Latest news with #GovKathyHochul
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
MTA defies feds' fourth deadline to kill congestion pricing, calls Duffy threats a ‘sham'
Fourth time's a 'sham.' The Metropolitan Transportation Authority defied the feds' fourth deadline to kill congestion pricing — while ripping Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's repeated threats as a 'sham.' In a pair of letters sent to Duffy on Wednesday, the MTA and the state Department of Transportation said that his deadlines and letters threatening to yank federal funding were irrelevant — since the battle over the tolling program is playing out in court. The May 21 time limit for the MTA to stop collecting the $9 tolls on drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street was ordered in a letter Duffy sent to Gov. Kathy Hochul last month — when his third deadline came and went. The April 21 letter gave Hochul another 30 days to prove to him why the US Department of Transportation shouldn't 'remedy New York's non-compliance' by yanking untold amounts of federal transit funding. But state agencies argued in the recent filings that the whiplash back-and-forth was 'procedurally improper.' The MTA attorneys argued there wasn't even a point in responding to Duffy's threat, since according to the transportation secretary's original Feb. 19 letter announcing he was pulling federal approval for the first-in-the-nation program, he has already made up his mind. That letter 'already purported to 'terminate'' congestion pricing, wrote attorney Roberta Kaplan, 'without any prior notice or opportunity to be heard as required by the relevant regulations.' 'It is thus obvious that USDOT's decision has already been made, and that this is an 'opportunity to be heard' in name only,' Kaplan argued. 'Secretary Duffy did not afford the Project Sponsors any notice or due process before that alleged termination, and he cannot cure that failure now through a sham exchange of letters,' Kaplan wrote. The state DOT letter goes further, and hints that Duffy's lawyers may be trying to form a new legal argument to kill the toll — citing Duffy's ask last month that Hochul address 'policy concerns' mentioned in his Feb. 19 missive. 'The Secretary's February 19 letter did not state that those policy concerns were an independent basis for his decision,' state Assistant Attorney General Andrew Frank wrote, 'and as a legal matter they cannot be a basis for termination.' Kaplan added that 'those supposed policy concerns' were mere 'after-the-fact rationalizations to justify the Secretary's illegal attempt to end the Program.' Both comments hint at the concerns expressed in an internal Department of Justice memo erroneously filed to the public docket on behalf of the US DOT by since-removed federal attorneys. The memo expressed doubts over Duffy's legal reasoning behind his original letter, casting his strategy as 'very unlikely' to succeed, and encouraged a move towards one focused on shifting priorities and policies. The latest filing by the feds in the case is a memo opposing the MTA's request for a preliminary injunction asking the judge to bar Duffy from making good on his threat to pull funding in retaliation for the agency not stopping the tolls. The memo notes that the US DOT's 'decision making process is still unfolding.' A federal DOT spokesperson told The Post that 'we will be reviewing New York's response to determine if they remain in compliance.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
New York state lawmakers vote to stop NYPD's attempt to block radio communications from public
New York state lawmakers voted to stop the NYPD's attempt to block its radio communications from the public Thursday, with the bill expected to head to Gov. Kathy Hochul's desk. The 'Keep Police Radio Public Act' passed both the state Senate and state Assembly, with a sponsor of the legislation arguing the proposal strikes the 'proper balance' in the battle between transparency and sensitive information. 'Preserving access to police radio is critical for a free press and to preserve the freedoms and protections afforded by the public availability of this information,' state Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Queens) said in a statement. 'As encrypted radio usage grows, my proposal strikes the proper balance between legitimate law enforcement needs and the rights and interests of New Yorkers.' The bill, which was sponsored in the Assembly by lawmaker Karines Reyes (D-Bronx), is meant to make real-time police radio communications accessible to emergency services organizations and reporters. 'Sensitive information' would still be kept private, according to the legislation. The NYPD began a plan in late 2023 to fully encrypt its radio broadcasts as part of a massive system upgrade that quickly led to outcry from press advocates and local officials. The move has made it more difficult for journalists to cover breaking news — and led to less information flowing to the public. But the NYPD, which has now shielded most radio communications, has argued that making the network go dark was necessary — a point the department repeated Thursday. 'Encrypting police radio communications is necessary for both the safety of law enforcement, as well as to protect the privacy interests of victims and witnesses,' an NYPD spokesperson said in an email. 'Requiring the NYPD to provide real-time access could jeopardize officer safety and victim privacy.' Hochul's office didn't provide much insight into the state leader's thinking on the bill. 'The governor will review all legislation that passes both houses of the legislature,' a spokesperson said Thursday. The proposal would cover police agencies across the Empire State.
New York Times
12-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
An Arts Hub and Affordable Housing Under One Roof in Inwood
As a graduate student in Connecticut, Mino Lora wrote her thesis on creating and producing a free, accessible theater in Upper Manhattan for and about immigrants. Nearly two decades later, the People's Theatre, which she envisioned and co-founded in 2009, will open its first permanent home in an unexpected site: a new apartment building in Inwood. The Miramar, at West 206th Street between Ninth and 10th Avenues, is a mixed-income, mixed-use rental building nestled near the Harlem River in a largely immigrant neighborhood. The building, which is nearing completion and recently started leasing, is part of Gov. Kathy Hochul's $25 billion plan to create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes across New York State. The multidisciplinary performing arts center is slated to open there in July 2026. The Miramar takes its name from the outdoor saltwater swimming complex that occupied the site from 1926 until it closed in 1969 and was replaced by a supermarket. The developers hope it will be a good neighbor through its design, its partnership with cultural organizations and its and mixed-income model. In 2018, a rezoning plan was approved in Inwood that would largely reshape the industrial area east of 10th Avenue as part of the city's effort to create and preserve affordable housing units. Some residents opposed the plan, worried it would change the character and identity of the predominately Dominican community. 'Neighborhoods with such strong community and history are very suspicious about what's to come and how the dynamic of the neighborhood would change,' said Colleen Wenke, the president and chief operating officer at Taconic Partners, which codeveloped the Miramar with a women-led development team in partnership with LMXD and MSquared. The Miramar comprises two connected buildings, and the entire complex extends nearly a block. The facade uses three different colors of brick to make the site feel less overwhelming, said Cassie Walker, a partner at Beyer Blinder Belle, which oversaw the architecture. The highest part of the complex reaches 17 stories, cascading downward in other parts to allow for more sunlight. Along with landscaped terraces, the Miramar will have two courtyard gardens and a roof deck with grilling stations and views of the Harlem River, a train yard, and even Billionaire's Row south of Central Park. The amenities, available to all residents, will include a lounge that's accessible to all points of the building as well as a billiards room, a fitness center and a karaoke lounge. At the base, there is retail space for six to nine stores, depending on how they're subdivided. Ms. Lora described the building's Public Theatre space, which cost $35 million to build and will span nearly 20,000 feet, as a 'civic, cultural, multigenerational center.' The 'flexible theater space' will have five to six different configurations that will seat between 99 and 208 guests, Ms. Lora said, meaning it can adapt to live music, dance, film and theater performances. The cultural center, which will be called the People's Theatre: Centro Cultural Inmigrante, will also house an art gallery and a rehearsal space for musicians. The city invested $15 million to help the People's Theatre acquire the cultural center. The nonprofit also received state funding and private donations, including $1 million from the family of Lin-Manuel Miranda, the songwriter, actor, director and producer. 'The notion of Mino Lora being able to have an uptown theater in Uptown Manhattan, where she's made incredible work with her team, was really very exciting for us,' said Mr. Miranda, who grew up in Inwood. He added, 'To see artists who grew up uptown like myself and who have stayed uptown and are continuing to make art up here is incredibly gratifying.' In a neighborhood like Inwood with deep cultural ties, the approach to a new development like the Miramar is to 'bring in new folks, but also respect what's there,' said Alicia Glen, the founder and managing principal of MSquared, who served as New York City deputy mayor for housing and economic development from 2014 to 2019. 'It wasn't to do the minimum amount of affordable housing,' she said. 'It was to do more than we needed to do.' Among the 698 units, which range from studios to three-bedrooms, 281 are available through the housing lottery for those making 40, 60 or 80 percent of the area median income. (The lottery closes June 2). Another 10 percent are work force housing units, or moderate income, at 120 percent of the area median income. The remaining 50 percent are market rate, with studios and one-bedrooms starting at $3,100, two-bedrooms at $3,900 and three-bedrooms at $5,700. Corcoran is handling the leasing. The first residents are slated to arrive in June. 'This is going to create good for so many,' said Ms. Lora. 'And especially in the midst of the neighborhood changing, having our Black and brown bodies and our young people performing and speaking in different languages, I think, is essential to preserving the colors of our community.'
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Live poultry markets in NYC, suburbs shut over bird flu
Authorities in New York state have temporarily closed all live poultry markets in New York City and three suburban counties after detecting bird flu at seven markets within the past week. The virus has wiped out more than 156 million chickens, turkeys and other birds in the United States since an outbreak in poultry began in 2022. Losses of laying hens have slashed egg supplies, sending prices soaring and prompting restaurants to raise prices. Bird flu has also infected about two-thirds of the dairy herds in California, the biggest milk-producing state, and nearly 70 people since April. Inspectors have detected seven cases of bird flu in poultry during routine inspections at live bird markets in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens. While the threat to public health remains low, we're taking action to curb any further transmission and protect New Yorkers. — Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) February 7, 2025 In New York state, the five-day closure of live poultry markets in New York City and three counties - Westchester, Suffolk and Nassau - will allow them to be cleaned and disinfected to help prevent spread of the disease, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement on Friday. Authorities found avian flu at poultry markets in Queens, the Bronx, and Brooklyn since January 31, according to the statement. "I have directed our state agencies to use all available resources to ensure we are taking every measure necessary to keep the risk to the public low," Hochul said. Wild birds often carry the virus during migration periods and can transmit it to poultry through direct contact or through contaminated feces or feathers. To contain the virus, poultry are culled when even one bird in a flock tests positive. The US Department of Agriculture for the first time this week confirmed a second strain of bird flu in US dairy cattle, a discovery that ramped up concerns about its spread.
