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Dear New Yorkers,

When he was Brooklyn borough president, Eric Adams primarily had two staffers who were hyper-focused on a specific country or region.

One was Rana Abbasova, who emerged last week as a potential lead witness in the five-count indictment of Adams being prosecuted by Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damian Williams.

The other was Winnie Greco.

Greco began working for Adams as an unpaid volunteer, and rose to be one of his closest aides. She is currently under federal investigation. Yet, even after her two homes were raided by federal agents this spring, Adams has shown extraordinary loyalty to her — bringing her back to work at City Hall after an initial leave and giving her a raise.

Now, an investigation by THE CITY and Documented based on 2,500 pages of emails underscores how Greco has played a pivotal role in coordinating Adams’ contacts with the Chinese government and local Chinese community for years.

Read more here about what those emails reveal.

Our Other Top Stories

Schools Chancellor David Banks, who previously announced he would retire Dec. 31, is now planning to step down months early. (Banks' phones were seized by federal investigators as part of wider probes that have swept through the Adams administration.) He will be replaced by the new chancellor, Melissa Aviles-Ramos, on Oct. 16, City Hall announced late last night. Another day, another federal indictment and another charge of a campaign gaming the campaign finance system with straw donors. This time, the person accused is the treasurer in a 2021 campaign to replace Adams as Brooklyn borough president. The alleged scheme brought in at least $25,000 in false donations while forging corresponding records that were hoping to generate at least $400,000 in public matching funds, prosecutors said. Adams was in court again yesterday, for a hearing in which prosecutors promised there would be additional defendants and classified evidence presented in the case. The mayor’s defense lawyer requested a speedy trial so that it would not interfere with Adams’ reelection campaign; while the judge declined to set a trial date, he agreed “the public has a strong interest in a speedy trial.” For the third time, the city has reversed course on a controversial redesign of McGuinness Boulevard in Brooklyn — and is currently championing a proposal favored by street safety advocates. Here are the details of the latest plan, plus background on the monthslong saga.

Things To Do

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

Saturday, Oct. 5: A discovery lab for kids age 5 to 12 focused on civic engagement in New York City, built around the museum’s Shirley Chisholm exhibit. Free with admission from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Museum of the City of New York. Saturday, Oct. 5: A daylong birthday bash celebrating the Brooklyn Museum’s 200th anniversary that includes curator talks, art, music and more. Free from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., registration required. Sunday, Oct. 6: A fall birding walk with the NYC Birds Alliance. Free from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the Queens Botanical Garden.

Don’t miss out on THE CITY’s birthday celebration!

We couldn’t have gotten here without you, our valued readers. For five years, you've been the reason we can report on the stories that matter most, from housing to climate change. Join us in celebrating by giving a gift that powers our future.

Celebrate with us!

THE KICKER: Heads up, curbside composting goes into effect citywide (adding The Bronx, Manhattan and Staten Island to what Brooklyn and Queens already had) this Sunday, Oct. 6. Find an info session here.

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

Love,

THE CITY

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