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NYCHA’s Rehab Push Brought Jobs — Just Not for Its Residents

Under federal law, the public housing agency is required to hire low-income tenants. Records show it has often missed the mark.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   January 25, 2023
Big Buildings Get a Pass for Pollution if Eric Adams Doesn’t Close His New Corporate Loophole

By liberally allowing landlords to purchase renewable energy credits, the new Adams rule would defang Local Law 97.

Pete Sikora   ·   December 23, 2022
‘No B Officer’: How an Understaffed Rikers Island Allowed Another Suicide

New documents obtained by New York Focus offer a glimpse into the last hours of Kevin Bryan’s life. His was one of several recent deaths at Rikers in dorms with unstaffed posts.

Chris Gelardi   ·   December 22, 2022
New York City Has 25 Days to Settle Retirees’ Switch to Privatized Insurance, Arbitrator Rules

The ruling puts pressure on the city to finalize a Medicare Advantage plan for a quarter million retirees — and may lead to the elimination of Senior Care.

Sam Mellins   ·   December 15, 2022
Bomb Dogs, ‘Goon Squad,’ Subway Cops: Who’s Making a Killing in NYPD Overtime

Eric Adams pledged to cut police overtime in half. Instead, his initiatives helped it soar to the second-highest level on record.

Chris Gelardi   ·   November 16, 2022
Rats, Roaches, Leaks: Rent-Stabilized Building Owners Whose Bets Went Sour Delay Repairs

Crumbling conditions in two Bronx buildings show how tenants pay the price when real estate speculation doesn’t work out.

Olivia Bensimon   ·   November 11, 2022
The ‘Red Wave’ Hit Southern Brooklyn. Some Blame the County Democrats.

After the Brooklyn Democratic Party did almost nothing to mobilize voters, Republicans swept the borough’s southern points.

Sam Mellins   ·   November 9, 2022
Has Anyone Told the Brooklyn Democratic Party There’s an Election Next Week?

Downstate turnout could decide the governor’s race. The Brooklyn Democratic Party is mounting almost no campaign effort.

Sam Mellins   ·   November 2, 2022
Mayor Issues Ultimatum on Retiree Health Care, Seeking End to Standoff

The City Council must enable budget-cutting new health insurance options for retirees, warns Eric Adams’s chief labor negotiator — or City Hall will eliminate existing insurance plans.

Sam Mellins   ·   October 31, 2022
‘They Lied to All of Us’: Ten Years After Hurricane Sandy, Construction Begins on Staten Island’s Promised Wetland

Staten Island residents who sold their homes to the state as part of one of the country’s first major “managed retreats” were promised the land would be returned to nature. Instead, part of it is being turned into a soccer complex.

Leslie Shailer   ·   October 29, 2022
City Council Moves Forward With Gowanus Rezoning After Slashing Affordable Housing

A proposal to build dozens of units on a block near the Gowanus industrial zone was cut in half after locals lobbied Councilmember Shahana Hanif.

Sam Mellins and George Joseph   ·   October 27, 2022
New York May Drop JPay, The Scandal-Plagued Prison Banking Company

A one-year extension could be the prison contractor’s last, ending a 15-year run.

Eli Tan   ·   October 21, 2022
Rikers Staff Tampered With Records, Hiding Intake Rule Violations, Documents Show

Rikers staff repeatedly altered records to extend the clock on a 24-hour time limit for holding people in notorious intake cells.

Chris Gelardi   ·   October 17, 2022
New York Banned Plastic Bags Two Years Ago. Why Are They Still Everywhere?

Two years after the state banned plastic bags, many New York City businesses are still distributing them with little fear of consequences.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   October 12, 2022
Adams Takes First Big Step on Climate Law, Yet Bigger Questions Loom

The city announced key proposed rules, making progress but also leaving a massive loophole unaddressed, our columnist writes.

Pete Sikora   ·   October 7, 2022
The Rent Is Too Damn High. Blame the Suburbs.

Long Island and Westchester build housing at some of the lowest rates of any suburban area in the country, fueling high rents and home prices across the region.

Sam Mellins   ·   October 6, 2022
Home Care Workers Battle Their Own Union on 24-Hour Shifts

1199 SIEU says it wants to end 24-hour shifts - but it has opposed city and state bills that would do so, and some question the sincerity of its objections.

Maxwell Parrott   ·   September 28, 2022
Judge Frees Man From Rikers in Exceptional Decision Citing Bail and Jail Conditions

The ruling, which isn’t binding on other judges but will surely be noted by them, was based on the 2019 bail reform law’s requirement that judges consider defendants’ ability to afford bail.

Sam Mellins   ·   September 21, 2022
Tiffany Cabán Approves Major Astoria Housing Development, Bucking Trend Among Progressives

The approval will create hundreds of units of both affordable and market rate housing and has sparked debate in progressive circles over how to approach private development.

Sam Mellins   ·   September 14, 2022
Adams and Unions Strike Deal on Shift to Cost-Cutting Medicare Plan

The mayor and major city unions plan to press the City Council to clear a path for a privatized Medicare plan for retired city workers.

Sam Mellins   ·   September 8, 2022
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