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Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026

Today's SCOOP is brought to you by our members.

Dear New Yorkers,

New York State has poured more than $65 million into public defense over the past seven years — but nearly all of that money bypassed New York City.

That’s according to a new report by eight local bar associations that says that lack of funding has helped fuel what defender groups now warn is a staffing and retention crisis in the city’s courts.

The report places much of the blame on the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, commonly known as MOCJ, saying the agency applied for only a small portion of the available money and has failed to meaningfully reform or adequately fund the city’s plan to provide court-appointed lawyers for people who can't afford one in criminal cases.

What could those millions pay for in the city’s courts? Find out here.

Weather ⛅

Cloudy with a high of 36.

MTA 🚇

In The Bronx, no Manhattan-bound 4 trains between 176 Street and 161 Street-Yankee Stadium. Find all the MTA’s planned changes and the latest delays here.

Alternate side parking 🚙

It’s in effect today, Jan. 21.

By the way…

There’s a new head of the mayor’s Office of Child Care who’s in charge of expanding free services for the city’s children. She spoke with our partners at Chalkbeat about how she plans to make it happen.

Our Other Top Stories

How did negotiations go over the weekend between nurses on strike and their hospitals? Not well. Gov. Kathy Hochul’s budget proposal is out and it includes no tax hikes. But the tax fight between the governor and the mayor is far from over. Who is the governor meeting with? How much time does she spend fundraising for reelection? We don’t know, because she hasn’t released her calendar in 15 months, our partners at New York Focus found. Eric Adams said we’d miss him, but he’s still popping up — hawking an NYC cryptocoin in Times Square and taking potshots at his replacement. On the FAQ NYC podcast this week, our co-hosts discuss that and more more, including Mayor Mamdani’s push to elect more socialists.

Things To Do

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

Wednesday, Jan. 21: Join a discussion at the library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture centennial exhibition, led by artist Jonathan Key and inspired by the spirit of Harlem Renaissance salons. Free, from 5 to 8 p.m.  Thursday, Jan. 22: Go for a hike on a historical trail from Old Mill Rd to Field of Dreams in Staten Island to catch sights of tidal wetlands, birds and winding streams. Free from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m, RSVP here.  Thursday, Jan. 22: Usher in Black History Month with NYC Parks’ Ebony Society at an exhibition of the society’s photography archive at the Arsenal Building in Central Park from 6 to 8 p.m.Free.

THE KICKER: Keep your shovels on standby — the forecast is calling for another weekend of snow. New Yorkers may face up to six inches beginning Saturday evening.

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

Love,

THE CITY

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