Latest news with #NYPublicLibrary
CBS News
2 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Hundreds join "Stop Starving Gaza" march in New York City
Hundreds of people marched across Manhattan in solidarity with Palestinians on Saturday. More than 200 organizations took part in the event, called "Stop Starving Gaza: Mass March for Humanity." Pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil kicked off the rally outside the New York Public Library near Bryant Park before those in attendance started marching across Manhattan. Protesters called for an end to the Israel-Hamas war and for the United States to stop sending aid to Israel. People from across the country attended. "As soon as we heard this was happening, we flew straight down," said Teela Segura, from Nevada. "No parent deserves to have their child hurt like this, to go through and not be able to feed their children. That's an atrocity." The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) blasted the Trump administration for the State Department's announcement on X Saturday that it would halt visitor visas for individuals from Gaza while the department conducts "a full and thorough review of the process and procedures used to issue a small number of temporary medical-humanitarian visas in recent days." "The children are starving. I've been involved. I've done humanitarian aid work," said Jim Keady, with New Jersey Peace Action and NJ CAIR. "Thousands and thousands of more people have died, and tens of thousands of people are now in threat of starvation." The United Nations is warning that levels of starvation and malnutrition in Gaza are at their highest since the war began. Meanwhile, Israel announced Saturday that it is preparing to move Palestinians from combat zones to southern Gaza as plans move ahead for a military offensive in some of the territory's most populated areas. The prime minister announced he will relocate Palestinians from Gaza City, which he calls Hamas' last stronghold, to so-called safe zones. "He's a war criminal. You can't have a war criminal administering in Gaza and the West Bank. It's outrageous," Hudson resident Dr. Maria Assevero said. Meanwhile, anxious families of Israeli hostages called for a Nationwide Day of Stoppage in Israel on Sunday to express growing frustration over 22 months of war. They fear the expansion of war will further endanger the remaining 50 hostages, 20 of whom are believed to be alive and were recently seen on Hamas propaganda video, appearing emaciated.
CBS News
23-07-2025
- CBS News
NYC unveils Liberty Link pilot program for free or low-cost internet service in parts of Manhattan and Bronx
Thousands of residents in the Bronx and Upper Manhattan could soon benefit from a new New York City pilot program that promises to bring free or low-cost internet to some affordable housing buildings. Mayor Eric Adams symbolically turned on the power to a router on Wednesday before announcing a more than $3 million program called Liberty Link, a three-year plan to bring high-speed Wi-Fi to more than 2,000 affordable and Section 8 housing units across the two boroughs. Liberty Link is an expansion of a 2022 program called Big Apple Connect, which brought Wi-Fi to more than 200 NYCHA buildings. "High-speed broadband, we know how important it is -- finding a job, connecting online, looking for research, résumés, filling a prescription, applying for child care," Adams said. Liberty Link is a partnership between the city's Department of Housing and the New York Public Library, which will install fiber internet and Wi-Fi to dozens of buildings. "Democratization of knowledge is for all. Regardless of your income level, where you live, who you are, you should be able to get access to information," said Garfield Swaby, senior director for IT at New York Public Library. The city says the first installations of Liberty Link will begin in the Bronx by the end of the year, with hopes to expand citywide if the pilot is successful. One disabled veteran said access to the internet isn't just a convenience, it's a lifeline. Bernard Wright is a frequent visitor to the Bronx Library Center. "They have internet access and computers. That was a go to for me," Wright said. He said for many people living on fixed incomes, like himself, paying for internet at home is simply too expensive. But without it, they will miss out on critical services. "If you don't have access to the internet, if you don't have access to put in claims to receive assistance that you need, then you're at a dead end," Wright said. And for New Yorkers with mobility issues, like Wright, getting to the library isn't always easy. However, soon, hundreds like him will get free Wi-Fi right at home. "Now that this Liberty Link is gonna come into play, it's going to be magnificent. It's going to be able to help members who are homebound," Wright said.
The Guardian
05-05-2025
- General
- The Guardian
New York's serene Central Park makeover fixes years of neglect: in pictures
Central Park, designed by renowned US landscape designer Frederick Law Olmsted, first opened to the public in 1858. In the 1860s, a tidal marsh in the park's north-east corner was transformed into the Harlem Meer. The lake, seen here as a skating rinkin 1905, was named for the neighborhood nearby. Photograph: NY Public Library Central Park, circa 1943. The northern reaches of the park, including Harlem Meer, were notable for rugged terrain that made it an especially bucolic escape from the city. Photograph: Central Park Conservancy But the middle of the 20th century brought major redevelopment to the north end of the park, including a project that encased the meer in a concrete retaining wall. Much of the landscape was paved over and built up, including with an ice rink/pool. During the city's financial crisis of the 1970s, this northern section of the park – which is surrounded by less affluent, historically Black and Latino neighborhoods – fell into disrepair. Seen here: Lasker rink and pool, circa 1966. Photograph: Central Park Conservancy In 2021, crews broke ground on a project to replace the Lasker rink and pool with a new recreation center. The $160m Davis Center, which opened in April, offers year-round activities and also restores natural ecologies around the meer. Pictured here: A yoga class on the new Harlem Oval. Photograph: Tobias Everke/The Guardian The Oval is a central element of the redesign. It may look like a lawn, but … Photograph: Tobias Everke/The Guardian … one of the key features of the center is its ability to evolve with the seasons. The lawn will transform into a swimming pool in the summer, as seen in this aerial rendering, and an ice skating rink in the winter. Illustration: Susan T Rodriguez/Central Park Conservancy The new Davis Center building is tucked into a hillside and overlooks the oval and the meer. Passive design reduces the need for artificial heating and cooling. Photograph: Tobias Everke/The Guardian The green roof features skylights that illuminate the main atrium and walkways for pedestrians. Vegetation helps absorb stormwater and heat. Photograph: Tobias Everke/The Guardian A view from inside the Davis Center atrium. Large glass doors open onto the oval. The glass is engineered to minimize reflections, helping to prevent bird collisions. Photograph: Tobias Everke/The Guardian The Huddlestone arch, located nearby, was built in 1866 from massive boulders found in the landscape. Previous designs obscured the arch. The new Davis Center restores the flow of water between the meer and a forested area called the North woods that previous development had severed. Photograph: Tobias Everke/The Guardian The project also resurfaces a hidden stream that flows into the Harlem Meer and reintroduces native flora to the landscape. Large rocks help to prevent soil erosion. Photograph: Tobias Everke/The Guardian There are several new walkways, including a boardwalk that traverses the meer and allows pedestrians to get a close-up look at freshwater marsh plantings. Photograph: Tobias Everke/The Guardian An aerial view of the new Davis Center. Photograph: Central Park Conservancy
