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Sunday is Earth Day.  That’s a good reminder for us to thank all the civics, non-profits, and individuals (a long list!) who work tirelessly to improve the environment and make Rockaway beautiful.

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Sorry, we gotta brag. The Rockaway Times took home five awards at a statewide newspaper contest held in Albany last week. At The Better Newspaper contest held by the New York Press Association, our editor, Katie McFadden, won two writing awards herself. We couldn’t be more proud of her

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Nice weather, huh? April is the new March.

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If you’re a Facebook user, you might not have been told by Facebook itself but the company has admitted it has been keeping records of Android users’ calls and texts. The company is going through a rocky time as it faces great scrutiny over its data collection. Founder Mark Zuckerberg has been called Big Zucker as in Big Zucker is watching you.

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Your elementary school can win up to $2,500 by entering the WoodmenLife "America Is

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Well, Uri Kaufman hasn’t done much with the Rockaway courthouse building. We came across a Daily News article from 2002 in which Kaufman says his firm was the only developer that had responded to a request for proposal the EDC issued in 1999. In 2002 he was going to convert it to an office building and lease space to local politicians and the Community Board. It’s not clear why that fell apart. A decade or more later, Kaufman resurfaced with a plan to turn the courthouse into a medical

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Last call! The Rockaway Times Photo Contest is closing on Friday, April 13. Send your photos to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. You can send two per category.  And they don’t necessarily have to be recent shots. You have a great shot from years back?  Send it in. A great shot is timeless.

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So, you know where Checkers used to be in Arverne By The Sea? (Well, if you don’t, it was at 68-20 Rockaway Beach Boulevard before closing some months ago).  That space, directly across from the

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Happy Easter and Happy Passover!

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Wow. The theater on Beach 116th Street, for years, a towering impediment to the block’s potential, is in contract to be sold. We don’t know what the buyers have in mind but we’re betting it’s going to be a dream come true for merchants on that block who’ve been in the shadow of the hulking eyesore. The times, they are a changin’. 

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We hope this means more attention will be paid to the rather sad state of Beach 115th Street. We hope Matthew

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Happy Official St. Patrick’s Day on Saturday.

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Michael McDonnell was hailed as a hero on the night of Sandy as he and Dylan Smith helped rescue people from rising flood waters. Mike’s the one who could use some help now. He contracted an aggressive cancer, which required complicated surgery including a forehead transplant. He’ll need to have more surgeries and undergo chemo. Please help him with medical bills and living expense by donating at GoFundMe.com. Just put Michael