WORLD WORLDWIDE USA New York NY New York City NYC the city THE CITY News Journal Update - THE CITY SCOOP: State Cannabis Agency Pauses Trials for Unlicensed Shops

 

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, Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a stern warning to illegal pot shops this June. “If you sell illegal cannabis in New York, you will be caught and you will be stopped,” she declared.  But since then, the state Office of Cannabis Management, the agency responsible for enforcement, has held just 26 trials and levied only $220,000 in fines. It is no longer holding any trials where judges can issue fines or other penalties. That’s despite issuing 270 enforcement actions across the state since June and seizing an estimated $45 million worth of illicit cannabis that is being held in a locked facility at an undisclosed location. The state cannabis agency only admitted to THE CITY that trials were paused after a reporter repeatedly asked to observe one of OCM’s enforcement hearings. The office attributed the change to a lack of resources, but did not say when it planned to restart the administrative trials.  OCM is not only pausing hearings, but also withdrawing some cases entirely: Two lawyers who represent clients who’d had cases pending before the office told THE CITY that in the last week they had received notifications of withdrawal.  Read more here. In other news: NYPD Tech Info Unlocked In a big victory for transparency, on Thursday Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Lyle Frank granted the Legal Aid Society’s request to make the NYPD disclose all the information it has about the purchase of high-tech surveillance devices and other gadgets. For years the department designated these as “special expense purchases” not subject to public disclosure. Legal Aid sought “any and all” documents related to these contracts, which include facial recognition technology and cell phone data collection software the NYPD has refused to disclose, claiming the information would undermine public safety.  Department lawyers argued that going through each contract and redacting sensitive information would be “unduly burdensome,” but Frank ruled that’s not enough to justify keeping these critically important records secret. — Greg B. Smith   Bronxlandia Gets to Serve Alcohol Bronxlandia finally acquired a liquor license from the New York State Liquor Authority last Wednesday after a contentious approval process between owner Majora Carter and Bronx Community Board 2, which backed the application last month. At the Oct. 25 hearing, the NYSLA said Carter will need to install entrance metal detectors and adopt the board’s stipulations that included more security cameras.  The approval caps Bronxlandia’s 18-month push for a license, during which CB2 called for the added security and NYSLA rescinded an approval this past July because they’d notified the wrong community board about the hearing.  — Jonathan Custodio Some other items of note: The Manhattan District Attorney’s office has dropped obstruction and harassment charges against Terrence Rosenthal, a guard at a migrant shelter who was arrested following a scuffle allegedly set off by Tim Pearson, a top advisor to Mayor Eric Adams. The charges had stemmed from an encounter with Pearson, who Adams has deputized as his “quality assurance person,” making unannounced visits to migrant shelters across the city. Pearson refused to present staff with identification, threatened to get them fired and rushed at them before shoving a female security guard according to 12 eyewitness statements, as first reported by THE CITY. Early voting began over the weekend in our local city elections, so it’s past time to get ready to go to the polls. Not sure where to go, or who’s running? Find your poll site and sample ballot here. Read up on races to watch in the City Council — especially if you live in The Bronx, Queens and southern Brooklyn where there are several close contests. Check out THE CITY’s interactive guide to learn about your newly drawn City Council district. And, in case you missed it, here’s a guide on judge races, and why only four of 22 contests are competitive.   Weather scoop by New York Metro Weather Monday’s Weather Rating: 4/10. Still cloudy and still humid, with periods of showers throughout the day. Clearing during the early evening hours as a cold front swings through. Not a total washout, but the vibes are damp yet again. Things To Do Here’s what’s going on around the city this week. Tuesday, Oct. 31: Halloween. Here are 41 places to take kids trick-or-treating in the city, as compiled by Gothamist. Saturday, Nov. 4: Fall Splendor Tour, a leaf peeping event at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Free with admission, 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.  Saturday, Nov. 4: Break down your decorative gourds at the Hudson River Park’s Pumpkin Smash. Bats, hammers and shovels are available for use. Pier 84 at W. 44 St. in Manhattan. Free from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m THE KICKER: Over the weekend, news broke that the actor Matthew Perry, who played Chandler Bing on the sitcom “Friends,” had died at age 54. To pay tribute, people flocked to the West Village location where exteriors for the hit TV show were once filmed.  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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