WORLD WORLDWIDE USA New York NY New York City NYC the city News Journal Update - THE CITY SCOOP: Migrants Are in a Harsh Spotlight in Competitive City Council Elections

 

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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, Some Democrats in competitive City Council races are sounding a lot like their Republican opponents as they try to stay aligned with public opinion on migrant shelters, crime and other tension points that could be their ticket to City Hall.  While all 51 Council seats are up for election this year — just two years after the last election because of post-Census redistricting — only a handful of races will be competitive in November’s general election. Republicans are hoping to add to their six-seat caucus as this year’s general election races have been shaped by the arrival of nearly 100,000 migrants to New York City in little more than a year. Some observers say voters’ concerns and fears about the influx of migrants could be a warning sign about the Democratic Party’s prospects in national and local races in 2024. Read more here. Some other items of note: A suit brought by military veterans could upend nearly all the progress that New York’s legal cannabis market has made over the past two years — and it has stalled stores from opening. The lawsuit contends that under the state law legalizing weed sales they and other designated groups, like women and the disabled, were specifically entitled to the same early consideration for retail licenses as members of the one group that has received them: people who were incarcerated under the state’s old drug laws, and their relatives. Siding with retirees, a Manhattan Supreme Court judge issued a ruling Friday “permanently” prohibiting New York City from switching its 250,000 retired employees and their elderly or disabled dependents to a privatized Medicare Advantage plan managed by Aetna. The Adams administration had intended to switch 250,000 retired public-sector workers to the controversial, privately run health care plan on Sept. 1. Wanted: Your opinion. Reward: Gift cards. The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is dropping big bucks on Walgreens, Target and Amazon gift cards as part of a $500,000 push to entice New Yorkers into answering some questions. In the latest episode of FAQ NYC, photographer Stephen Yang joins Alex Brook Lynn and Harry Siegel for a conversation about capturing private moments in public settings, the differences between photojournalism and street photography, and much more. For the latest local numbers on COVID-19 hospitalizations, positivity rates and more, check our coronavirus tracker.  Weather scoop by New York Metro Weather Monday's Weather Rating: 5/10. Not a terrible start, with partly cloudy skies and highs in the 80s — but it's uncomfortably humid out there. Clouds increase this afternoon, with showers and storms expected to impact the area later tonight. The vibes are unsettled once again. Things To Do Here’s what’s going on around the city this week. Wednesday, Aug. 16: A free screening of “Footloose” in Ewen Park in The Bronx. 8:15 p.m. Free (registration required). Saturday, Aug. 19: August Farmhouse Family Day, with clay leaf printing activities, at Wyckoff Family Museum in Brooklyn. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free. Sunday, Aug. 20: Endea Owens: The Community Cookout at Marcus Garvey Park Sankofa Pavillion in Harlem, 3 p.m. Free. (Plan ahead: this is the first of many free events connected to the annual Charlie Parker Jazz Festival next week.) THE KICKER: Since 2017, the New York Historical Society has helped more than 7,000 green card holders prepare for their citizenship tests, reports West Side Rag. According to the historical society, 98% of those who’ve taken its free Citizenship Project class have passed their exams on the first try. Sign up here. Thanks, as always, for reading. Make it a great Monday. Love, THE CITY P.S. Love THE CITY? Our nonprofit newsroom runs on support from readers like you. Donate here.

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