City Councilman Dennis Gallagher gave a DNA sample as the NYPD investigates claims that the Queens Republican raped a woman at his Kew Gardens office on Sunday. more ›

The police raided the office of Queens City Councilman Dennis Gallagher yesterday - and they were looking for DNA evidence of a sexual assault. The Juniper Park Civic Association President Robert Holden told the Sun he saw police officers taking evidence, "They just had boxes they were carrying. Bags and boxes of their tools." The Post got details of the alleged crime:

Gallagher met the woman at Danny Boy's, a bar where he's a regular, on Dry Harbor Road near both his district office on Metropolitan Avenue and his family's home, according to several sources. The sources said the two had apparently noticed each other on earlier visits to the bar. more ›

Woof, woof. City owners may get to let their dogs (continue to) run amok in designated parks during so-called "off-leash hours." The Board of Health voted unanimously yesterday to amend and codify the city's nebulous leash law in response to a Queens ruling against a civic group that was trying to shut down off-leash exercise hours for pups. In one corner, The Juniper Park Civic Association asserted that certain parks, by allowing leash-free hours from 9 pm until 9 am, were in conflict with a City health code that stipulates that all dogs must be kept on leashes at all times in city parks. more ›

To the relief of dog owners and to the dismay of the Juniper Park Civic Association, Queens Supreme Court Judge Peter J. Kelly ruled that off-leash hours for dogs between 9PM and 9AM are allowed, saying that the Parks Commissioner has the power to allow pups to frolic freely. While the Juniper Park Civic Association called the ruling "complete lunacy," Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe said, "Tired dogs are good dogs." more ›

Yesterday, the Board of Health held a public hearing to discuss off-leash laws for dogs in city parks. am New York reported some scurrilous words from "one foe of free pups": "Dogs are simply property." And that, ladies and gentlemen, is when the people went bonkers. more ›

There's a movement afoot to change the city's health code to better reflect dog and dog owner habits. The Health Department will have a public forum and comment period to discuss off-leash hours in parks. Right now, while the Parks Department allows dogs to go leash-less between 9PM and 9AM, the city's health code doesn't allow that, a strange happening that's gotten attention since Queens civic group, the Juniper Park Civic Association, to sue and get off-leash hours eliminated by enforcing the current health code. more ›

- The Board of Health is meeting to decide whether to revise the dog-leash law in parks. Currently, the Juniper Park Civic Association is trying to get rid of off-leash hours, by pointing out to a judge that the city's health code says all dogs must be on a leash. The health code happens to conflict with park practices, which allows dogs to roam between 9PM and 9AM - and some people think the Board of Health may try to update the code to work with current practice. more ›

In light of the sad fate of St. Brigid on 7th and B, Fortotten-NY points our attention to the beautiful church in the above photo, St. Savior's. Where is this looker? Would you believe Maspeth, Queens? more ›