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☆ San Jose Japanese American farm from early 1900s to be demolished for urban housing
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-05 | by ( Claire Wang | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

In San Jose, a center of California’s housing crisis, one of the oldest and last remaining Japanese-owned farms in the state will be demolished to pave the way for urban housing. San Jose is home to one of only three existing Japantowns in the country and the only one built on agricultural roots. In July, the San Jose City Council voted to turn the Sakauye family’s 23-acre fruit orchard into a mixed-used development constituting nearly 1,500 apartment units and town houses. Vanessa Hatakeyama, the acting director of the Japanese American Museum of San Jose, said the Sakauye farm is a remnant of San Jose’s agricultural landscape — one that was built by Japanese immigrants — before it was transformed by the tech and suburban housing booms. In July, the San Jose City Council voted to turn the Sakauye family’s 23-acre fruit orchard into a mixed-used development constituting nearly 1,500 apartment units and town houses.

Persons: Vanessa Hatakeyama, ” Hatakeyama, they’d, Eichii, Ed ” Sakauye, Yuwakichi, Sakauye, of San Jose Eichii Sakauye, Edward Seely, “, ”, Rosemary Kamei, Kamei’s, Kamei, Ben Leech, Carolyn Sakauye, Jane May, Leech Organizations: San Jose City, Japanese American Museum of San, ” Preservation, ., Preservation, of San, City, city’s Department of Parks ,, Neighborhood Services Locations: Jose, San Jose, Japanese American Museum of San Jose, Silicon, California, Heart Mountain , Wyoming, Heart, of San Jose

Los Angeles graffiti artists and squatters seem to be drawn to the abandoned mansions of Hollywood producer John Powers Middleton. The defaced domiciles are located about five miles apart in the Hollywood Hills, and residents of the posh Los Angeles neighborhood say the buildings have become eyesores. An aerial view of one of two abandoned mansions in the Hollywood Hills that has been covered in graffiti. “The California properties are owned by John Powers Middleton,” the spokesperson said in a statement to the station. “We had squatters, and more squatters, and then graffiti, and more graffiti,” neighborhood resident Marina Mirzuh told NBC Los Angeles.

Persons: John Powers Middleton, Raman, Middleton, ”, Marina Mirzuh, Mizruh, NBCLA, “, Donald Trump Organizations: Hollywood, Los, Los Angeles City, NBC, Philadelphia Phillies, city’s Department of Building, Safety, Republican, John Powers Middleton Companies, Trump Locations: Angeles, Hollywood, Los Angeles, NBC Los, NBC Los Angeles, California, Sunset, Middleton, Manchester

☆ Street Sheds Transformed New York City Dining. Many Will Soon Disappear.
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-03 | by ( Lola Fadulu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

More than four years after the coronavirus upended life in New York City, some of the most visible vestiges of the pandemic — outdoor dining structures erected outside thousands of restaurants — are facing a deadline that could see many of them razed. Restaurants that currently offer outdoor dining in sheds on sidewalks or in roadways and wish to continue doing so must apply to the city’s new outdoor dining program by Saturday night and comply with new guidelines, which some owners say will be costly. Business owners who do not apply must take down their existing setups or face fines. As of Friday afternoon, more than 1,900 restaurants had applied to take part in the new program, which is known as Dining Out N.Y.C. The volume of applications represented a significant drop from the number of restaurants that applied to take part in the temporary outdoor dining program that sprang up at the height of the pandemic.

Organizations: city’s Department of Transportation Locations: New York City

☆ The Battle for The Streets of New York
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Dodai Stewart | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +11 min

New York City streets and sidewalks have always been crowded, but it’s never been like this. But lately, New York City streets are teetering between lively and unlivable. Karsten Moran for The New York Times“I think this could be the catalyst for a streets renaissance in New York,” Janette Sadik-Khan, New York City’s former transportation commissioner, said in a recent interview. New York City’s population reached 8.8 million in 2020, and the New York region is now home to nearly 19 million people. Use this form to tell us what you think about the state of New York City’s streets.

Persons: it’s, Karsten Moran, ” Janette Sadik, “, ”, Susan Lee, William Notman, Jon Orcutt, you’re, —, Henry Hale Bliss, Bliss, James Nevius, George Rinhart, Damon Winter, Sadik, Yorkers who’ve, Ms, Khan Organizations: New, Lexington, Verizon, FedEx, The New York Times, Broadway, Getty, Yorkers, Brooklyn baseball, Midtown, Bike New, city’s Department of Transportation, Park West, Times, New York Times, Cycling Locations: New York City, New York, Manhattan, , New York, York, York’s, Midtown —, Bike New York, United States, Holland, Jackson, Queens, Bogotá, Stockholm, London, Paris, Europe, —

☆ Mayor Adams Pushes to Hire Ex-Giuliani Deputy as New York’s Top Lawyer
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Emma G. Fitzsimmons | William K. Rashbaum | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

With Mayor Eric Adams and top aides facing a tangle of investigations and lawsuits, he is quietly maneuvering to replace New York City’s top lawyer with a veteran litigator known for his aggressive tactics, two people who are familiar with the matter said. The city is in the final stages of hiring Randy Mastro, a former federal prosecutor who served as chief of staff and deputy mayor to former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, a Republican, according to the two people, who were granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter. The city’s current corporation counsel, Sylvia O. Hinds-Radix, a former judge who served in the role for nearly two and a half years, is expected to leave the administration. Mr. Mastro has met with City Hall aides to discuss the job, and the city’s Department of Investigation has been notified that he is expected to join the administration, according to one of the people, and it will conduct a background investigation.

Persons: Eric Adams, Randy Mastro, Rudolph W, Giuliani, Sylvia O, Hinds, Mastro Organizations: New York, Republican, City Hall, city’s Department of Investigation Locations: New

☆ Inexpensive ways to access emergency funds
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

And while surveys indicate that there are plenty of people in just such a situation, there are some inexpensive and safe ways to access emergency funds. putting it on a credit card but paying that bill in full when it comes due). An earlier survey by Bankrate, meanwhile, found that two-thirds of US adults worried they don’t have enough emergency savings to cover them if they lost their primary source of income. Her bills were piling up and she had already accrued high credit card balances from her years in school. To make the next emergency expense less stressful and costly, you can build emergency savings with small amounts consistently over time.

Persons: Bankrate.com, Bankrate, Noah Damsky, ”, Marcel Miu, ” Miu, Daisy Martini, she’d, Rodney Williams, Martini, “, Damsky, Linda Grizely Organizations: New, New York CNN, Federal Reserve, Marina Wealth Advisors, New York City’s Department of Education, Financial Locations: New York, New

agents early Thursday searched the homes of two senior New York Fire Department chiefs responsible for overseeing safety inspections while city investigators also searched the chiefs’ offices at the agency’s headquarters in Brooklyn, people with knowledge of the matter said. There was no immediate indication that the searches were part of a broad federal corruption investigation focused on Mayor Eric Adams and fund-raising for his 2021 campaign, although spokesmen for the F.B.I. A spokeswoman for the Department of Investigation could not immediately be reached for comment. Neither of the chiefs, Brian Cordasco and Anthony Saccavino, has been accused of wrongdoing. The Fire Department said in a statement that Commissioner Laura Kavanagh has “proactively” placed both chiefs on modified duty.

Persons: Eric Adams, Brian Cordasco, Anthony Saccavino, Laura Kavanagh Organizations: New York Fire Department, city’s Department of Investigation, U.S, Department, Fire Department Locations: Brooklyn, Manhattan

☆ New York Reimagined Subsidized Housing. What Happened?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Michael Kimmelman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

This story is from Headway, an initiative from The New York Times exploring the world’s challenges through the lens of progress. “A beacon.”That was how Shaun Donovan, former commissioner of New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development, heralded Via Verde, the South Bronx development, in 2011. Construction was nearly done at the time, and I chose Via Verde for the subject of my first column as The New York Times’s architecture critic. Most important, its goal was larger than itself: to reimagine subsidized housing for a new century. Engineers, solar experts, community groups, architectural organizations as well as the New York City Council pulled in unison.

Persons: what’s, Shaun Donovan Organizations: The New York Times, New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation, Via Verde, Guggenheim, Bloomberg, . Engineers, New, New York City Council Locations: New, Via Verde, Bronx, York, Paris, New York, grumbled

☆ A Map Without Israel Plunges a Grade School Into a Political Firestorm
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Ginia Bellafante | More About Ginia Bellafante | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

A follow-up in The Post later that day focused on the outrage of local officials. Tova Plaut, an instructional coordinator for the department, has been especially vocal about what has happened at P.S. “This particular example speaks to why there needs to be systemwide training on how to recognize antisemitism,” she said. District 15 was “committed to making sure our students feel safe and supported at all times,” he wrote, perhaps somewhat ambitiously. “It would be devastating if the program were cut,” Lauren Katzman, the mother of a first grader at 261, told me.

Persons: Dan Goldman, “, Tova, ”, Rafael T, Alvarez, ’, ” Lauren Katzman Organizations: Democratic, city’s Department of Education, Holocaust, Alliance, New York Peace Institute Locations: Boerum, Israel, nonexistence, P.S

☆ Cities try to take back curbs from cars and delivery trucks
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

There are a slew of users and uses that compete for curb space. The solution, some advocates say, is removing free parking and charging for spots based on demand. Free parkingThe root of the chaos at the curb stems from free on-street parking, critics say. Cities “squander curbs for free parking for cars because drivers are the people who show up at public meetings,” Shoup said. Smart loading zonesEven if cities managed their on-street parking problems for private vehicles more effectively, bikers, delivery workers, outdoor dining and other uses would still crowd the curb.

Persons: ”, Chrissy Mancini Nichols, ” Nichols, Yorkers, Donald Shoup, ” Shoup, Mike Estey, ” Estey, Michelle Wu Organizations: New, New York CNN, Workers, Walker Consultants, city’s Department of Transportation, University of California, Drivers, New York City’s Department of Transportation, Seattle Department of Transportation, Boston Locations: New York, “, New York City, Seattle, Los Angeles, America, San Francisco, Baltimore, Boston, Los Angeles , Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Washington, New, Omaha , Nebraska, Minneapolis, Philadelphia

☆ Mayor Adams’s Ability to Freely Spend Money on Migrants May Be Curtailed
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Jay Root | More About Jay Root | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“If we were to revoke the blanket prior approval — yes, then each of those agencies would just need to approach us for approval of any individual contract,” he said. DocGo officials did not respond on Sunday to a request for comment. The company’s contract with the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development, which has not been made public, calls for DocGo to provide some of its subcontracted services with no markup. For example, laundry and food service are “billed at actual cost,” with laundry charges capped at $270,000 a month, and three meals costing no more than $33 per person each day, the contract says. But DocGo is allowed to turn a tidy profit from its largest single monthly expense: the hotel rooms housing the migrants.

Persons: ”, shouldn’t, DocGo Organizations: city’s Department of Housing Preservation, DocGo, Ramada Plaza Locations: Albany, DocGo, New York City

DocGo was already under scrutiny when its no-bid contract with New York City came to light, prompting questions about what services the company was providing — as well as the quality of those services. Neither the company nor city officials were willing to voluntarily disclose details of the contract. Earlier this month, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander said there were “numerous outstanding issues and concerns” that prompted him to reject the city's $432 million no-bid emergency contract with DocGo. DocGo began as a medical services company, describing itself on its website as delivering “high-quality medical care outside traditional hospital or clinic settings across our service lines: Mobile Health Care, Medical Transportation and Remote Patient Monitoring/Chronic Disease Management. The company has been trying to land a lucrative contract, valued in the billions of dollars, with the federal government

Persons: DocGo, Anthony Capone's, Capone, ”, Capone's, Lee Bienstock, Brad Lander, Lander, Eric Adams, “, Letitia James, ’ Organizations: New, Albany Times Union, Clarkson University, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, DocGo, city’s Department of Housing Preservation, New York Times, Mobile Health Care, Medical Transportation, Disease, We’re Locations: New York City, ”

☆ Did You Know About the 16-Foot Trump Tower Clock? Neither Did the City.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( Sam Roberts | More About Sam Roberts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Every year, New York City’s Department of Transportation collects tens of millions of dollars from property owners in return for permission to place street furniture on, over or under city sidewalks. This includes, but is not limited to, signs, filigreed lampposts, benches, bollards, planters, permanent trash receptacles, delivery ramps, underground vaults and just about anything else imaginable, including ornamental clocks. Each bears the surname of its owner, Donald J. Trump. Belatedly, the City of New York would like to be paid for allowing the Trump Tower clock to occupy part of a public sidewalk. The fee for what is called revocable consent — temporary permission that can be revoked after 10 years and is subject to renewal — varies widely.

Persons: filigreed, Donald J Organizations: New York City’s Department of Transportation, Trump Locations: New, City of New York

☆ New York City Bans TikTok on Government-Owned Devices
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Sapna Maheshwari | More About Sapna Maheshwari | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

New York City on Wednesday joined a wave of states and federal agencies in banning TikTok from government-owned devices based on security concerns, snuffing out some popular city-run TikTok accounts in the process. Jonah Allon, a spokesman for Mayor Eric Adams, said in a statement that the city’s Cyber Command determined that the app “posed a security threat to the city’s technical networks.” City agencies must remove the app within 30 days and employees will lose access to TikTok and its website from city-owned devices and networks. The TikTok accounts of Mr. Adams, the city’s Department of Sanitation and the Department of Parks and Recreation all updated their bios with this message: “This account was operated by NYC until August 2023. It’s no longer monitored.”Numerous government officials have been restricting access to TikTok in reaction to concerns that the app, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, could give Beijing access to sensitive user data. New York State has banned TikTok on state-issued mobile devices for more than three years, with some exceptions.

Persons: Jonah Allon, Eric Adams, Adams, It’s Organizations: Wednesday, Command, city’s Department of Sanitation, Department of Parks, Recreation, New York State Locations: York City, City, Beijing

☆ San Francisco Twitter complaint: City says flashing 'X' sign put up without a permit
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( Jamiel Lynch | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

San Francisco CNN —In a complaint, the city of San Francisco says they have visited Twitter headquarters twice since Friday regarding the new flashing “X” sign on top of the building. He tweeted video of the building with the new flashing “X” logo on Saturday saying, “Our HQ in San Francisco tonight.”“NOV issued for work without permit. I explained to all representatives that the NOV requires the structure to be remove with a building permit or legalize,” the complaint reads. An aerial view shows a newly constructed X sign on the roof of the headquarters of the social media platform previously known as Twitter, in San Francisco, on July 29, 2023. CNN has reached out to the City of San Francisco and X for comment.

Persons: San Francisco CNN —, Elon, “, ” “, Tweeter, Josh Edelson, Patrick Hannan, X Organizations: San Francisco CNN, Twitter, CNN, MH, Getty, city’s Department, Inspection, Washington Post, City of Locations: San, San Francisco, AFP, City, City of San Francisco

☆ 18 Hasidic Schools Failed to Provide Basic Education, New York City Finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Eliza Shapiro | Brian M. Rosenthal | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

If the findings are upheld by the state education department, as is expected, the schools could be required to submit detailed improvement plans and face government monitoring. The law, however, does not make clear what consequences the schools might face if they do not commit to improving. A spokesman for the city’s Department of Education said in a statement that it had performed a “thorough, fair review” of the Hasidic schools. “Schools that are found to not provide a substantially equivalent education will work with the Department of Education to create and implement a remediation plan,” the spokesman, Nathaniel Styer, said. Hasidic leaders have defended the schools previously, saying they prepared students for happy and fulfilling lives in the Hasidic community.

Persons: Nathaniel Styer, “ Organizations: city’s Department of Education, “, Department of Education, ”, The New York Times Locations: Brooklyn, Hudson

☆ Don't worry pizza-heads, NYC is still safe for pizza
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —Lawmakers and prominent social media personalities have in recent days rallied against a proposed New York City rule that some say would crack down on the city’s beloved pizzerias. New York City is famously and deservedly known for its pizza. I hear New York City is trying to ban delicious pizza. New York City Mayor Eric Adams made a similar point during a press conference on Monday. So wait, did someone really throw a pizza at City Hall in protest of the proposed rule?

Persons: pizzerias, Sen, Marsha Blackburn, ” Dave Portnoy, Elon Musk, Michael Berman, Photodisc, “, Edward “ Ted ”, Michael Seilback, Pizza's, Artem Vorobiev, ”, Garima, Seilback, Eric Adams, wouldn’t, Adams Organizations: New, New York CNN — Lawmakers, Tennessee, Barstool Sports, Twitter, City Hall, City, city’s Department of Environmental, CNN, New York City Department of Environmental, Edward “ Ted ” Timbers, NYC Department of Environmental, American Lung Association, Getty, Columbia University, New York City Locations: New York, New York City, York City

☆ De Blasio Owes City $475,000 for Bringing Police on Presidential Campaign
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Michael Gold | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Shortly before Mr. de Blasio launched his campaign, the board said it told Mr. de Blasio that the city could pay for salary and overtime for his security detail, but that paying for the officers’ travel costs would be a “misuse of city resources.”But Mr. de Blasio did not heed the board’s guidance, it said. The former mayor’s presidential campaign reported having just $1,422.76 on hand in its last filing with the Federal Election Commission, in December 2020. A political action committee associated with Mr. de Blasio, Fairness PAC, last reported having more than $32,000 in debt and less than $3,000 on hand. Mr. de Blasio, who ran New York City from 2014 through 2021, was plagued by ethics questions during his time in office. He was the subject of a number of investigations into whether his fund-raising methods violated the city’s ethics law, a ban against soliciting contributions from people who had business in front of the city.

Persons: de Blasio, de, Gracie, Jocelyn Strauber Organizations: city’s Department of Investigation, Federal, Commission, Mr Locations: New York City

☆ This Girl Scout troop sells cookies to support girls experiencing homelessness
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Vanessa Yurkevich | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

It’s important for every scout — but perhaps especially for Troop 6000, which is comprised entirely of girls who are experiencing homelessness or living in shelters. Unlike most Girl Scouts, Troop 6000’s cookie sale covers all fees for the girls including trips, summer camps and other activities. The funds help the troop hold Girl Scouts activities, as well as launch programs like the Troop 6000 Transition Initiative to support scouts and their families as they transition to permanent housing. So far, 100 migrant girls have joined Girl Scouts Troop 6000. Troop 6000 offers women a chance to lead in their community, by taking on volunteer roles within their shelters’ troops.

☆ The Ice Cream Truck Across the Street Is Making Way Too Much Noise
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Ronda Kaysen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Food trucks cannot idle with the engine running. Street vendors “don’t want to cause problems because they’re out there on the street everyday,” said Matthew Shapiro, the legal director of Street Vendor Project at the Urban Justice Center. A decade ago, the city plugged a few food carts into the grid, but the initiative fizzled out. Now, the Street Vendor Project is working on a pilot program to power a few food carts with batteries to test the cleaner and quieter technology. If it’s successful (and gets funding), the technology could potentially work for larger food and ice cream trucks, too.

New research conducted by a professor at University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School found that the AI-driven chatbot GPT-3 was able to pass the final exam for the school's Master of Business Administration (MBA) program. Prof. Christian Terwiesch, who authored the research paper "Would Chat GPT3 Get a Wharton MBA? Terwiesch’s findings come as educators become increasingly concerned that such chat bots could inspire cheating. The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, on Sept. 28, 2022. Experts who work in both artificial intelligence and education have acknowledged that bots like ChatGPT could be a detriment to education in the future.

☆ New York City Delays Enforcement of AI Bias Law
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Richard Vanderford | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

New York City is delaying the enforcement of a law requiring bias audits of artificial intelligence systems used in hiring, following questions from industry over the specifics of how in practice the groundbreaking legislation would apply. The move comes after an outpouring of concern among businesses, AI vendors and professional firms about how exactly they could comply with the city’s law. Detractors have expressed concern that the use of AI tools could inadvertently apply prejudices at scale to the recruitment process. Proponents, though, have argued that AI systems used in hiring could ultimately be fairer and more transparent than human resources staff, who can bring their own biases to the job. The scrutiny of AI tools is good, but should be balanced, said Emily Dickens, head of government affairs for the Society for Human Resource Management.

☆ Remaking the River That Remade L.A.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Michael Kimmelman | Photographs Adali Schell | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +33 min

Remaking the River That Remade L.A.February 1938 was a wet month in Los Angeles. Reservoirs overflowed, dams topped out and floodwaters careered down Pacoima Wash and Tujunga Wash toward the Los Angeles River. The Los Angeles River was never a storybook river of the kind that, like the Hudson or the Seine, we associate with great cities. Among the naysayers is a venerable organization called Friends of the Los Angeles River, founded by the Texas-born poet and performance artist Lewis MacAdams. “With all the problems L.A. is facing,” he said, “even if it costs $50 billion to fix the river, we should just effing do it.”The headwaters of the Los Angeles River aren’t easy to find.

Instead, data and child welfare experts suggest the changes may have done the opposite. State child welfare officials say more vigilance in documenting severe cases of abuse likely contributed to the increase. Child welfare experts say these findings cast doubt on the effectiveness of the primary tool that states rely on to protect children: mandatory child abuse reporting. These policies, the bedrock of America’s child welfare system, were first implemented more than half a century ago in response to growing national awareness of child maltreatment. “We are continuing to tell mandated reporters, ‘Report, report, report,’ and nobody can handle it,” Berger said in an interview.

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