WORLD WORLDWIDE USA New York NY New York City NYC the city THE CITY News Journal Update - Corona Plaza vendors return, FDNY called Hudson Yards priority inspection “unfair,” Adams staffer was a registered foreign agent

 

Dear New Yorkers,

Vendors returned to Corona Plaza in Queens yesterday for the first time in four months, after an intense city crackdown on the once-bustling plaza.

But while vendors expressed relief and joy at being able to return to work, Corona Plaza will be different this time around.

On Tuesday, Mayor Eric Adams announced a new structure for a “first-ever regulated community vending area” that would replace the previously unlicensed, self-organized market that had drawn praise for its offerings but complaints from some business owners and locals.

Under the new structure, dozens of vendors will take turns operating the 14 stalls allotted to the pedestrian triangle that sits under the rumbling 7 train track.

Also limited will be operating hours of 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. every Wednesday through Sunday at what had been a freewheeling, ad-hoc market that buzzed seven days a week into the wee hours.

“It’s not really a fair system for anyone, but it allows for everyone to have equal access,” said Carina Kaufman-Gutierrez, deputy director of the Urban Justice Center’s Street Vendor Project, who told THE CITY that food vendors are still waiting on new permits to be processed before they can return.

Read more here

Weather scoop by New York Metro Weather Thursday's Weather Rating: 6/10. A much nicer day, with plenty of sunshine and high temperatures expected to reach the upper 40s. Still a bit chilly at times, but for late autumn we're not complaining. The vibes are pretty good out there today!

Our Other Top Stories

An FDNY official warned his bosses that an “extremely unfair” demand to fast-track a Hudson Yards inspection deemed a "top priority of City Hall" would delay inspections for more than a dozen other development projects waiting to open. In emails obtained by THE CITY, Deputy Chief Brian Cordasco pointed out that a luxury office tower’s expedited examination would make it "necessary to cancel at least 15-20 inspections." As THE CITY previously reported, former fire department officials have alleged that City Hall used a special list to pressure the FDNY into prioritizing favored "friends" for fire inspections. It is under scrutiny in a federal probe into Mayor Eric Adams’ 2021 campaign. But as recently as Tuesday, Adams and Deputy Mayor of Operations Meera Joshi continued to deny the existence of such a list, or that big developers got favorable treatment.   A year before joining the Mayor’s Office, Amaris Cockfield, one of Adams’ press secretaries, registered as a foreign agent for a trade group with close ties to the regime of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The mayor’s connections to Erdogan’s government broke into public view earlier this month after the FBI raided the home of Adams’ chief fundraiser, as part of a federal probe into whether the 2021 campaign conspired with the Turkish government to funnel illegal donations to the campaign. Cockfield and Mercury Public Affairs declined to provide statements to THE CITY about what work, if any, she did for the Turkish-U.S. Business Council. One former associate characterized Cockfield as a “junior staffer” who wasn’t in a position to deal with clients. The city’s limits for migrant families in shelters could have devastating consequences for kids, according to education officials who testified at a City Council hearing on Wednesday, reports Chalkbeat. Approximately 2,700 families have received notices since Oct. 27 that they’ll either have to reapply for shelter or find alternative housing within 60 days, according to a City Hall spokesperson. For families who do reapply for shelter, there’s no guarantee they’ll end up in the same site, or even the same borough. One principal said no amount of preparation will prevent the massive disruptions ahead: “All these kids who we’ve spent the last 10 months building relationships with … we’re going to break that bond.” As winter sets in, a web of relief workers and concerned New Yorkers are scrambling to help give newly arrived migrants what they need, including warm clothes and legal help. Here’s THE CITY’s guide on how to lend a hand or donate.

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Things To Do

Here’s what’s going on around the city this week.

Friday, Dec. 1: Montefiore Park's Annual Holiday Tree Lighting, a celebration and seasonal festival in the park. Free from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Montefiore Square in West Harlem. Saturday, Dec. 2: The next Access Morning event at the Museum of the Moving Image offers workshops and opens exhibitions to children on the autism spectrum and their families before public hours. (Measures are taken to reduce overstimulation in the galleries, and complimentary breakfast and coffee are provided.) Free from 11 a.m. to noon on the first Saturday of every month through May 2024, at MoMI in Queens. Sunday, Dec. 3: The opening reception of “28 Remarkable Women … and One Scoundrel,” an exhibit featuring mixed-media portraits of women who lived or worked in the Lower East Side at the turn of the 20th century. Pay-as-you-wish from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Museum at Eldridge Street in Manhattan.

THE KICKER: Animal care centers are begging for more people to adopt dogs. Shelters are over capacity, with some needing to house two pups in a single cage for lack of space.

Thanks, as always, for reading. Make it a great Thursday.

Love,

THE CITY

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