New York’s City Planning Commission approved the OneLIC Neighborhood Plan, clearing the way for 14,700 new homes—of which 4,300 should be affordable—and 14,400 fresh jobs in Long Island City. Mayor Eric Adams hailed this next chapter as a fix for th…
New York’s City Planning Commission has greenlit a rezoning plan for 54 blocks along the Long Island City waterfront, aiming to generate nearly 15,000 new homes—4,300 of them income-restricted—over the next decade. While officials tout improved housing supply, some on the commission warn of burdens on schools and open space. The city council’s upcoming vote will decide whether these industrial blocks get a glossy new lease on life—or just higher rents.
New Yorkers in Assemblymember Stacey Pheffer Amato’s district return to school with universal free meals—breakfast and lunch gratis for every student, both public and private, at a reported $165 monthly saving per child—and a new ban on smart devices in classrooms. Phones may now be schooled in locked pouches, unless, of course, one’s math homework requires a smartwatch, or an emergency summons mom.
We note debate over changes to U.S. health policy, with Trump-era Medicaid and SNAP cuts reportedly worsening health outcomes for Black Americans, particularly in preventive care and maternal mortality. COVID-19 hit these communities harder, though increased vaccination rates did eventually blunt the toll. Now, the CDC’s tighter guidelines on vaccine eligibility under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. test whether less can, in fact, be more—a proposition not beloved by actuaries.
We greet the $179m Centro de Innovación de Queens, which will open next year on Northern Boulevard to welcome over 3,000 mostly Latino teens across four specialist high schools and generous therapy spaces—New York’s School Construction Authority claims the lavishly equipped edifice heralds a new era for STEM and arts learning. If community ties tighten as the auditorium seats suggest, the borough’s class acts could soon be standing room only.
Immigrants detained in New York find themselves in extended limbo as lawyers report that, under Donald Trump’s revived no-bail policy, the Department of Homeland Security has sharply escalated appeals and freezes on judges’ bond rulings this summer. The pace of deportations has soared—ICE has already tripled last year’s numbers—leaving legal advocates with little to do but rearrange their calendars, and detainees to count the ceiling tiles.
Flanked by elected officials, New York’s School Construction Authority unveiled the $178 million Queens Innovation Center in Woodside, now the city’s largest school, set to host over 3,000 students from four new high schools on September 4th. With features ranging from science labs to a competition gym, and extensive resources for special-needs students, we expect the facility’s ambitions may soon require even more chairs—and, daringly, sustained public funding.
Donald Trump’s once rock-solid support among Americans without a college degree seems to be softening, with Gallup showing disapproval rising to 56% in June before dipping to 45% by August, while his ratings among graduates remain dismal at minus 42 points. Economic insecurity, not intellect, splits these groups—though Trump seems happy to keep stirring the class pot, perhaps with his trademark golden ladle.
A New York police officer fatally ran over Erasmo Huerta Gonzalez, a 38-year-old Queens resident, in Flushing Meadows Corona Park on August 23rd, reportedly while chatting instead of watching the road—though NYPD accounts remain as scarce as summer parking near the US Open. State Attorney General Letitia James now investigates, with transparency about as elusive as a car-free path when tennis rolls into town.
