WORLD WORLDWIDE US USA - New York NY - New York City NYC - THE CITY - Second Ave subway success

 

Dear New Yorkers,

The MTA’s plan to stretch the Second Avenue Subway from the Upper East Side to Harlem is one stop closer to its final destination — thanks to the launch of congestion pricing.

Days before the Jan. 5 start of the tolling program, the MTA issued a request for proposals from firms that can design, engineer and build the extension of the Q line between 96th and 125th streets.

East Harlem residents who rely heavily on buses to commute were optimistic about the prospect of three new stations at 106th, 116th and 125th streets — even given the years of work.

“The construction is going to be a little bit of a headache, but when they finish, you know everyone will be happy,” said Luis Martinez as he waited for the bus at Second Avenue and 115th. “For the older folks, for the disabled, a subway would really make a difference.”

With the expected revenue from congestion pricing, the MTA can match a $3.4 billion grant from the Biden administration and meet the funding requirements of the $7.1 billion expansion project.

But there’s another barrier to the project’s completion: The MTA still needs to acquire over a dozen properties that are in the new extension’s path.

Read more here about the future of the Second Avenue subway line.

Weather ☀️

It’s the warmest it’ll be all week, with highs in the mid-40s and sun.

MTA 🚇

No L between 14th Street Union Square and 8th Avenue overnight. Find all the MTA’s planned changes and the latest delays here.

Alternate side parking 🚙

It’s in effect today, Jan. 13.

By the way…

Erden Arkan, the Turkish businessman identified in the federal indictment against Mayor Eric Adams as “Businessman-5,” pleaded guilty on Friday to making illegal campaign contributions to Adams’ 2021 campaign. To catch up on who’s investigating Adams’ inner circle and why, read our all-too-frequently-updated guide.

Our Other Top Stories

The former Board of Elections lawyer whose complaint alleging racial and sexual harassment aginst the board’s executive director spurred a Department of Invistigation probe first reported on by THE CITY asked a judge on Thursday to let her file suit. Stephanie Jaquez, the lawyer, is suing the BOE because she felt compelled to quit her job due to the lack of legitimate options for reporting harassment — all of which she says would have included the executive director in the chain of reporting.  For months, THE CITY has investigated Home Healthcare Workers of America, the fastest-growing union in New York City. Its growth happened amid an expansion of Medicaid-funded home care at home for the elderly and those with disabilities in New York. Seems like a big win for workers, right? Unfortunately, the story is much more complicated: Here are four things from our investigation that you should know. En diciembre, THE CITY publicó una investigación acerca de Home Healthcare Workers of America (HHWA, por sus siglas en inglés), el sindicato de trabajadores con mayor crecimiento en Nueva York en años recientes. Aunque estos datos podrían ser entendidos como un triunfo para los trabajadores de cuidado en el hogar, nuestro reportaje reveló una situación más complicada. Lea un resumen de nuestra investigación en español aquí. The above bullet details the publishing of the Spanish translation of our Home Healthcare Workers of America investigation — you can read the English version here.

Reporter’s Notebook

Trump Talks NY Tax Help With Local Republicans

Prospects for restoring a once unlimited deduction for state and local taxes on federal tax returns continued to fade last week despite a meeting on Saturday between President Donald Trump and the state’s Republican congressional delegation.

Following the meeting, the Republicans said little beyond claiming President Trump was committed to lifting the cap without saying how. Earlier in the week, Rep. Mike Lawler of Rockland County and Rep. Nick LaLota of Long Island warned that restoring the unlimited deduction was unlikely.

Their commitment to the issue has appeared to weaken recently. Lawler told THE CITY earlier this month that “I’ve been very clear from the start that I will not support a tax bill that doesn’t lift the cap on SALT.” But last week he said that standing in the way of a tax bill would be catastrophic. The Republicans also said Trump was committed to killing congestion pricing, but provided no specifics on how.

– Greg David

Things To Do

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

Today, Jan. 13: There’s a free jazz show at the Terremoto Jazz Room of a live recording featuring friend-of-FAQ Greg Glassman and his quintet. First set starts at 8:30 p.m., second starts at 10 p.m. Today, Jan. 13: Hear from celebrated local novelists and nonfiction writers at first 2025 meeting of the Franklin Park Reading Series at Franklin Park bar in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. 8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 14: Attend a book talk with David Campbell and Jarrod Shanahan, the authors of “City Time: On Being Sentenced to Rikers Island.” Both authors were formerly incarcerated at Rikers, and discuss the “banality and brutality” of their time there. Center for Brooklyn History, 6:30 p.m.

THE KICKER: In the East Village today, ‘tis still the season: catch Arnold Schwarzenegger filming for his upcoming Christmas movie, “The Man with the Bag.”

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

Love,

THE CITY

PS. Love THE CITY? Our nonprofit newsroom is powered by readers like you. Donate here.

Want to view Scoop in your web browser? Click here.

THE CITY's work is made possible, in part, through the support of our sponsors. Interested in becoming a sponsor of THE CITY? Contact us here.  Copyright © 2024 THE CITY, All rights reserved.