Latest news with #LeonardoMunoz
New York Post
23-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Dozens of kids join up with cops for Bronx youth tennis program that keeps them off the street
The next generation of tennis greats is being bred in the Bronx. The love of the game is blossoming in Crotona Park, where the borough's youth flock every weekend to serve up some fun against police officers-turned-coaches as part of the city's effort to keep kids off the street and out of trouble. The weekly meet-up at the Cary Leeds Center saw a burst in popularity in the last several weeks as the only city-sponsored youth crime prevention program to offer the sport. 7 More than 50 kids are registered for the only Saturday Night Lights tennis program in the entire city. Leonardo Munoz 'I love it! I love the opportunities that they give us because my parents don't really have time to take me to the park. And I love how it's a safe environment. I just like socializing. And I just love to do it,' said Amaya Paulino, 12, who has advanced to an intermediate level just six months after first picking up the racket. Paulino is one of more than 50 kids who gather at the tennis courts every Saturday as part of the city Department of Youth Services Saturday Night Lights (SNL) program that offers young people an alternative place to go that keeps them out of trouble and to build relationships with their local police. There are more than 136 other variations of the crime prevention initiative throughout the five boroughs, with an emphasis in underserved communities, but the Bronx boasts the only tennis-centered program — and the kids are taking full advantage of the chance to become the next generation of Serena Williamses and Taylor Fritzes. Just 15 kids showed up showed up two years ago for the start of the program, which offered in partnership with New York Junior Tennis (NYJT) Learning. 7 The program keeps kids off the street and helps bridge the gap between communities and their officers, like Dili Jefferson. Leonardo Munoz Now, the kids are squeezing into the three reserved courts every week, and their coaches have to usher them out when the gates close at 9 p.m. — and some kids are showing up hours before the start time to get in as many swings as possible. Tennis enthusiast Christian Melhado, 13, logs in at least six hours of gameplay every Saturday, breaking only to chow down on pizza doled out by SNL — saying coach Victor Ayudant is helping to fulfill his dreams of becoming a professional, like his hero, Mexican player Carlos Alvarez. 'I like his speed and how he never gives up, even when he's losing,' the incoming 8th grader gushed, adding that he'd describe his fellow SNL players as 'best friends and teammates rolled into one.' 7 The program burst in popularity this year, it's third since its inception. Leonardo Munoz 7 Santiago Reynoso is enjoying his first summer as a coach after spending two as a player. Leonardo Munoz 7 'I love the opportunities that they give us because my parents don't really have time to take me to the park,' said Amaya Paulino. Leonardo Munoz While some of the kids had a love for the game before SNL, many developed their passion through the program, including 17-year-old Santiago Reynoso, who is enjoying his first year as a coach after spending two years as a player. 'When I first started, it was just like an after-school club thing. A bunch of my friends were playing tennis already, so I just tried it out,' Reynoso explained, adding that if he hadn't picked up a racket, he'd probably just be playing video games every Saturday. 'Now, I want to teach these kids. It's exciting, but it's also nerve-wracking because I don't really know if they're really gonna like it as much as I do! So I'm trying to make it as fun as possible for them, not trying to push them too much to play.' 7 There are 136 different variations of SNL throughout the five boroughs. Leonardo Munoz 7 Some of the eager players arrive hours before the scheduled, four hour time slot. Leonardo Munoz That fun factor is of the utmost importance, Ayudant, the NYJT manager, emphasized — pointing out that providing an enticing space for kids without judgment is the entire point of the program. There have been kids who come by just for the free pizza, he adds, but it's OK because it's better than turning anyone away and leaving them to the streets. For Dili Jefferson, a community affairs officer from the 42nd Precinct, participating in the program every week is a no-brainer — even if it means coming by on her days off. 'It's something the community needs. It's something that kids need to keep them out of trouble, to keep them busy and help bridge the gap where they see that I'm just like them — I play sports like them, look like them. We build a bond over time. It's so worth it,' she explained.
New York Post
29-06-2025
- New York Post
NOHO hellscape: Opioid clinic welcomes junkies jabbing their necks and OD'ing in playgrounds to posh nabe
Scenes from 'Night of the Living Dead' are playing out a stone's throw from the famed Angelika Film Center and A-lister apartments in NoHo, where zombified junkies and drug dealers have overtaken entire blocks. At the heart of the problem is a $30 million taxpayer-funded nonprofit called Greenwich House, neighbors said, which employs a so-called 'harm reduction' philosophy. Critics counter that it enables addicts rather than getting them to quit. 14 This scene unfolded on West Houston and Crosby Streets Thursday during the morning rush hour. J.C. Rice Advertisement At its opioid clinic on Mercer Street, some 1,300 addicts are handed drugs like methadone – a narcotic given to help with withdrawal symptoms from stronger opioids like heroin — along with fentanyl test strips, which can detect the deadly chemical in drug supplies, and naloxone kits, which can reverse overdoses. Each morning, addicts line up at 6 am as if queueing up for the latest iPhone drop. 14 The lineup every weekday morning on Mercer Street waiting for the methadone clinic to open its doors at 6:30. Leonardo Munoz Advertisement The Post witnessed the depravity two days this week, with addicts contorted and splayed out on sidewalks and stoops, while others jabbed needles in their necks, arms and legs in broad daylight — as commuters and schoolkids warily walked by. Other junkies collapsed on park benches, feet away from frolicking children, losing their shoes as they stumbled over. Another young man shuffled into moving traffic on West Houston, and was later seen kneeling on the pavement as medics tried to treat him. 14 Addicts were openly shooting up on the block during the morning commute. J.C. Rice Residents are fed up that their posh neighborhood – where a one-bedroom apartment recently sold for $2.2 million and celebs like Gigi Hadid live – has spiraled into a hellscape. Advertisement 'Walking on Houston between Mercer and Crosby is an absolute disaster,' decried resident Linda Sondik. 'I have seen people being taken away in ambulances who clearly overdosed, and on the streets people are openly shooting up. It's tragic and scary.' 14 Many were seen passed out on sidewalks and stoops along West Houston. J.C. Rice Neighbor Lilly Migs said, 'The kids will be playing in the playground and there'll be people screaming and wailing on the other side.' Advertisement 'Parents have called 911 and sometimes paramedics never show up.' 'I know the clinic is supposed to be helping people, but I don't think they're getting the help they need there,' she added. 14 Neighbors say people overdose on the streets every single day. Leonardo Munoz 'I think it's unfortunately started to attract a different type of crowd. People that maybe do not want the help that they have to offer.' The Post witnessed scores of dealers roaming the block, looking to take advantage of a vulnerable population. 'Every day, there are at least two or three overdoses, just around this corner,' said Hassane Elbaz, who's run a coffee cart at the corner of Broadway and Houston for 25 years. 14 Elbaz has been at the corner of West Houston Street and Broadway for 25 years. J.C. Rice 'Paramedics save a lot of them. But about every two months, one of them dies.' Advertisement Elbaz said there are seven or eight dealers just around his corner. 'See this guy – he has a fanny pack full of drugs,' he said pointing to a short older man dressed in black. 'He's the one who sells fentanyl. He killed four people in three days,' he claimed. 14 Many passed out on park benches on Mercer Street, up the street from the clinic. J.C. Rice Part of the police's inability to intervene stems from Albany's move to decriminalize the possession and sale of needles in 2021. After that, junkies essentially had the green light to shoot up in public. Advertisement The taxpayer-subsidized clinic has been growing exponentially since the pandemic, and in the last six months, locals say things have gotten out of hand. 14 These kinds of scenes unfold every morning on the block. J.C. Rice Greenwich House has been around since the 1970s – it was one of the city's first methadone clinics. It pulls in close to $8 million a year in government funds – about a third of its budget – from both the city and state. Another large chunk comes from healthcare billing and Medicaid. The nonprofit was running on a $15 million budget until around 2021 — when lefty politicians like Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine and State Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal started backing it, appearing in glossy photo spreads in its annual reports. Advertisement 14 People were seen jabbing their necks, arms and legs. J.C. Rice From that time, the budget rose each year, financial statements show, doubling to almost $30 million by 2024. Greenwich House also gets money from the family of far-left billionaire Democratic donor George Soros, with son Jonathan Soros and wife Jennifer are listed among the top donors in the organization's latest annual report, giving $50,000 last year. The clinic claims it offers care 'through a harm-reduction framework, which means meeting people where they are on their journey to recover' – meaning not forcing them to quit until they decide they're ready. Advertisement 14 The clinic said it's not the problem. J.C. Rice 14 A man was hit by oncoming traffic on West Houston. J.C. Rice But the problem, critics say, is that's not how addiction works. 'The idea is that people should only seek treatment when they're ready. But most people addicted to drugs are addicted for their whole lives,' said Charles Fane Lehmann, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute. 'They often regard efforts to get people into treatment . . . as actively hostile to the interests of people who use drugs.' 14 Neighbors say things got worse in the last six months. J.C. Rice 14 Many head to the park on Mercer Street after the clinic. J.C. Rice A clinic spokeswoman contended 'it is a common and unfortunate misconception that the presence of a treatment center causes public disorder. We are not the source; we are part of the response apparatus.' Greenwich House's executive director, Darren Bloch, was senior advisor to former Mayor Bill de Blasio and director of the mayor's office of strategic partnership, before joining the organization in 2020. He made $230,000 in 2022, the last year for which Greenwich House made tax filings public. It was under de Blasio that the Big Apple heralded the opening of the nation's first two supervised injection sites in 2021, which progressive politicians promised would help address the surge in fatal overdoses across the city. 14 Children play in the same park on Mercer where much of this happens. Leonardo Munoz They have only continued to rise since. About 2,300 New Yorkers died of drug overdoses last year – almost three times more than a decade ago, according to data from the state's Health Department. Most – about 1,650 people – died from fentanyl or other synthetic opioids. In comparison, 372 died of heroin and 188 died of pills like oxycodone.
Sinar Daily
27-06-2025
- Science
- Sinar Daily
Warning signs on climate flashing bright red
PARIS - From carbon pollution to sea-level rise to global heating, the pace and level of key climate change indicators are all in unchartered territory, more than 60 top scientists warned recently. Greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels and deforestation hit a new high in 2024 and averaged, over the last decade, a record 53.6 billion tonnes per year -- that's 100,000 tonnes per minute -- of CO2 or its equivalent in other gases, they reported in a peer-reviewed update. A man fills bottles with water in New York City on June 24, 2025. A potentially life-threatening heat wave enveloped the eastern third of the United States on June 23 impacting nearly 160 million people, with temperatures this week expected to reach 102 degrees Fahrenheit (39 degrees Celsius) in the New York metropolitan area. Dangerously high temperatures are forecast through midweek in Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City and Boston. (Photo by Leonardo Munoz / AFP) Earth's surface temperature last year breached 1.5 degrees Celsius for the first time, and the additional CO2 humanity can emit with a two-thirds chance of staying under that threshold long-term -- our 1.5C "carbon budget" -- will be exhausted in a couple of years, they calculated. Investment in clean energy outpaced investment in oil, gas and coal last year two-to-one, but fossil fuels account for more than 80 percent of global energy consumption, and growth in renewables still lags behind new demand. Included in the 2015 Paris climate treaty as an aspirational goal, the 1.5C limit has since been validated by science as necessary for avoiding a catastrophically climate-addled world. The hard cap on warming to which nearly 200 nations agreed was "well below" two degrees, commonly interpreted to mean 1.7C to 1.8C. "We are already in crunch time for these higher levels of warming," co-author Joeri Rogelj, a professor of climate science and policy at Imperial College London, told journalists in a briefing. "The next three or four decades is pretty much the timeline over which we expect a peak in warming to happen." 'The wrong direction' No less alarming than record heat and carbon emissions is the gathering pace at which these and other climate indicators are shifting, according to the study, published in Earth System Science Data. Human-induced warming increased over the last decade at a rate "unprecedented in the instrumental record", and well above the 2010-2019 average registered in the UN's most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, in 2021. The new findings -- led by the same scientists using essentially the same methods -- are intended as an authoritative albeit unofficial update of the benchmark IPCC reports underpinning global climate diplomacy. They should be taken as a reality check by policymakers, the authors suggested. "I tend to be an optimistic person," said lead author Piers Forster, head of the University of Leed's Priestley Centre for Climate Futures. "But if you look at this year's update, things are all moving in the wrong direction." The rate at which sea levels have shot up in recent years is also alarming, the scientists said. After creeping up, on average, well under two millimetres per year from 1901 to 2018, global oceans have risen 4.3 mm annually since 2019. What happens next? An increase in the ocean watermark of 23 centimetres -- the width of a letter-sized sheet of paper -- over the last 125 years has been enough to imperil many small island states and hugely amplify the destructive power of storm surges worldwide. An additional 20 centimetres of sea level rise by 2050 would cause one trillion dollars in flood damage annually in the world's 136 largest coastal cities, earlier research has shown. Another indicator underlying all the changes in the climate system is Earth's so-called energy imbalance, the difference between the amount of solar energy entering the atmosphere and the smaller amount leaving it. So far, 91 percent of human-caused warming has been absorbed by oceans, sparing life on land an unlivable hell-scape. But the planet's energy imbalance has nearly doubled in the last 20 years, and scientists do not know how long oceans will continue to massively soak up this excess heat. Dire future climate impacts worse than what the world has already experienced are already baked in over the next decade or two. But beyond that, the future is in our hands, the scientists made clear. "We will rapidly reach a level of global warming of 1.5C, but what happens next depends on the choices which will be made," said co-author and former IPCC co-chair Valerie Masson-Delmotte. The Paris Agreement's 1.5C target allows for the possibility of ratcheting down global temperatures below that threshold before century's end. Ahead of a critical year-end climate summit in Brazil, international cooperation has been weakened by the US withdrawal the Paris Agreement. President Donald Trump's dismantling of domestic climate policies means the US is likely to fall short on its emissions reduction targets, and could sap the resolve of other countries to deepen their own pledges, experts say. - AFP
New York Post
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Love Island watch parties take over NYC nightlife
This summer, the real villa isn't in Fiji — it's in a Brooklyn brownstone, a Midtown sports bar and a West Village comedy club. Love Island USA, which premiered its new season June 11 on Peacock, has officially taken over New York City nightlife. Fans across the boroughs are ditching the couch for themed cocktails, sliders and full-blown screaming matches at watch parties from Manhattan to Brooklyn. The hit reality show features a rotating cast of sexy singles in a luxury villa, where they must 'couple up' or risk getting dumped — not just by each other, but by the American public. Advertisement 7 This season of Love Island USA is fueling a new kind of nightlife — with viewers in Brooklyn, Midtown and beyond planning their weeks around villa chaos, recouplings and every new episode. Ben Symons/PEACOCK Viewers vote in real time to split couples, send in new 'bombshells' and ultimately crown the winning pair, turning the show into a chaotic dating Olympics with six episodes a week and near-constant drama. Now in its seventh season, the series has become a cultural obsession among Gen Z, thanks to its meme-worthy moments, messy recouplings and signature catchphrases like 'I've got a text!' Advertisement In Greenwich Village, The Comedy Shop is running Love Island episodes almost every night of the week, with Sunday turning into an all-day binge. The bar starts replaying the season at 11 a.m. and ends with the latest episode at 9 p.m. on the venue's five flatscreens. 7 Fans scream, cheer and take shots along with every dramatic moment during Love Island screenings at The Comedy Shop — turning the West Village comedy bar into a villa-style watch party six nights a week. Leonardo Munoz 'It's the girls' version of sports,' Comedy Shop TikTok manager and bartender Ana Reyes said. 'Everyone comes together and can all catch up on the episodes.' The event went viral after The Comedy Shop posted a TikTok that drew more than 200,000 views. Reyes, 25, was inspired by a viral post of someone wishing Love Island would play at NYC bars. So she made it happen. Advertisement The show has been a hit for its business, especially midweek, with more than a hundred fans turning out for Tuesday's episode alone. 7 The Thursday crowd at The Comedy Shop breaks into claps and spontaneous drumrolls during big reveals — including the show's classic 'I've got a text!' alerts. Leonardo Munoz Guests have started making reservations days in advance. One woman even booked a table for her husband's birthday — because all he wanted was to spend it watching Love Island at their bar, Reyes said. Another group of friends plans to fly in from Florida, she added. When The Post visited the Comedy Shop Thursday night, cheers erupted after every 'I've got a text' — a signature line from the show used to announce major twists or challenges — with spontaneous drum rolls, screams and heated debates echoing across the room. Advertisement Friends, solo viewers, siblings and couples packed the tables, many saying they had found the event through TikTok or Instagram. 7 The Comedy Shop's cheeky themed menu includes 'The Bombshell' margarita tower, a beer-and-shot combo called 'The Recoupling' and even a couples platter titled 'Can I Pull You For a Chat?' — all nods to the show's iconic lingo. The Comedy Shop/ Instagram 'We saw this place on TikTok and it was close to where I lived, so we had to come. The stars aligned,' Bansri Shah, 27, who came with her younger sister Amrita, told The Post. The bar's cheeky themed menu includes a $30 margarita tower — dubbed 'The Bombshell' — along with a $12 beer-and-shot deal called 'The Recoupling' and a couples platter titled 'Can I Pull You For a Chat?' — all named after Love Island lingo. At Black Sheep bar in Midtown East, bartender Casey Rosen kicked off her own version of a watch party last week after realizing she'd be stuck working during the premiere. 7 Sunday marathons at The Comedy Shop run all day starting at 11 a.m., ending with the latest Love Island episode on five flatscreens and a crowd that knows every contestant's name. Leonardo Munoz 'I posted on Reddit five hours before the show and 12 girls still came,' Rosen, 27, told The Post. 'Some even came alone. We ended up chatting, people made friends … It was honestly a great time.' The Friday screenings at Black Sheep now feature Love Island on multiple TVs with sound, $8 wine specials and a fruity new 'Bombshell Martini.' Advertisement But the rowdiest watch parties might be in Brooklyn, where 23-year-old nanny and content creator Kaleah Denise began cramming nearly a hundred guests into a rented two-story brownstone last week for sliders, chicken wings, cheesecake shooters and a pole-dancing contest. 7 A Midtown bartender launched her Love Island watch party after realizing she'd be stuck at work during the show. Now she's hosting weekly screenings with themed drinks and strangers bonding over the show's never-ending drama. Ben Symons/Peacock 'A lot of my friends don't even watch the show, so I realized some people want to talk about it but don't have anyone to talk to,' Denise said. 'So I decided to find my people and be with my people.' She held her first Love Island party June 13 and has since made it a weekly event, with the next one planned for Sunday. The parties typically run from around 8 to 11:30 p.m. and sell out within hours on the events web site Posh VIP, she said. Advertisement The crowd, mostly solo women and their friends in their 20s and 30s, show up dressed in 'villa chic' for the $20 event, while Kaleah supplies more than 20 bottles of wine and champagne which Denise said is just enough to 'socialize, not get sloppy.' 7 Fans across New York are throwing their own villa-style watch parties, bringing viewers together and a taste of Fiji to the five boroughs. Leonardo Munoz 'We're basically bringing Fiji to New York City,' Denise said.
New York Post
17-06-2025
- New York Post
Mysterious hooded figure scales 250-foot-high Roosevelt Island Tram tower in nail-biting clip
A hooded, masked daredevil scaled the towering Roosevelt Island Tramway Monday evening and had to be brought down by cops in climbing gear, according to police and shocking footage. The 20-year-old suspect was seen nonchalantly walking back and forth along the gangway of the tramway's 250-feet-tall support tower on the Manhattan side, wild video obtained by The Post shows. The clip shows the urban climber stopping occasionally to lean against a railing and look at his phone. 4 A young man climbed the support beams of the Roosevelt Island Tramway in New York City on June 15, 2025. Obtained by the NY Post At one point, he descends and climbs a series of short ladders on the tower and makes his way out onto an I-beam barely wide enough to accommodate his feet, the nail-biting video shows. Shocked New Yorkers called 911 to report a figure climbing up the tower just before 7 p.m., police said. Cops responded to the tramway and used climbing gear to make their way up to the suspect as an NYPD helicopter hovered overhead. As officers made their way to the top, the suspect made a defiant gesture, spreading his arms out at them, according to the footage. Meanwhile, ESU officers and FDNY firefighters staged below the tower along Andrew Haswell Green Park craned their necks up to watch the mysterious figure's antics. 4 The 20-year-old suspect was seen nonchalantly walking back and forth along the gangway of the tramway's 250-feet-tall support tower on the Manhattan side. Kevin C Downs forThe New York Post 4 Cops responded to the tramway and used climbing gear to make their way up to the suspect as an NYPD helicopter hovered overhead. Obtained by the NY Post The brave cops who reached the tower's peak secured the 20-year-old in safety gear and brought him down to ground level without injury, police said. The thrill-seeking suspect was taken by paramedics to Weill-Cornell Medical Center, according to the FDNY. He was not identified by police and charges were pending Monday night. 4 People ride the tramway from Roosevelt Island as a rally in support of priority boarding for Roosevelt Island residents and workers takes place at Tramway Plaza in New York City on June 8, 2025. Leonardo Munoz Police said there is no indication that the climber was associated with a protest or a cause, but the incident remains under investigation. In 2004, an Astoria man was removed from the tower by the NYPD after he climbed to the top of the Tramway. Gerard Corrar, 55, was arrested and charged with trespass. A decade ago, the hidden camera reality show Impractical Jokers pulled a prank where a character named Captain Fat Belly went to the top of the tower as part of a stunt. The NYPD did not confirm whether the television show had approval to climb the tower, but a reality television producer said it was highly unlikely they would do something that risky without getting it cleared by the city first. Additional reporting by Kevin C. Downs
