The candidates all strove to portray themselves as “aggressive progressives”: tough on violent crime, but in favor of Rockefeller Drug Law reform. None would anyone endorse the “secure communities” program, which would identify and deport illegal immigrants in jails. But for the most part the candidates had little trouble differentiating themselves from their opponents. Both [...]
The first Puerto Rican woman elected to a state legislature in the United States has died. Olga Mendez passed away Wednesday morning at her home in East Harlem, according to her nephew. She had been battling cancer since the early 1990s. Mendez was a New York State senator from 1978 to 2004, representing parts of [...]
New York City Councilman Bill de Blasio wants to create a division in the health department to deal with issues confronting gay, lesbian and transgender youths. De Blasio says one-third of the city’s homeless youths are gay, lesbian or transgender. He says many of them are “falling through the cracks of our social services net.” [...]
Five candidates for public advocate addressed a wide range of issues in a debate Tuesday night as they pledged to protect the New Yorkers whom they considered to be the most vulnerable. “We deserve somebody at the highest levels of City Hall who sees people who too often are invisible and who’s willing to stand [...]
The City Council has passed a bill requiring bicycle taxis to have licenses and registration. The taxis, known as pedicabs, have gone unregulated for years in New York City. The three-wheel vehicles with a carriage in the back are increasingly popular among tourists and New Yorkers. Officials have wanted to regulate them for years, but [...]
Mayor Michael Bloomberg can now boast of a big victory: The New York City Council has approved his plan to redevelop Coney Island. On Wednesday afternoon, the Council voted overwhelmingly in favor of transforming the Brooklyn beach front into a year-round entertainment complex. Coney Island would get a new amusement park, high-rise hotels, restaurants, retail [...]
The federal Department of Homeland Security secretary is in the city today discussing counterterrorism efforts and announcing a new funding package that will help pay for more police officers for the city’s transit system. The announcement comes one day after the city learned it would not be getting an estimated $650 million in federal COPS [...]
Mayor Michael Bloomberg is tapping a Morgan Stanley executive to be his new finance commissioner. The previous commissioner resigned in April. The mayor ordered an investigation into her romantic relationship with a former subordinate and allegations that she employed relatives and was paid for outside work. Bloomberg announced Wednesday that David Frankel will take the [...]
The full City Council will vote today on the controversial Coney Island redevelopment proposal. The rezoning plan calls for a new amusement park, high-rise apartment buildings, hotels and restaurants. It’s part of the city’s plan to turn the area into a year-round entertainment complex. Some community groups have criticized the plan, saying it will sanitize [...]
Smoking would be banned outside hospital entrances and on hospital grounds under a bill being considered by the New York City Council. The measure seeks to ban smoking on hospital property and within 15 feet of any hospital entrance or exit. It would apply to public and private hospitals, as well as residential health care [...]
