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If you know anyone who might like this newsletter, send it to them. If this was sent to you by someone else, subscribe here — it's free!  Dear New Yorkers, The city Board of Elections will make its count for yesterday’s primary elections official next week — but first-time candidates in Harlem and Brownsville are nearly over the top in low turnout races. In Harlem’s closely-watched race for the open seat vacated by incumbent Councilmember Kristin Richardson Jordan, first-time candidate Yusef Salaam — who was exonerated alongside the rest of the Central Park Five in 2020 — pulled in nearly double the number of votes garnered by Assemblymember Inez Dickens, who has held city- and state-level seats in Harlem for more than 20 years. And in Brownsville, preliminary votes show Chris Banks, a local community organizer and nonprofit worker, is hundreds of votes up over Councilmember Charles Barron, who has represented the area in both the Council and state legislature for nearly a quarter century.  Meanwhile, in Queens and The Bronx, both incumbent district attorneys — Democrats Melinda Katz and Darcel Clark — easily won their primaries.  Read more here. In other news:   Wildfire smoke is back. Today, air quality may once again take a turn for the worse in New York City, as smoke from the still-raging Canadian wildfires makes its way into the state. Reminder: You can track the air quality in your area in real time on AirNow. And, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on the state Department of Environmental Conservation’s website for any regional air quality advisories. Plus, by using this interactive map from researchers at the University of British Columbia, you can follow the forecasted path of the wildfire smoke. Last time, THE CITY put together a guide on how to stay safe when wildfire smoke seeps into the city. And, since trying to stay indoors is the main advice you’ll hear from health experts and city officials, check out our explainer on how to make sure the air in your home is clean. —Samantha Maldonado   There are lots of city transit updates to report. Congestion pricing is a go, with the feds signing off on the plan to toll vehicles entering Manhattan south of 60th Street — and raise billions for mass transit upgrades. The expansion of the Second Avenue Subway to 125th Street is on the move. MTA officials said yesterday that the agency will soon issue a request for proposals to relocate utilities — the first contract to be awarded for the three-station extension. “This is the start of this project,” said MTA Chairperson Janno Lieber. “Do not underestimate the historic importance of this.”  The MTA backed off plans to raise the $2.75 fare for participants in a popular paratransit on-demand service to $5 — and will instead boost the co-pay to $4 in August, officials announced Tuesday. THE CITY reported last week that the MTA is tripling the number of participants in the pilot program to 3,600 at an increased per-trip cost that also caps the number of monthly taxi and for-hire vehicle trips and how much the agency subsidizes them. But riders pushed back at MTA meetings Monday and again yesterday, calling the changes an "outrage" that could lead to a lawsuit. — Jose Martinez Sponsor message Some other items of note: A long trial is putting the focus on who’s to blame for a disastrous accident at a new development in East Harlem that left two construction workers permanently disabled. In a rare occurrence, the Manhattan DA’s office is prosecuting the case in criminal court, alleging assault and reckless endangerment by two supervisors who were overseeing the installation of the building facade. NYCHA tenants deemed “over income” are getting a reprieve on looming rent hikes. Two weeks ago, the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development announced that public housing tenants making higher salaries would have to pay more in monthly rent. But on Monday, HUD put the brakes on that plan, announcing the change is currently on hold. Hundreds of local film production assistants have now participated in “Made in New York.” That’s a free job training program to help underrepresented New Yorkers get jobs in the film and tv industry which has led, on average, to graduates’ salaries growing by 2.4 times. For the latest local numbers on COVID-19 hospitalizations, positivity rates and more, check our coronavirus tracker.  Weather scoop by New York Metro Weather Wednesday's Weather Rating: 6/10. Still humid, but not quite as bad as the last few days. High temperatures reach near 80° F once again with slightly lower dew points. A few isolated showers and storms are possible this afternoon. The vibes are still a bit unstable! THE KICKER: “When [the Statue of Liberty] was falling apart, they fixed her. You don’t sell her for scrap.” — Don Harold, a lifelong New Yorker and “sneaky” subway preservationist, who occasionally “used subterfuge” to save vintage train cars. Harold died earlier this month at 91.   Thanks, as always, for reading. Make it a great Wednesday. Love, THE CITY P.S. If you liked something about today's newsletter, or didn't, let us know at zshah@thecity.nyc

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