WORLD WORLDWIDE USA New York NY New York City NYC thecity THE CITY News Journal Update - THE CITY SCOOP: A Powerful Greenpoint Family Is Fighting Safety Measures for McGuinness Boulevard

 

View this email in your browser 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, A powerful and politically connected family in Greenpoint appears to be behind a recent push to block a redesign of McGuinness Boulevard in Brooklyn, reporting and a review of records by THE CITY shows. In the last decade, three pedestrians have been killed, and hundreds of pedestrians, cyclists, motorists and passengers have been injured on the treacherous boulevard. A proposed redesign by the city Department of Transportation would add protected bike lanes and pedestrian islands, and cut the four existing motor vehicle traffic lanes down to two. Yet robocalls, automated texts, signs, billboards, mail advertisements and a slick website are all exhorting Greenpoint residents to block the proposal. Now, THE CITY has found that the “Keep McGuinness Moving” petition effort appears to have significant ties to the powerful and politically connected Argento family, which owns the film production company Broadway Stages and many other commercial properties around the neighborhood. Broadway Stages has kept a low profile, with its name buried among more than 180 businesses who oppose the redesign. But of the 59 corporations on that list, 37 can be traced back to Broadway Stages and the Argentos, according to a review by THE CITY of property and business registration records. Read more here. Sponsor message Some other items of note: Mayor Eric Adams and the city’s second-largest union, the United Federation of Teachers, struck a tentative five-year agreement on Tuesday — one that significantly raises starting salaries for newly hired teachers and includes a major expansion of remote learning, among other changes. The deal now must be approved by the union’s 120,000 members. The city’s troubled jail system has moved one step closer to a total takeover by a court-appointed federal receiver. Yesterday’s ruling by a federal judge could lead to control of the city Department of Correction being stripped from Mayor Eric Adams.  Curious what Albany lawmakers have — and have not — accomplished so far this year? We’ve got you covered with a full explainer of the legislative session. Spoiler: New school holidays and sealing criminal records are in. But many proposals related to tenant protections, developer tax breaks, and speed limits are out of the picture this year. In the latest episode of the FAQ NYC podcast, hosts Christina Greer and Harry Siegel break down another jam-packed week in New York City, complete with Rikers madness, NYPD upheaval and much more. Tomorrow, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., THE CITY and Documented will be at Queens Public Library Central on the main floor to answer all your election-related questions. From who’s running in your district to what a City Council member even does, bring us your questions and we’ll answer them. City Council primary elections are coming later this month, in redrawn districts. Look yours up in our Know Your District tool, which includes candidates as well as information about how redistricting shaped your area. Did you know? In Brooklyn’s District 34 — which covers much of Williamsburg, and parts of Bushwick and Ridgewood — incumbent Jennifer Gutiérrez is facing a primary challenge from artist and rapper Paperboy Prince. Reminder: Early voting starts this Saturday, June 17, and you can find your voting sites and see what will be on your ballot here. For the latest local numbers on COVID-19 hospitalizations, positivity rates and more, check our coronavirus tracker.  Sponsor message Weather scoop by New York Metro Weather Wednesday's Weather Rating: 6/10. Not a terrible start, but we've got unsettled weather on tap later. After highs reach the upper 70s, showers and storms form by early afternoon and could persist into evening. A few storms could be severe. The vibes are unstable today! THE KICKER: Since opening in 1913, the Bronx Opera House in Mott Haven, now operating as a hotel, has been a home for Broadway shows, movies, dances featuring the city’s great Nuyorican musicians and even a Pentecostal church, as THE CITY’s Bronx reporter Jonathan Custodio recently described. On Tuesday, the Landmarks Preservation Commission caught the spirit and voted 9-0 to designate the building as part of its new “equity framework” intended to "make sure that we are telling the stories of all New Yorkers.”   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 Sponsor message THE CITY's work is made possible, in part, through the support of our sponsors. Interested in becoming a sponsor of THE CITY? Contact us here.  Copyright © 2023 THE CITY, All rights reserved.