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The seats in Broadway theaters have been about 88%-occupied in the past year, compared with nearly 91% in the year before the pandemic, according to the Broadway League, the industry trade group. New York City’s tourism group said about 56 million travelers visited the city last year, compared with more than 66 million visitors in 2019. International tourism, at 8.9 million visitors, was about one-third lower. Julia Munslow/The Wall Street Journal

Persons: Julia Munslow Organizations: Broadway League, Street Locations: York

☆ How charging drivers to go downtown would transform American cities
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

New York City is still clawing out of from the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The plan would also mark the culmination of more than a half-century of efforts to implement congestion pricing in New York City. Ultimately, it was the need to improve New York City’s public transit that became the rallying cry for congestion pricing. The stakes of New York City’s program are high, and leaders in other cities are watching the results closely. “It’s good to see New York City’s program is moving forward,” said the Los Angeles Times Editorial Board last month.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, ”, Kathy Hochul, Michael Bloomberg, Andrew Cuomo —, Yuki Iwamura, Kate Slevin, Sam Schwartz Organizations: New, New York CNN, Central Business District, Federal Highway Administration, New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, ” New York Gov, MTA, Bloomberg, Getty, Regional Plan Association, London, Drivers, Los Angeles Times Locations: New York, New York City, Lower Manhattan, Manhattan, United States, Stockholm, London, Singapore, New Jersey, York, Los Angeles

☆ Opinion | On the Smoke Crisis, New York City’s Mayor Chokes
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Mara Gay | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

He could have coordinated with the governor to use the subway system announcements to communicate about the smoke with residents. The mayor could have worked quickly to distribute high-quality N95 masks — and critically, information — to New Yorkers, especially in the city’s most vulnerable communities. The city’s Fire Department, which reports to the mayor, finally said on Twitter Thursday it would have masks available at certain locations. The city could have opened designated clean air centers, deploying air purifiers to school gyms or libraries, offering vulnerable New Yorkers a similar refuge during the smoke crisis. He could have led by example by clearly directing city workers to do the same, if their job allowed.

Persons: Adams, Kathy Hochul Organizations: Yorkers, Gov, Fire Department, Twitter, of Education Locations: New Yorkers

☆ Opinion | New York Lawmakers Try to Sabotage Campaign Reform
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

For generations, deep-pocketed donors have called the shots in New York State politics, leaving ordinary voters with less power and less of a voice in their government. The changes proposed by lawmakers would protect incumbents and discourage challengers — the opposite of the program’s goal. The 2024 elections will be the first under this new campaign finance system, in which state leaders agreed to match small contributions with public funds to amplify the power of small donors. The law works like this: If an individual gives $5 to $250 to a candidate for a statewide office like governor, that donation is matched with public funds six to one. The match ratios are even higher for state legislative candidates.

Persons: Brennan, New York City’s, Kathy Hochul Organizations: Brennan Center for Justice, Democratic, Gov Locations: New York State, New York

☆ New York City residents urged to stay indoors as unhealthy air quality from Canadian wildfires persists
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Aya Elamroussi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York City public schools canceled all outdoor activities Wednesday, but will remain open. At least 10 school districts in central New York state canceled outdoor activities and events Tuesday. By 7 a.m. Wednesday, New York City’s air quality index was just below 180, a designation of “unhealthy,” according to IQair. New York City tallied to the worst air quality of any major metropolitan area Tuesday at 10 p.m., IQair’s data showed. Cities including New York, Philadelphia and Washington, DC, are expected to see their air quality improve throughout the day.

Persons: Eric Adams, IQair, ”, William Barrett Organizations: CNN, New, Carolinas, National Weather Service, New York, . New York City, Doha, Air, Canadian Interagency Forest Fire, World Health Organization, American Lung Association Locations: Canada, New York, New York City, Massachusetts , New Hampshire , Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Wednesday, . New, New Delhi, India, Qatar, Baghdad, Iraq, Lahore, Pakistan, Quebec, South Carolina, Philadelphia, Washington, Boston, Pittsburgh, Raleigh , North Carolina

New York City’s air quality index was above 200 at one point Tuesday night – a level that is “very unhealthy,” according to IQair. Later Tuesday night, New York City had the second-worst levels of air pollution in the world after New Delhi, India, IQair reported. Air quality alerts were in effect across parts of the Northeast and the Midwest on Tuesday as wildfire smoke spread west into Detroit and Chicago. Spencer Platt/Getty ImagesDetroit was listed in IQair’s top 10 worst locations for air pollution on Tuesday afternoon. Chicago’s air quality was moderate on Tuesday afternoon and is expected to remain moderate for the next couple of days.

Persons: IQair, ”, William Barrett, ” Barrett, Spencer Platt Organizations: CNN, New, Doha, World Health, World Health Organization, American Lung Association, Canadian Interagency Forest Fire, Midwest, National Weather Service, Getty, Detroit, IQAir Locations: New York City, Quebec, York, New Delhi, India, Qatar, Baghdad, Iraq, Lahore, Pakistan, New York, Canadian, Canada, Detroit, Chicago, IQair’s, New England, Massachusetts , Connecticut, Rhode Island and Vermont, Cities, Baltimore, Boston, Hartford, Providence, Montpelier , Vermont, South Carolina, IQAir North America

☆ Opinion | New York Politicians Are Turning Away From the Housing Crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( Mara Gay | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

New York needs that plan, known as the Housing Compact, and hopefully Ms. Hochul can resurrect it over the coming year. In the coming days though, Ms. Hochul, Mr. Heastie and Ms. Stewart-Cousins can at least agree to policies that the governor has called “low-hanging fruit,” some of which could be achieved by executive order. Albany can also remove caps on the size of new residential buildings in New York City, paving the way for the higher density projects the city badly needs. New York City’s municipal government can do this, but it needs Mr. Adams’s help. At the Department of Homeless Services, more and better-trained workers are needed to help shelter residents apply for city housing vouchers, an onerous process that should be streamlined.

Persons: isn’t, Carl Heastie, Andrea Stewart, Cousins, Kathy Hochul, Hochul, Heastie, Stewart, Adams, Adams’s, Dave Giffen Organizations: Gov, City Hall, Legal, Department of Homeless Services, Coalition, Homeless Locations: Albany, New York, New York City

☆ Deputy US Transportation chief expected to be FAA’s interim leader
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, June 4 (Reuters) - Deputy U.S. Transportation Secretary Polly Trottenberg is expected to be named Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) next interim leader, two sources told Reuters on Sunday. Acting FAA administrator Billy Nolen is expected to leave the agency on Friday, officials told Reuters last week. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating six runway incursion events since January including some that could have been catastrophic. Reuters earlier reported that Nolen is expected to take a position with electric air taxi firm Archer Aviation (ACHR.N) after he leaves the FAA. The FAA, White House and Transportation Department did not respond to requests for comment.

Persons: Polly Trottenberg, Billy Nolen, Trottenberg, Nolen, Barack Obama, Charles Schumer, Phil Washington, David Shepardson, Kanjyik Ghosh, Diane Craft Organizations: U.S, Transportation, Federal Aviation, FAA, Sunday, Street Journal, Reuters, United, National Transportation Safety, Archer Aviation, New York City’s, U.S . Senate, Denver International, White House and Transportation Department, Thomson Locations: United States, U.S, New York, Washington, Bengaluru

☆ Airbnb sues New York City over its short-term housing restrictions
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Airbnb on Thursday sued New York City over its restrictions on short-term housing rentals, in a legal dispute that pits the company’s concerns about its ability to operate in a key market against the city’s efforts to address an affordable housing crisis. The San Francisco-based tech company sued New York City over the Short-Term Rental Registration Law, a local ordinance passed in 2022 and set to begin being enforced next month. The law requires short-term rental hosts in the city to register with the mayor’s office, disclose who else lives on the property and agree to comply with other city codes. Three Airbnb hosts in New York City also filed a companion lawsuit against the city. The lawsuit is the latest example of Airbnb clashing with officials in New York City and New York State over the past decade.

Persons: CNN — Airbnb, Airbnb, ” Airbnb, Jonah Allon, ” Allon Organizations: CNN, New York, New York State Locations: New York City, San Francisco, ”, Manhattan, New York

☆ Only 7 Black Students Are Admitted to Stuyvesant High School, Out of 762
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Troy Closson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Latest:About 10 percent of offers to New York City’s most elite public high schools went to Black and Latino students this year, education officials announced on Thursday, in a school system where they make up more than two-thirds of the student population overall. The numbers — which have remained stubbornly low for years — placed a fresh spotlight on racial and ethnic disparities in the nation’s largest school system. At Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan, the most selective of the city’s so-called specialized schools, seven of the 762 offers made went to Black students, down from 11 last year and eight in 2021. Gaps at many of the other schools were also stark: Out of 287 offers made at Staten Island Technical High School, for example, two Black students were accepted — up from zero last year — along with seven Latino students. About 26,000 eighth graders took the test last fall, and just under 4,000 were offered seats.

Persons: — Organizations: Stuyvesant High School, Staten, Technical High School Locations: New York, Manhattan

☆ Mayor Adams Loves to Tell a Good Story. It Might Even Be True.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Emma G. Fitzsimmons | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In early May, the mayor twice claimed that New York City schoolchildren “start their day going to the corner bodega buying cannabis and fentanyl,” despite there being little evidence of the trend. The mayor recently told reporters that nearly half of New York City’s hotel rooms were occupied by migrants, suggesting that the influx of asylum seekers was hurting the tourism industry and taking rooms away from vacationers. City Hall officials later walked back Mr. Adams’s claim, explaining that the mayor had meant to say that migrants had taken up 40 percent of the occupancy in the city’s midsize hotels. Hotel industry leaders said that migrants had not hurt tourism and that more than 20,000 rooms remained unoccupied. “At a time when the city is facing real crises, how can New Yorkers tell if the mayor is telling the truth when he keeps misleading them?” said Monica Klein, a Democratic political strategist and a deputy press secretary for former Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Persons: “, Adams’s, Adams, ”, Monica Klein, Bill de Blasio Organizations: New, bodega, City, Independent, Democratic Locations: New York City, New York

☆ Pride Month in New York Is Back. Here’s How to Celebrate.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Erik Piepenburg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

New York City’s official Pride theme this year is Strength in Solidarity, an apt reminder that Pride was born as a protest movement against bigotry wherever it manifests. Also that day, Christina Aguilera headlines Pride Island, the big annual dance party, at Brooklyn Army Terminal. New York’s official Pride calendar also features a Juneteenth brunch with Black L.G.B.T.Q. chefs on June 18 and, on June 24, events centered on people of color and a Youth Pride party. The annual Dyke March — “a protest march, not a parade,” according to organizers — is June 24.

Persons: Pride, Billy Porter, Randy Wicker, Christina Aguilera, Black L.G.B.T.Q, “, — Organizations: Solidarity, ABC, Pride, Brooklyn Army Locations: Hudson, Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx, Harlem

☆ Air New Zealand to weigh passengers before they board the airplane
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

That’s right: New Zealand’s Civil Aviation Authority is requiring that its national airline weigh passengers departing on international flights from Auckland International Airport through July 2, 2023. The program, which Air New Zealand calls a passenger weight survey, is a way to gather data on the weight load and distribution for planes, the airline said. This isn’t the first time that Air NZ has asked passengers to step on the scales before boarding their flights. Domestic passengers took part in a survey in 2021, but the one for international travelers was delayed due to the pandemic. The 17-hour flagship route was launched last fall as a lynchpin of Air NZ’s post-pandemic strategy.

As New York City’s 14 miles of public beaches open for Memorial Day weekend, the city is confronting its worst lifeguard shortage on record — something officials say is partly the result of a bitter fight between the city and the little-known but extraordinarily powerful unions that represent lifeguards. Millions of New Yorkers are facing the prospect of partial beach closures and limited access to pools when they open next month. Parks Department officials say they currently have fewer than 500 lifeguards ready to work, roughly a third of the number they say is needed to fully staff beaches and pools. The lifeguard shortage, which also stems from perennial issues like low salaries, a difficult qualifying test and a pandemic-induced slowdown of the lifeguard pipeline, follows months of off-season maneuvering between city officials and an obscure pair of lifeguard locals. It is an intractable and bizarre union beef that stands out even in a city rife with them and one that has left the city — locked in collective bargaining negotiations with union officials to reach a new contract — blaming the unions for leaving key swimming spots understaffed.

☆ How Pacific Islanders in the US are keeping in touch with their culture through dance
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“One, two, three,” Hernandez, founder of the Pacific Islander dance group Lei Pasifika, yells out. “It makes them less homesick.”According to the US Census Bureau, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders were the fastest growing ethnic population in the US from 2020 to 2021. And in big cities with a large Pacific Islander presence, like New York, Portland, Oregon, and San Diego, many US-born Pacific Islanders as well as transplants are keeping their culture alive through dance. It’s a way for Pacific Islanders, especially young people, “to find themselves” and get connected with their ethnic identity and cultures, she notes. Mann says they noticed a growing number of Pacific Islanders, including those who aren’t Native Pacific Islanders but grew up in the islands, wanting to learn more about the culture and participate in dances.

☆ Opinion | The Wrong Way to Cut New York City’s Budget
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Mara Gay | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After a decade-long spending spree and a devastating pandemic, New York City is now staring at three years of huge budget deficits, beginning with at least $4.2 billion in the year that starts in July of next year. Mayor Eric Adams, rightly, is trying to wring some savings from the city’s $106 billion budget. But rather than cut, New York City should increase its outreach and pay providers what they are owed. Frank Dwyer, a spokesman for the Department of Correction, said in a statement that the agency would provide the social services previously performed by contractors. But that could be difficult at the city’s jail complexes, which continue to suffer from violence and inmate deaths.

☆ Deutsche Bank to pay $75 mln to settle lawsuit by Epstein accusers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Deutsche Bank AG has agreed to pay $75 million to settle a lawsuit by women who say they were abused by the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, and accused the German bank of facilitating his sex trafficking. Epstein had been a Deutsche Bank client from 2013 to 2018. The Deutsche Bank case was led by an unidentified plaintiff, known as Jane Doe 1, who said Epstein sexually abused her from 2003 to 2018. Last September, Deutsche Bank agreed to pay $26.25 million to settle a US shareholder lawsuit accusing the bank of lax oversight while doing business with risky, ultra-rich clients like Epstein. The case is Jane Doe 1 v Deutsche Bank AG et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No.

☆ Outdoor Dining in New York City Is Here to Stay. (Just Not in Winter.)
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Emma G. Fitzsimmons | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

New York City’s outdoor dining program, a popular pandemic-era measure designed to be a temporary salve for a devastated restaurant industry, is about to become a permanent part of the city’s landscape. A City Council bill, released on Thursday evening, called for creating a licensing structure that would allow outdoor dining structures to exist in roadways, but only from April through November. The bill, which is supported by Mayor Eric Adams and still requires the approval of the full Council, aims to strike a balance between retaining a mostly popular program while taking steps to control its outgrowth. The bill would set forth basic design guidelines that are still to be determined. Some elements of the plan drew immediate criticism, including a provision requiring restaurants in a historic district or at a landmark site to receive approval by the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission for an outdoor dining site — a policy that could affect restaurant-heavy neighborhoods like Greenwich Village and Park Slope, Brooklyn.

☆ Where Can You Find a No-Fee Rental?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Michael Kolomatsky | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Fortunately, no-fee apartments still exist, and some neighborhoods have a higher share than others. This week’s chart, based on StreetEasy data as of April 2023, shows the New York neighborhoods with the highest and lowest shares of no-fee apartments. A 50 or 60 percent share of no-fee rentals may seem high to those who have done some looking. That could be because most of the city’s no-fee rentals are in expensive new buildings and go for over $3,000 a month. To reveal where the highest share of units listed both above and below $3,000 were, the study ranked neighborhoods by no-fee listings in each price range individually.

☆ To Fight Rats, N.Y.C. Restaurants Will Have to Put Trash in Containers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Emma G. Fitzsimmons | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the latest front in New York City’s fight against the proliferation of trash and rats, city officials plan to require restaurants and bodegas to set out trash in containers instead of bags. The move would address one of New York’s ubiquitous, age-old eyesores: the heaps of smelly trash bags filled with restaurant food scraps and liquids that remain at curbside for hours at night, providing easy targets for rats until commercial haulers arrive. “We want people to understand that bags on the street attract rats, and we need everyone to do their part — residents, businesses and the city — to get the black bags of rat food off the streets,” Ms. Tisch said. The rule would apply to a wide range of businesses that produce most of the city’s food waste: catering companies, food manufacturers, restaurants, food wholesalers and retail food stores. They would be required to put trash at the curb in “rigid receptacles with tight-fitting lids.”

☆ Fact Check-New York prison barge not being transported to Guam or ‘Gitmo’
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A New York City prison barge is not being moved to Guam or the Guantanamo Bay detention center known as “Gitmo,” according to officials in the New York City Department of Corrections and the U.S. Southern Command. The base includes a military prison, known colloquially as Gitmo. A New York City Department of Corrections spokesperson also said in an email that the photograph shows the Vernon C. Bain Center located in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Vernon C. Bain Center is an 800-bed prison that houses inmates for the New York City Department of Corrections. The prison barge was set up in 1992, intended as a temporary facility to accommodate New York’s growing inmate population, the New York Times reported in 2019 (here).

☆ There Are No Universal Salves
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Heather Havrilesky | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

My children and I were visiting New York City’s most important landmarks, so naturally we began our journey at the Glossier flagship store in SoHo. Ever since 2014, those loyal to dewiness and glossiness have sought a consecrated place to pay homage to Balm Dotcom universal salve and Boy Brow grooming pomade. We believe beauty is about having fun, celebrating freedom, and being present, because no matter where you are in your beauty journey — YOU LOOK GOOD. The mirror in the Glossier flagship store would like a word. I expect to be miraculously transformed into a fresh-faced teenager, but in the mirror I discover a creased old crone with inexplicably neon-orange lips.

The priciest New York City residential real estate as ranked by median listing price is in downtown Manhattan’s 10013 ZIP Code, according to Realtor.com. ( News Corp , owner of The Wall Street Journal, also operates Realtor.com under license from the National Association of Realtors.) While the 0.55 square mile ZIP Code covers several neighborhoods—it touches parts of SoHo and Chinatown and encompasses Little Italy—it’s largely synonymous with Tribeca, located on the city’s west side along the Hudson River. Tribeca, characterized by cobblestone streets, is known for its old industrial buildings that have been converted into large, hip residential lofts that can accommodate growing families. The enclave’s appeal rests not only in its mellow neighborhood vibe but also in its access to waterfront living, green spaces and great schools in the area.

☆ New York Is Full of Empty Offices After Covid. Make Way for the Playground City. - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Edward L. Glaeser | Carlo Ratti | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +20 min

We are witnessing the dawn of a new kind of urban area: the Playground City. The transformation toward the Playground City will not happen on its own. To draw people into the Playground City, we need to show, not tell. 6.Engage citizensGovernments should empower citizens to participate directly in making the Playground City. The Playground City sees people as both a means and an end, and it should involve them in the process of its creation.

“It is a crisis situation,” Ms. Hochul acknowledged on Tuesday. “There’ll be literally thousands more individuals coming across the border and ultimately find their way up to the State of New York.”Counties near the city are now bracing for overflow, some more willingly than others. The executive of the Democratic stronghold of Westchester County, just to New York City’s north, is open to welcoming some undocumented migrants from the city’s overflowing shelter system. “We are not a sanctuary county,” Mr. Blakeman said. Deputies with the Rockland County Sheriff’s Department sat a few yards away in cream-colored cruisers, ready to block the entrance of any approaching bus.

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