Latest news with #Central Park
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Brevard on a budget: Six free, fun things to do for Aug. 15 through 21
Due to potential changes and cancellations, we encourage you to check with presenting organizations about the status of their events. 1. Third Thursday at The Avenue Viera Third Thursday is a fun, pet- and family-friendly night in Central Park at The Avenue Viera, 2261 Town Center Ave., Viera. On Aug. 21, enjoy live music by Daniel Jude Music, complimentary snacks, and a free drink or ice cream. RSVP on Eventbrite to reserve your event ticket for a free drink or ice cream. You must check in at The Avenue Viera tent to receive your complimentary event ticket. All members of your party must be present at check-in. Visit 2. Space Coast Writers Guild in Eau Gallie Writers are invited to attend the Space Coast Writers Guild meeting at the Eau Gallie Public Library, 1521 Pineapple Ave., on the third Saturday of each month from noon to 2 p.m. The group is dedicated to encouraging, instructing and developing writers of all genres. Visit 3. Authors critique group in Melbourne Local authors are invited to bring their work to be read and critiqued at the Suntree/Viera Public Library, 902 Jordan Blass Drive, Melbourne, on Thursday, Aug. 21 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Haven't written anything yet? Come talk to the group and be inspired. Call 321-255-4404. 4. Ranger-led tour of Turkey Creek Sanctuary Turkey Creek Sanctuary, 1518 Port Malabar Blvd NE, Palm Bay, offers free ranger-led tours on the first and third Sundays of each month, excluding holidays, from 10 to 11 a.m. Participants should meet at the sanctuary Nature Center and bring sturdy tennis shoes or boots, sunscreen, insect repellent, water, snacks, binoculars and a hat. Tours will take place on the boardwalk and various trails. Each tour will be led by a park ranger and will focus on common plants and animals found in the sanctuary. Total distance for tours is approximately 1 to 1.5 miles and should take about 1 hour to 1 1/4 hours to complete. Admission is free. To sign up, call the Nature Center at 321-676-6690. 5. Scavenger hunt at Sams House Sams House at Pine Island, 6195 N. Tropical Trail, Merritt Island, hosts a scavenger hunt every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Stop by the 1888 house to pick up your nature hunt, and then enjoy the afternoon exploring the grounds. Call 321-449-4720 or 6. Free boat trip to Samsons Island Samsons Island is a 52-acre passive nature island in the Banana River, accessible only by water, with docks on the south, east and north sides of the island for public use. The city provides free eco tours with boat transportation to the island on the first and third Sunday of each month, departing at 9 a.m. from the Satellite Beach Fire Department, 1390 S. Patrick Drive. Guests will return back to the dock by noon. Reservations are required due to limited availability. Call 321-428-2546 x603 or visit Do you have a community entertainment event? Email tgif@ at least three weeks in advance for consideration for the Things to Do roundup. Christina LaFortune is the Entertainment and TGIF Editor at FLORIDA TODAY. Follow her on Facebook at or send her an email at clafortune@ Whether you're interested in music, theater, festivals or other local entertainment, FLORIDA TODAY has got you covered. Support local journalism by subscribing at This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Brevard on a budget: Six free, fun things to do for Aug. 15-21 Solve the daily Crossword
New York Times
12-08-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Central Park Group Wants Ban on Horse-Drawn Carriages
The nonprofit group that manages Central Park on Tuesday formally asked New York City officials to ban horse-drawn carriages from the park, for the first time taking a public stance on an issue that has been politically contentious for years. The group, the Central Park Conservancy, said it was throwing its support behind Ryder's Law, a pending City Council bill that would prohibit horse carriages from operating in the city, and urged Mayor Eric Adams and Adrienne Adams, the Council speaker, to support such a ban. Horse carriages have been a fixture of the Central Park landscape since the 19th century, and the conservancy's opposition to their continued operation in the park could be a significant blow to the industry. 'We do not take this position lightly,' Betsy Smith, the conservancy's president, wrote in a letter to the mayor and Council speaker, 'but with visitation to the park growing to record levels, we feel strongly that banning horse carriages has become a matter of public health and safety for park visitors.' Last week, a 15-year-old mare named Lady that had worked in New York City for less than two months collapsed and died at a Manhattan intersection. City health officials are investigating what caused the death. Animal rights activists have condemned the carriage trade as abusive, but Ms. Smith said in her letter that the conservancy's decision was unrelated to such criticisms. 'We are not experts on animal welfare and will leave those arguments to others,' she wrote, 'but we are experts on the park.' Instead, Ms. Smith said, the conservancy wants to protect the public and to prevent the physical damage that horse-drawn carriages do to the park's roadways. This is a developing story that will be updated.
The Independent
21-07-2025
- The Independent
New York carriage driver acquitted of overworking horse that collapsed
A horse carriage driver was acquitted Monday of animal cruelty in a modern trial about the old-fashioned coaches that meander through New York 's Central Park. A six-person jury found Ian McKeever not guilty of overworking a horse called Ryder, who collapsed en route back to his stable on an 84-degree Fahrenheit (29-degree Celsius) day in August 2022. The horse lay on an avenue near Times Square for nearly an hour as concerned bystanders gathered around and police cooled him with a hose and ice. The animal ultimately got up, to cheers. McKeever had pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charge. His attorney, Raymond Loving, said the horse wasn't overtaxed and simply tripped while changing lanes on a Manhattan street. 'The verdict was very gratifying. This has been an ordeal for him,' Loving said by phone, adding that 'the evidence just didn't support the charge.' Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement that prosecutors presented 'a thorough case based on the facts and evidence.' Featured in countless movies and TV shows, New York's horse carriages are popular with visitors and people celebrating special occasions. But animal rights advocates have long tried to get the coaches banned, and the issue became a prominent, celebrity-studded local political debate for a time about a decade ago. Anti-coach activists question the horses' treatment and contend that Manhattan streets are no place for equines, pointing to some collisions and collapses over the years. Enthusiasts say the carriages are a time-honored tourist draw that employs several hundred drivers and creates a role for surplus farm and race horses that might otherwise be slaughtered. McKeever, an Irish immigrant, has been a carriage driver for decades. His brother owned Ryder. A horse-carriage-industry veterinarian, Dr. Camilo Sierra, told jurors he estimated Ryder's age at 28 to 30, eventually settling on 26 — the maximum age at which carriage-pullers can legally work. Police Sgt. Vincent Fontana testified that McKeever told him the horse was 13. Ryder was outside for over seven hours on Aug. 10, 2022, mostly in Central Park, taking passengers on two trips over the course of the day. Passerby Caroline Londahl-Smidt testified that she worried after noticing his prominent ribs and seeing him seem to struggle up a hill, with McKeever shaking the reins in an apparent effort to hurry the horse along. Prosecutor Sophie Robart argued that McKeever 'pushed Ryder beyond his limits' until the horse's body gave out. After Ryder left the park and collapsed, bystander video published by the New York Post showed McKeever snapping the reins at him and telling him to get up. McKeever's lawyer maintained that Ryder wasn't overheated or mistreated, and that the driver acted responsibly. McKeever, 56, testified that he strove to get the animal to stand because prolonged reclining can cause health problems for equines. Ryder's temperature was normal and his breathing rate was slightly elevated when Fontana measured it, after the horse had been hosed down for some time. Later that evening at the stable, Sierra found Ryder alert, with normal vital signs, but he noted the underweight horse walked weakly. The veterinarian said he believed the animal had a neurological problem. Two months after the collapse, an ailing Ryder was euthanized. A necropsy showed he had bone cancer. Carriage drivers' union shop steward Christina Hansen said Monday that the union has since taken steps, including improving access to a horse hospital. Drivers "enter this line of work because we love animals,' she said. Animal rights activists, meanwhile, continued to inveigh against the industry. Edita Birnkrant, who runs an anti-horse-carriage group called NYCLASS, called the verdict 'heartbreaking" and renewed a call for the city to stop issuing new carriage driver licenses. Another Manhattan carriage driver was charged with animal cruelty in 2013 after authorities said he kept a horse working for days with an injured hoof. That driver pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, a noncriminal violation, and was sentenced to community service, according to news reports. Court records of his case are sealed.
Associated Press
21-07-2025
- Associated Press
New York carriage driver acquitted of overworking horse that collapsed
NEW YORK (AP) — A horse carriage driver was acquitted Monday of animal cruelty in a modern trial about the old-fashioned coaches that meander through New York's Central Park. A six-person jury found Ian McKeever not guilty of overworking a horse called Ryder, who collapsed en route back to his stable on an 84-degree Fahrenheit (29-degree Celsius) day in August 2022. The horse lay on an avenue near Times Square for nearly an hour as concerned bystanders gathered around and police cooled him with a hose and ice. The animal ultimately got up, to cheers. McKeever had pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charge. His attorney, Raymond Loving, said the horse wasn't overtaxed and simply tripped while changing lanes on a Manhattan street. 'The verdict was very gratifying. This has been an ordeal for him,' Loving said by phone, adding that 'the evidence just didn't support the charge.' Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement that prosecutors presented 'a thorough case based on the facts and evidence.' Featured in countless movies and TV shows, New York's horse carriages are popular with visitors and people celebrating special occasions. But animal rights advocates have long tried to get the coaches banned, and the issue became a prominent, celebrity-studded local political debate for a time about a decade ago. Anti-coach activists question the horses' treatment and contend that Manhattan streets are no place for equines, pointing to some collisions and collapses over the years. Enthusiasts say the carriages are a time-honored tourist draw that employs several hundred drivers and creates a role for surplus farm and race horses that might otherwise be slaughtered. McKeever, an Irish immigrant, has been a carriage driver for decades. His brother owned Ryder. A horse-carriage-industry veterinarian, Dr. Camilo Sierra, told jurors he estimated Ryder's age at 28 to 30, eventually settling on 26 — the maximum age at which carriage-pullers can legally work. Police Sgt. Vincent Fontana testified that McKeever told him the horse was 13. Ryder was outside for over seven hours on Aug. 10, 2022, mostly in Central Park, taking passengers on two trips over the course of the day. Passerby Caroline Londahl-Smidt testified that she worried after noticing his prominent ribs and seeing him seem to struggle up a hill, with McKeever shaking the reins in an apparent effort to hurry the horse along. Prosecutor Sophie Robart argued that McKeever 'pushed Ryder beyond his limits' until the horse's body gave out. After Ryder left the park and collapsed, bystander video published by the New York Post showed McKeever snapping the reins at him and telling him to get up. McKeever's lawyer maintained that Ryder wasn't overheated or mistreated, and that the driver acted responsibly. McKeever, 56, testified that he strove to get the animal to stand because prolonged reclining can cause health problems for equines. Ryder's temperature was normal and his breathing rate was slightly elevated when Fontana measured it, after the horse had been hosed down for some time. Later that evening at the stable, Sierra found Ryder alert, with normal vital signs, but he noted the underweight horse walked weakly. The veterinarian said he believed the animal had a neurological problem. Two months after the collapse, an ailing Ryder was euthanized. A necropsy showed he had bone cancer. Carriage drivers' union shop steward Christina Hansen said Monday that the union has since taken steps, including improving access to a horse hospital. Drivers 'enter this line of work because we love animals,' she said. Animal rights activists, meanwhile, continued to inveigh against the industry. Edita Birnkrant, who runs an anti-horse-carriage group called NYCLASS, called the verdict 'heartbreaking' and renewed a call for the city to stop issuing new carriage driver licenses. Another Manhattan carriage driver was charged with animal cruelty in 2013 after authorities said he kept a horse working for days with an injured hoof. That driver pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, a noncriminal violation, and was sentenced to community service, according to news reports. Court records of his case are sealed.
