haiti and fans of Haitian art will have a chance to support relief work on the Caribbean island while picking up some beautiful artwork this weekend at a fund-raising gallery show put on by From Here to Haiti in Whitestone. Comments (2)

If you’re thinking of writing a bestseller, I’ve got a word of advice for you. Comments (1)

An open letter to state Sen. Gianaris. Comments (1)

A bag was stolen from Terminal 8 at JFK airport March 23. Comments (4)

RICHMOND HILL — Police are searching for a man suspected of criminal mischief outside the Bosnian Cultural Center in Richmond Hill. Comment

FLUSHING — Police from the 111th Precinct are searching for the whereabouts of a missing Bayside woman who was last seen in Flushing. Comment

Forbes ranked the New York Mets as the sixth most valuable Major League Baseball Franchise. Comment

Your weekend calendar: April 15-16 Comment

The widow of Gelacio Reyes, the cyclist who was struck and killed by an alleged drunk and unlicensed driver at a Sunnyside intersection April 2, joined City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) Thursday morning as he demanded immediate action to make the area safer. Comment

A contractor from Yonkers has been arrested in connection with the five-alarm Elmhurst fire that damaged 112 units in a brick apartment building Tuesday afternoon, FDNY officials said. Comment

A man has been charged with hate crimes for allegedly burglarizing several houses of worship in Flushing, Woodside and Elmhurst due to his hatred of religion and God, the Queens district attorney said. Comment