Renewal of a permit to allow Madison Square Garden to sit atop Penn Station for only five more years–expected to be officially approved by the City Council Sept. 14–will set off a new scramble by all stakeholders to fit a new plan into the compressed time frame. Photo: Keith J. Kelly Loose Ends: When the Full Council Finally OKs 5-yr Permit for MSG, What’s Next? The City Council is resetting the clock on the interlinked futures of Madison Square Garden and Penn Station. But virtually... News 10 Sep 2023 | 05:31
Tall, well-lit construction sheds may become the norm for the city’s 9,000 scaffolding installations if new regulations proposed by City Council majority leader Keith Powers and council member Erik Bottcher, Shaun Abreu, and Chris Marte become law. Manhattan, with 4,000 of the sheds, has more than any other borough. Photo: Ralph Spielman Reach for the Sky: New Scaffold Bills Call for 50% Boost in Height and New LED Lighting New bills to overhaul scaffolds that now cover 280 miles of sidewalks in New York City would force builders to make them... News 19 Mar 2023 | 10:51
Firefighters use a daring rope roof rescue to save two people from a 20th floor high rise on East 67th St. on November 5, 2022, after a four-alarm fire started by a lithium ion battery blocked rescuers from reaching trapped civilains from inside. Photo: FDNY. City Council Passes Bills Regulating E-Bike Batteries The City Council passed a bill regulating the lithium-ion batteries in e-bikes and scooters, in an action aimed at stopping... News 06 Mar 2023 | 12:32
Council Member Keith Powers referenced his father’s own experience running a small business in an acknowledgement of “how hard mom-and-pop stores work to keep their doors open.” Photo by Stephen Yang / NYPost, courtesy of Keith Powers’ office Council Member Keith Powers Backs Small Biz Break Small businesses were hurting badly during the pandemic — and the way Council Member Keith Powers sees it, they ought to... News 27 Jan 2023 | 07:26
Dozens of protesters turned out at 250 Broadway, where City Council offices are located. Photo: Abigail Gruskin ‘The Yuck Mobile’ A mock dining shed on wheels stalled briefly in front of City Council members’ offices downtown, at 250 Broadway, in the... News 18 Nov 2022 | 10:52
Council Member Julie Menin (right) gained unanimous and near-unanimous support for all five of her child care bills. Photo: Abigail Gruskin Five Steps Closer To Universal Child Care On Wednesday, the City Council made strides toward actualizing universal child care, by passing five bills brought forward... News 13 Oct 2022 | 04:38
A proposed map of newly drawn City Council districts was released on July 15. Map screenshot from the NYC Districting Commission ‘Preliminary’ City Council Redistricting Is Just That, Council Members Say City Council districts are the latest to get a major overhaul as part of a redistricting process on the heels of the latest... News 22 Jul 2022 | 02:20
New Council Member Erik Bottcher’s Instagram page features screenshots of news stories covering his political endeavors — but also videos of dance routines and self-recorded footage of Bottcher with a friend’s pet. Photo: Abigail Gruskin Erik Bottcher Aims to Address Mental Health Citywide New Council Member Erik Bottcher’s Instagram page appears, as of late, to be filled mostly with screenshots of news stories... News 26 Jan 2022 | 06:15
Rebecca Lamorte is a candidate for City Council in District 5. Photo: Jeff Rae Fighting for an Accessible City On Dec. 7, 2013, Rebecca Lamorte was standing on the uptown 6 train, reading Roald Dahl. At the time, Lamorte, then 22, was... News 06 Dec 2020 | 09:23
City Council candidate Seth Rosen has lived on the Upper West Side for 20 years. ( Photo: Courtesy of Seth 2021) An LGBTQ Voice for the UWS? He’s never run for public office or served as an elected official, yet Seth Rosen, a 20-year resident of the UWS, is hoping... News 28 Feb 2020 | 03:20
Sara Lind, co-secretary of Community Board 7, is also a board member of her local Democratic club. ( Photo: Tall Paul Olkowski. Courtesy of Friends of Sara Lind) Politics is Women's Work Though she has only lived in New York City for six years, Sara Lind has immersed herself in her Upper West Side community... News 24 Feb 2020 | 10:47
Working to help pass New York state's same-sex marriage legislation in 2011 was an early high point in Erik Bottcher's career. ( Photo: Courtesy of Friends of Erik Bottcher) It's All About the Details In Erik Bottcher’s ideal political world, policy problems would be resolved by gathering stakeholders around a table to hash... News 18 Feb 2020 | 11:30
City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, spoke about the toll that food insecurity takes on students. ( Photo: Sarah Ben-Nun) Fighting Food Insecurity at CUNY Food insecurity, defined by the United States Department of Agriculture as “the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally... Home 19 Dec 2019 | 03:05
At the Wild Bird Fund on the Upper West Side, birds receive treatment for a mix of injuries, from window strikes and other accidents. ( Photo: Sarah Ben-Nun) Flying the Friendlier Skies New York City lawmakers voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday, Dec. 10 to adopt legislation requiring "bird-friendly'' glass on... News 09 Dec 2019 | 05:40
Council Member Ben Kallos authored a bill that aims to put a spotlight on the outcomes of domestic violence survivors. ( Photo: Courtesy of NYC Council photographer William Alatriste) New bill targets domestic violence In response to an increase in domestic violence offenses in the city — despite a drop in most other crimes — a bill has been... News 02 Aug 2019 | 01:03
