New York City Council members pressed Office of Technology and Innovation services (OTI) at a City Hall hearing on September 9 over a nearly seven-hour 911 disruption on August 18 that left 113 unique callers without confirmed emergency assistance, questioning how the failure went undetected for hours and why the public was not immediately notified.

The August 18 disruption followed a software upgrade performed by Motorola Solutions, the vendor that provides the city’s 911 call services infrastructure. City officials testified that the upgrade triggered the problem but said an investigation into the outage and responsibility for it remained underway.

“What happened last month at the Bronx 911 call center, a seven hour outage with very little to no notice to the public, is unacceptable,” said Council Member Oswald Feliz, chair of the Committee on Public Safety.

New York City’s 911 system receives more than 9 million calls annually and operates through two emergency communications centers: Public Safety Answering Center, PSAC-1 in Brooklyn, and PSAC-2 in the Bronx. Each is equipped to independently handle the city’s typical daily volume of approximately 25,000 calls.

According to testimony, Motorola began upgrading firewalls in PSAC-2’s routing environment at 9:45 pm Aug. 17. The work was completed at 4:13 am Aug. 18 and was initially believed to have been successful. Investigators later determined that problems with calls had begun at approximately 3:13 am.

The first indication of trouble came shortly before 6 am, when a call taker reported difficulty hearing some callers. Officials initially believed the problem was limited to two call taking positions.

As reports increased, it became clear that Motorola and Verizon were having difficulty interfacing. Officials eventually discovered that some people calling 911 could not hear emergency operators answering them.

By approximately 9:50 am, officials determined that calls routed through PSAC-2 were affected while PSAC-1’s routing system remained functional. Motorola redirected traffic through Brooklyn, and by 10:19 am, officials said service was operating normally.

The administration acknowledged that the problem should have been detected sooner.

“It wasn’t caught, and obviously it should have been,” Lisa Gelobter, the city’s Chief Technology Officer, testified.

Preliminary figures showed that 5,489 calls were made to emergency services between 3:13 am and 10:19 am, including 911 and alarm company calls. Approximately 3,800, or 70%, were handled without problems, while 1,696 encountered issues.

Of the affected calls, 742 were 911 calls originating from 319 unique phone numbers. Officials said 206 of those callers eventually connected with an operator, leaving 113 unique numbers that were not serviced.

The testimony reviewed for this story did not establish whether anyone was injured or died because of the disruption or what emergencies were associated with the 113 callers.

Council members also focused on why New Yorkers were not immediately notified about the problem or advised about alternative ways to seek emergency assistance.

“Failing to properly inform the public about something as important as the 911 system being out, that is not a technical glitch,” Feliz said. “That is a human choice, an unacceptable one.”

Council Member Joann Ariola, chair of the Committee on Fire and Emergency Management said, “It is paramount that we, as a city, provide life-saving responses to fire and medical emergencies,” stating the outage threatened the city’s ability to provide timely emergency assistance.

Officials said Motorola’s upgrade triggered the disruption but stopped short of assigning final responsibility. A response from Motorola was not included in the portion of hearing testimony reviewed for this story.

The outage demonstrated the stakes of failures involving a system New Yorkers depend on during their most vulnerable moments.

Officials at OTI said they have introduced additional safeguards while conducting a root cause analysis. Normal redundant operations through both emergency centers were restored the following morning, and the city has increased monitoring of 911 recordings and potentially problematic calls.

OTI said the city has also frozen new technology deployments affecting the system. Critical updates must undergo additional executive review while the investigation continues.

“911 is not an ordinary computer system,” Council member Ariola said. “It is the number New Yorkers call on the worst day of their lives.”

Brooklyn’s Community Educational Council for District 20 opened the school year by debatingAI use and screen time, youth vaping, and enrollment issues for middle schools at its monthly
meeting on September 9.

The meeting was held at P.S. 310 – The School of Future Leaders in Sunset Park. The event was open to the public and via Zoom at 6 p.m. The meeting was run by District 20 president John Riccottone.

“I think we need to return to basics, you know, that we know works, which is live in person instruction,” Senator Andrew Gournades, Chairman of the Committee on Budget And Revenue said in regards to AI being used in the classroom.

He then praised school chancellor, Kamar Samuels and Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s one year delay on students facing generative AI. “There’s no reason for young kids to have to be taught solely off of screens and solely off of apps.”

Superintendent of District 20 Dr. David Pretto added to this issue, displaying the NYC public school guidance on Artificial Intelligence and screen time. AI is to be banned from Kindergarten to 8th grade with varied screentime options. The high school curriculum has restricted use to specific software such as AI literacy, career readiness, and limited AI pilots.

“What we are really looking to make sure is being reduced and eliminated is passive, unstructured time on a computer in the classroom,” Pretto said

As far as teacher-facing AI policies, teachers are allowed to use AI for instructional planning and operational tasks. These include brainstorming, lesson planning, drafting emails, streamlining operations, professional learning, and translation.

“What is not allowed Teacher-facing AI cannot be used for grading, behavior monitoring, placement, promotion, graduation, or other decisions about students,” Pretto said.

All special education documents will be developed by qualified professionals and counseling, crisis intervention, and therapeutic support are provided only by qualified staff, all of which are exceptions to this policy in regards to teaching use.

E-cigarette use and distribution, punishment is given based on severity. Council member Alina Lewis discussed Districts 20 resolution to combat tobacco and E-cigarette use and distribution amongst students.

The initial possession of such products calls for education and intervention. A mandatory intervention conference must be convened with the student, parents/guardians, and the school guidance counselor. The student and parent must jointly complete a designated substance hazard education and cessation support program. A second offense calls for behavioral support and counseling. Repeated offenses shall be referred to the Principal and District Superintendent for administrative review.

Lewis also mentioned the District 20 solution to its declining enrollment, inviting the audience to read the online resolution. According to the District 20 council resolution, middle schools in this district have seen a 6.8% decline in admissions over the past five years and elementary school enrollment has declined 11.4%. The New York City Department of Education conducted an exit survey of parents who have left the system. The number one reason for leaving was “more rigorous education than possible in NYC.”

This is a citywide issue, with NYC public school enrollment falling nearly 12% between 2024–25. According to the New York Times, NYC Public schools could lose over 100,000 students over the next decade due to birthrate trends, migration patterns, housing production, home schooling and Charter schools enrollment increasing.

Middle schools have begun using academic screening, which examines students’ standardized test scores and report cards as opposed to being selected by a lottery or neighborhood based zoning. The proposals suggest that seats should be screened without affecting special education programs including NEST and IREAD.

As the 2026-2027 school year gets underway, these policies, both academic and safety, are set to bring out the best in student performance and growth.

Every Tuesday at 6 pm for the last year, a vigil organized by Indivisible Brooklyn, a civic engagement group, and Good Shepherd Lutheran Church has met outside Metropolitan Detention Center to protest treatment of people detained inside.

A group of around 30 people gathered on the corner of Third Avenue and 29th Street in Brooklyn for the most recent of these vigils. Some held handmade signs aloft as organizers took turns speaking through a small PA system.

A strange, hollow tapping sound was all that could be heard in the spaces between remarks. Those present could see dozens of vague human forms behind narrow, scrummy plexiglass windows in the holding cells above as detainees registered their existence by tapping on the glass. In a wordless exchange, the protesters below raised their hands in greeting.

MDC is known for housing Nicholas Maduro, the deposed president of Venezuela; Diddy, the disgraced music mogul; and Luigi Mangioni, who has pleaded guilty to gunning down a United Healthcare CEO. Since June of 2025, MDC has added to that population people arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on immigration charges.

Although they have been arrested on federal felony charges, these new detainees often lack a criminal background.

According to the website of representative Dan Goldman, Congressman for the 10th district in Brooklyn, who has visited the site several times to inspect conditions, many of these detainees do not have criminal records.

Protestors hope their sustained presence outside the center will help to draw attention to the detainees’ situation.

“A lot of the time, people don’t see what’s happening,” said Michael Flynn, 72, who has been attending the Tuesday vigil for over a year, “unless you actually see someone picked up.” Flynn says he wants to build people’s awareness. “It’s a horrible facility. It’s important that these places gain notoriety.”

According to the official Federal Bureau of Prisons website, MDC holds 1,222 detainees on immigration related charges. Organizers of the vigils believe that as many as 1,200 could be people arrested by ICE arrests. MDC has yet to release exact numbers.

The figures reflect an increase in ICE arrests over the past month, as the Federal operation known as Operation Rotten Apple rocked communities between July 27 and Aug 29. In a statement last week, Homeland Security Officials announced that 2,197 people were arrested across the state last month. According to North Country Public Radio, which serves the northernmost area of the state, these numbers are the highest since the Trump administration began its crackdown, and represent a 40% increasE since the previous month, according to findings by The Deportation Data Project.

The Department of Justice investigated MDC following the 2020 death of inmate Jamel Floyd. Advocates continue to call into question conditions inside the detention center.

Attempts to provide necessities to detainees remain ongoing. Anna Sugrue, 28, is a co-founder of The Remedy Project, a detainee advocacy group. She was onsite to encourage the donation of clothing for people inside. Among complaints received by the group are the conditions of the beds provided to detainees. “Imagine laundry lint, or the insulation in a wall,” said Sugrue.

According to Sugrue, the group has heard from loved ones of detainees that access to clean drinking water was limited over the summer, with some resorting to boiling whatever water was available in order to drink it.

Although Rep. Goldman has been able to visit the site several times, his website says that was only after repeatedly being “illegally denied” entrance to the center. This was in spite of the Bureau of Prisons ‘(BOP) previous promises to accommodate a congressional oversight visits.

“It’s like a black box,” said Sugrue. “It’s not like the guards go around saying, today I did this or that bad thing,” She added that the Remedy Project helps detainees to formally lodge complaints and grievances in order to create a paper trail of accountability.

“I feel kind of personally responsible,” says Rev. Juan Carlos, 57, of Good Shepherd, co-founder of The New Sanctuary Coalition, of his involvement, “because I don’t live too far from here.”

  Every year during Labor Day, people from all over flood Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn for the   West Indian Day parade. On Sept. 6 in preparation for the event, Prospect Park Alliance and Smorgasburg hosted “Islands in the Park: A Caribbean Jam”. The event featured different activities and food vendors to celebrate the Caribbean community.

  Smorgasburg is a food festival that takes place in Brooklyn, with two locations; Williamsburg and Prospect Park. Multiple vendors from various cultural backgrounds serve every weekend in the summer until October. 

  For the event Federation Sound, a popular Caribbean DJ collective, had their member, DJ Danglez, on the turntables playing a mixture of new and old Caribbean hits. 

  Greg Will, also known as DJ Danglez spoke about what these events mean to him as a fellow Caribbean.

  “So I grew up in a house full of DJ’s. My stepfather and his family were DJs before I was born, so I kind of grew up with it,” said DJ Danglez.

   This is Danglez second time deejaying the Smorgasburg event. He expressed how his sets go off of the vibes and how he uses music to cater to multiple demographics.

   “I think you could plug me in any room and I can play a set for whatever the room looks like,” stated Danglez. 

  Many individuals dressed casually wearing flags representing their countries for a pop of color. 

     Lawn chairs and blankets filled the area with different families who relished in the sounds of the Caribbean. New York City (NYC) has a large Caribbean community, concentrated in Brooklyn. An estimated 1 million people gathered at Eastern Parkway for the West Indian parade, from all different backgrounds on the day following Smorgasburg.

  Right outside the tri-state area, a group of friends from Connecticut came out to the Smorgasburg event to immerse themselves in Caribbean culture. 

  Keyla Casildo, who is stationed in Connecticut but originally from the city, attended the event to get a taste of home. She expressed how the cultural scene is different in Connecticut compared to the city.

 “We came for the vibes, great food because we are stationed in Connecticut and the festivals do not hit and we are from the city so we miss it real bad,” stated Casildo.  

   Angela Herrera, another resident from Connecticut talked about enjoying her favorite cuisine and finally being able to enjoy it at this event.  

 “I love oxtail, I had oxtail and cocoa bread from the vendor E Cocoa Bread. It was really good, it was a little spicy but I told them to go light on the spices.” stated Herrera. 

   Oxtail, Jerk Chicken and a variety of other Caribbean dishes were served during the event by multiple vendors. Jerk Chicken is a traditional Caribbean cuisine which features chicken doused in spices and peppers. Oxtail, aptly named, is the tail of an ox that is served with another Caribbean staple, rice and peas and gravy. 

A bill to honor African-American burial sites has finally moved forward after nine months in limbo, following a New York City Council committee meeting.

On September 9th, 2026, The New York City Council Committee on Cultural Affairs, Libraries, and International Relations unanimously voted to activate a new bill to amend the NYC
administrative code on how to properly identify historical African-American burial sites. “New York cannot tell its complete story while the resting places of people remain unseen,” said
Councilmember Kamillah Hanks. Hanks, a Staten Island resident who focuses on youth-driven community outreach, is the primary sponsor of the bill. “Their lives deserve dignity, their resting places deserve protection, and their descendants deserve to know why their history matters.”

The Department of Records and Information Services (DORIS) will now be required to provide a report to the public about these burial sites. This report would need to include a list of all known burial sites historically associated with formerly enslaved persons or historically African- American communities citywide, along with certain information about each site. This bill was initially introduced by Hanks on January 29th, 2026.

Hanks’ proposed bill also aims to identify additional historical African-American burial sites. “[This bill] gives the city a responsibility to locate, document, protect, and recognize the sites,” said Hanks. Each site on the proposed list would also include a description of any historical significance of each burial site, a description of the physical condition of each burial site, and who has jurisdiction or ownership over burial sites located on certain property types, such as a burial site on private property. The report would also include a plan to locate any currently unmarked historical African-American burial sites citywide. “This is quite a relevant piece of legislation,” said Dr. Nantasha Williams, Chairperson of the Committee of Cultural Affairs. “There is an active situation happening in Queens, where one of these burial sites was just paved over.” In Elmhurst, Queens, a private owner knowingly paved over their property to use as a parking lot after the remains were discovered. The initial plan by the owner was to develop condos on the property, but when the remains were discovered, the owner instead bulldozed the property, which law enforcement later deemed illegal and ordered the oner to shut down the lot by November 30th, 2026.

The bill would also include recommendations for the preservation or commemoration of the burial sites as well as recommendations for sources of potential resources or support to preserve the sites, including from state or federal historic preservation programs. This has been done in the past, with the African Burial Ground National Monument located near City Hall in Manhattan. In 1991, while excavating for a federal office building, construction workers found “human burials,” and many African descendants and community members banded together to ensure the site was properly honored. The remains were carefully studied and reinterred near the property, and a memorial now exists at the original location.

“This bill is not the end,” said Hanks. “We will continue this work until every part of our history is seen, honored, and never forgotten.”

Members of Zorhan Mamdani’s administration spent almost four hours Wednesday responding to a cordial and primarily procedural line of questioning from the New York City Council’s Committee on Housing and Buildings in regard to the Mayor’s new housing plan.

Committee Chair Piereina Sanchez, Councilmember Sandy Nurse and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams went as far as to compliment the proposal.

“I think this is one of the better housing plans I’ve seen across administrations so congratulations there,” Williams said.

Sanchez did voice concerns as well, questioning whether the city government had the staff to roll out and enforce some of the more labor-intensive aspects of the plan. The members of the administration reassured the committee that they are properly staffed and had made hiring efforts in the places where there may have been a deficit. 

Dina Levy, the Commissioner of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), led the administration’s team through the questioning. She outlined a four-pronged approach focusing on protecting tenants, increasing the number of available homes, easing the path for first-time home buyers, and improving public access to programs such as the housing lottery and permitting procedures.  

“First, our administration’s commitment to ensuring that we are providing protections for tenants and significantly improving our code enforcement efforts,” Levy explained. “Second is our commitment to building a record number of affordable housing with a goal of building 200,000 new units over the next 10 years. We are also committed to converting and stabilizing an additional 200,000 units over the same period.” 

The plan introduces a series of stricter guidelines for landlords to adhere to, while making it easier for tenants to file complaints to the HPD. With an increase of staff and streamlined processes, the mayor’s office is aiming to address more housing violations and speed up response time.

Sanchez also asked for clarification on what will differentiate “high road” and “low road” landlords, distinguishing between landlords who will be given time to improve living conditions under city supervision and those who will have more severe legal action taken against them.  

“We are really looking to work with owners who want to work with their tenants. We are really putting an emphasis on dialogue with residents and resident associations,” responded Cea Weaver, Director of the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants.  

The effort to increase the quantity and quality of available rental units includes an expansion of existing tax rebates to incentivize homeowners to renovate and rehabilitate multi-family housing, while incentivising developers to convert non-residential buildings into homes. Any participating units will be subject to rent stabilization.

Under the plan, HPD would also increase the number of subsidy loans given to developers building new cooperative buildings and one-to-four-family homes. These homes would be sold at prices set by the HPD, to buyers of an eligible income range. The HPD will also expand its downpayment assistance program. 

According to the 2023 NYC Housing & Vacancy survey, 10% of households in the Bronx are subject to an eviction filing, while 26% reported three or more maintenance deficiencies. In response to these high rates, the housing plan looks to implement extra efforts in the Bronx by focusing on educating the community on renters’ rights, assisting building owners with improving conditions, and supporting quality of life through public space improvement.

Independent of the Mayor’s plans, members of the committee were also able to bring forward their own initiatives.. Both Councilmember Sandy Nurse and Councilmember Harvey Epstein introduced initiatives that other councilmembers  and mayor’s aides complimented. 

Councilmember Nurse’s Initiative 0905-2026 looks to give pre-approved housing non-profits early access to buy certain residential properties with the intention of turning them into affordable housing. 

Councilmember Epstein’s Initiative 0178- 2026 would establish an Office of Convergence Assistance. This new office would assist all entities, both public and private, with the conversion of non-residential buildings to residential buildings. 

“According to the Department of Buildings and Records, about one third of new housing permits came from these conversions this year,” Epstein said. 

A date for the final City Council vote on the housing plan or specific initiatives is yet to be set.

The New York City Council on Sept. 9 unanimously passed a resolution to call on the State Legislature to create a 9/11 Awareness curriculum for all New York State schools. 

“New York already requires a moment of silence in our schools each September Eleventh. That matters,” said Councilmember Rita Joseph of District 40 at the City Hall meeting. “But, a moment of silence is not a lesson plan. Silence remembers. Curriculum teaches.

There is no current national guideline for school systems to follow when teaching the topic of 9/11, according to a Committee on Education’s report on the resolution. A curriculum is a guideline of topics a teacher is required to include in their lesson plans

“My generation of teachers didn’t need a curriculum to explain that day; We lived it, and we improvised because we had to,” said Joseph, who was a fifth grade teacher on the day of the attacks. “But the teachers standing in front of the classroom today weren’t there, and neither were their students.”

The resolution calls on the State Legislature to pass Assembly Bill A 8347, which would require the new curriculum to be “age appropriate and developed according to the needs and abilities of pupils at successive grade levels.” 

According to the bill, the curriculum would also include core tenets such as the “antecedents of 9/11; the events of the day and global impact of the attacks,” “the ongoing health crisis that emerged from toxins found in the air at Ground Zero,” and “Islamophobia and xenophobia, racism and religious intolerance, occurring after 9/11,” among others. 

The bill also states that all educational resources to be used by the curriculum “must be age appropriate, factually accurate, sourced from reputable sources such as the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, and aid in students’ understanding of what happened on 9/11 and in its aftermath, and the continuing importance of the attacks today.”

A study done by the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2017, found that New York’s then-current standards for teaching about 9/11 did not include certain key historical details, such as identifying Osama Bin Laden, the leader of Al Qaeda, a group that was deemed responsible for the attacks. Other key topics not included were Guantanamo Bay – which holds a detention camp established by then President George Bush to house Muslim militants and those suspected of terrorism– or the creation of the Department of Homeland Security.  

“If we don’t require this history to be taught deliberately and well,” said Joseph, “it simply won’t be.”    

The 59th annual West Indian Day Parade traveled along Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, drawing an estimated million people on September 7 – including Mayor Mamdani – to what has become one of the city’s biggest festivals, and with that come safety concerns that have followed it for years.

The festival was slated to end around 5:30 p.m., 30 minutes earlier than last year, because of safety concerns. However, that didn’t stop altercations from arising.

People wasted no time flooding the streets Monday morning with flags representing different Caribbean nations and memorabilia from their cultures. It didn’t take long for the floats to settle in and the vendors to start selling. “The parade personally means to me that my people have conquered and sacrificed so much to get a day of celebration for all of the hardships we have gone through.” Nathaniel Smalls, a Brooklyn resident representing Barbados and Guyana.

However, this year, as in years past, some violence followed. There were two separate shootings that occurred around the parade, with three people injured. According to Fox 5, a man was shot in the buttocks, and another man and a woman both suffered graze wounds to their legs.

“It was really the same as it is every year,” said Keanu May, a Brooklyn resident celebrating his Jamaican culture. “But I would like the violence to be toned down cause that really lessens the excitement of what we really should be celebrating.”

Last year’s parade saw a similar level of violence. According to NBC New York, at the 2025 West Indian Day Parade, there were four different shootings with seven people shot. In 2024, according to Brooklyn Magazine, at least four people were shot, with one man dying in a shooting along the route of the parade.

Many people still enjoyed the day. “The parade was great as a whole,” said Snalls. “We as people just need to come together more and settle all differences for just 1 day and enjoy life on earth.”

The Little Apple has just opened its first daycare center in the DCAS building at 1 Centre St. New York’s Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) and Imagine Early Learning Services have partnered together to run the first free childcare center for municipal workers.

Childcare costs are skyrocketing, and prices for infants to toddlers are going as high as $1,850 per month. Mayor Mamdani, DCAS, and Imagine have set out to pilot a program that is a 100 percent free childcare assistance for the DCAS municipal workers in the same building. But this is just the start for the program. The project, called “ The Little Apple,” opened its doors this Thursday September 10, 2026 with the enrollment of tiny apples from six weeks up to three years of age.  Backed and operated by their partner Imagine Early Learning Centers, the program will consist of  40 tots and run between the hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and provide meals. 

Walking in a visitor can see the former mail room for the DCAS agency now turned into a kiddie wonderland. Sensory walls and small books fill the nooks that are lit by the pastel walls. The small  tables and chairs are intended to make the kids feel at home. 

The project has already finished under budget and in a record seven months. Brandon Haynes, a DCAS worker and his wife Shani were amongst the first to enroll little Jackson into the inaugural program. When the cost of childcare came up Brandon Haynes also shared his thoughts, “the realization of childcare while having a child I was flabbergasted[…]so having this here to cover the cost is a great stress reliever.” Shani, who also had doubts about who was watching the children, weighed in on what she thought about the workers of Imagine at the facility. “ They’re extremely good at communicating,  they have reached out to us at every point[…], so handing him over to people who we trust is really great for us.”

Marina Gutierrez, the director of The Little Apple, an educator and mother herself, added, “Childcare is the infrastructure for our kids,” she said, “and great childcare starts with great educators.”

 Having adequate  childcare has been an issue that has plagued parents for some time. The aim for this pilot program, Gutierrez explained, is not only to alleviate the stressors that come with finding adequate help but also to give accessibility to those who really could benefit from this program while building a community and village that many often need.  In 2025 childcare for infants to toddlers was $1,550 to $1,800 per month, over a 33percent difference to the national average.

As the pilot gears up to open to the children one thing that Jenny Cha, another member of Imagine says is, “the point here is that we’re not just investing in childcare, but the future of New York City, it’s the families and the next generation of the city.”

On Sept. 8, Brooklyn College community and faculty members gathered at the Woody Tanger Auditorium to honor Dr. George Cunningham – A Brooklyn College professor for 48 years and a former chair of the Africana Studies Department.

During the memorial, Cunningham was remembered as a father figure who advocated for his colleagues, offered personal support to students and challenged them intellectually. According to his former students, his lectures extended beyond literature into resistance, responsibility and fighting for freedom.

Cunningham, born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Baltimore, earned a doctorate in American Studies from Yale University. In 1978, he joined Brooklyn College’s Africana Studies Department. Along with his service as Deputy Chair and two terms as Department Chair, Dr. Cunningham co-edited Representing Black Men and co-founded the Black Filmmaker Foundation.

Robert Jones Jr., a former student of Brooklyn College, described Cunningham as one of his first Black male professors during his time in Brooklyn College, that fundamentally changed his life. Professor Cunningham believed reading books was one of the most important things in life. Through his course “Reading Race,” he deepened Jones’s love of literature and taught him to approach reading and writing with a critical eye.

“He gave me a passion for resistance that I’ll forever pass on,” said Jones. According to him, Professor Cunningham also taught his students about civil responsibility, literary gatekeeping and the importance of education. He gave the students a path to run free. “Professor Cunningham was one of the very few people who knew the importance of freedom and to protect it, every hour, every minute, every second.” As he fought back tears at the end of his tribute, Jones described Dr. Cunningham as someone who “had his neck pressed bravely on the blade, daring them to cut.”

Former students described Professor Cunningham as a demanding teacher. Despite all other courses, responsibilities and deadlines, he expected all students to read multiple books during the semester and come to class prepared to discuss it all. “Pick up the damn book,” he would joke.

While he demanded rigor, he also offered support. Dr. Cunningham’s efforts continued outside classroom, as he helped his graduates find their direction in life, encouraged them to pursue higher degrees and offered them various job opportunities. “He’d remember to call you on your birthday,” said a former Brooklyn College student, Zinga Fraser, “He called me when my mother passed and talked to me for hours.”

Professor Cunningham shaped the lives and careers of his colleagues as well. The faculty members remembered him as a presence who knew how to light up the room. Linda Day of Africana Studies Department remembers her first encounter with Dr. Cunningham. “Are you an activist?” he asked Day during her interview in Brooklyn College in 1991, and her answer sealed the deal. “Throughout my career, he was the one who fought for my job and made sure I stayed at Brooklyn college,” Day said.

The speakers remembered him as a campus leader that always stood up for his co-workers, advocated for fairness and often took responsibilities nobody else wanted to take. Dale Byam of Africana Studies department mentions “If I needed help, everybody would tell me to call George, and he would always respond “Why not? Let’s do this!”

Cunningham is survived by his four first cousins along with many other relatives and friends. After nearly 5 decades in Brooklyn College, Professor Cunningham’s legacy continues through the students and faculty that he mentored. “He’d fight for you till hell freezes over,” says Fraser, “And when it does, he’ll fight on ice.”

New York City union members gathered in Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhattan for a Labor Day Rally and then marched to Foley Square to stand in solidarity with one another and to honor those who suffered during the 9/11 attack.

Organized by the New York City Central Labor Council, American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, the “Our City, Our Fight, Our Future” Labor Day Rally and March was described by organizers as an opportunity to demonstrate the strength of NYC’s labor force.

While the rally does traditional spotlight unions and their workers, the platform and attention has been used to shine a light on and educate the public on other issues like the growing presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the United States or increased violence and control over women’s autonomy.

There were keynote speakers from many different representatives of the unions present like 32BJ SEIU, NYSNA, and TWU. For many participants, the rally was an opportunity to support their unions and to recognize how different struggles facing New Yorkers can be connected.

Rebecca Lurie, a member of several unions, most notably the Professional staff Congress and Carpenters’ union, said that she attended the rally primarily to show her support for the labor movement. “I’m feeling like all of our struggles are interconnected,” Lurie said.

For Lurie the rally was less about a single issue or even a single union’s goals but about showing the connection and community unity of the workers across NYC.

That same sense of unity was shared by Tamoya Norwood, an administrator and organizer at 1199SEIU United Healthcare. “All the unions come together, you know, and show our union pride”, Norwood said. “to show our union force.”

For some workers, being part of the rally was a way to encourage other union workers to become more involved and make their voices heard. Evelyn Lanzo, a member of the Organization for Staff Analysis, said, “Other union members should come out to represent themselves because I’m only one person, and there’s so many of us”

Winter break is usually a time for travel, family gatherings and celebration of Christmas and the New Year. However, for many international students in the United States, the decision to make a trip home during the holidays now involves legal and financial uncertainty.

Faced with visa rules, high travel costs, embassy delays, and advisories from international student offices, many students on F-1 visas, which allow international students to study full time in the U.S., say they are choosing to stay put this winter, even when it means spending the holidays far from home.

A computer science student from Uzbekistan studying in Los Angeles said she checked flights and visa rules multiple times before deciding not to travel. Leaving the U.S. would require a new visa application abroad, a process she described as expensive, time-consuming and uncertain.” Every time I leave, there is that worry in back of your mind about the interview,” she said. “Considering the break is only one month, it didn’t feel worth the risk.”

She is not alone. Other students shared similar worries, and all of the students interviewed for this story, including one from Uzbekistan, requested anonymity.

For international students, travel is not just about buying a plane ticket. Their legal stay in the U.S. depends on both immigration status and a valid visa. Most F-1 students are admitted to the U.S. for “duration of status (D/S),” meaning they may remain as long as they are enrolled full time and follow school rules outlined by the Department of Homeland Security’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program. However, the visa itself controls re-entry. Students can legally remain in the U.S. but still risk being denied re-entry if they leave. If a visa has expired, travel would trigger a required visa application abroad, a process that can take weeks or months and does not guarantee approval.

According to the U.S. Department of State, the visa processing timelines differ sharply by country and embassy, with some locations reporting limited availability or not accepting student visa appointments at all.

Adding to the uncertainty, the Department of Homeland Security has proposed changes that would replace the current duration-of-status framework with fixed admission end dates. While the proposal is not in effect, immigration attorneys say the change could require students to apply for extensions more frequently and increase the risk of falling out of status if applications are delayed or denied, complicating travel and long-term planning.

On top of that, in late 2025, U.S federal agencies also expanded social media screening for some visa applicants, requiring them to provide social media handles and adjust privacy settings to make accounts public during the visa process. Boston University’s International Students & Scholars Office warned that added screening could slow visa processing and lead to closer review for students, including students with F-1 visas. 

Students’ concerns have been shaped not only by federal policy but also by guidance from universities themselves. Earlier, in December 2024, several universities urged international students to return to the U.S. before the presidential inauguration, citing uncertainty around possible immigration policy changes, according to reporting by the Associated Press.

That caution continued into 2025. On March 28, Brooklyn College’s International Student Office emailed students warning of potential federal travel restrictions and advised avoiding non-essential international travel until clearer information was available. The message cited uncertainty around visa processing, entry requirements, and possible delays that could affect students’ ability to re-enter the U.S.

Other institutions issued similar advisories. In June 2025, the University of Southern California warned some F-1 and J-1 students about travel risks following a presidential proclamation.

Boston University later warned that expanded vetting, visa delays, and the possibility of new travel bans could continue into Winter 2026.Several students said the warnings changed their travel plans.

A graduate student from Kosovo at Brooklyn College said unclear rules make travel feel stressful.“The issue that bothers many F-1 students is the chance of not getting admitted back into the country,” he said.“It feels like a gamble.”

A business student from Kazakhstan at Baruch College said she decided to stay after hearing stories of students being denied re-entry. “Many people want to go home,” she said, “but they are scared.”

A cybersecurity student from Turkey at John Jay College said he cannot travel because he does not currently have a valid visa. “Even if I could go, I wouldn’t,” he said. “The situation doesn’t feel calm.”

For some students, travel is not realistic at all. A biology student from Russia studying at Queens College said the U.S. Embassy in Russia remains closed. Renewing her visa would require traveling to a neighboring country at significant cost, with no guarantee of approval. “I wish I could spend the New Year with my parents,” she said. “But it will have to wait.”

Not all students stay because of fear. Many point to practical barriers, including airfare prices and the short length of winter break. An Indian student majoring in computer science and economics at Columbia University said flight prices were too high to justify a three-week visit. “The travel itself would take two full days,” she said. “I’d rather use that time to rest and work on a project.”

In contrast, another student from India said she plans to travel home anyway. She said she has not seen her family in over a year and felt prepared for the return. “I’m definitely still concerned,” she said, “but I’ve taken steps to make sure my return is safe. Some of my friends traveled over the summer and were able to come back without issues.”

A nursing student from South Korea at George Washington University said she will stay in the U.S. “Winter break is too short, and I want to save money,” she said. “Also, it is not really safe to travel. If immigration thinks I’m suspicious, I might not be able to re-enter.”

According to the National Association of Foreign Student Advisers (NAFSA), international students contributed $43 billion to the U.S. economy during the 2024-2025 academic year through tuition, housing, and daily expenses. For many students, that financial investment represents years of savings and family support, making the risk of being unable to return especially heavy. 

Even when students say staying is the logical choice, many still feel homesick. Students described spending the holidays alone or with friends instead of family. A student from Hunter College said the winter season is difficult. “Everybody looks forward to holidays to see their families,” he said. “That makes me sad that I can’t.”

The Uzbek student shared, “Back home, we celebrate with many people,” she said. “Here, my friends are with their families.” Still, she tries to stay hopeful. “It’s not a terrible life,” she said. “Just bad timing.”

Even so, universities acknowledge that some international students will still choose to travel. International student offices advise students to confirm that passports and visas are valid, obtain updated I-20 forms, which verify a student’s F-1 status, and carry additional documents such as enrollment verification. Colleges also recommend checking visa appointment availability before traveling and allowing extra time to return. Universities note that preparation may reduce risk, but it cannot guarantee re-entry, as admission decisions are ultimately made by federal officers at ports of entry. Students are also encouraged to discuss travel plans with their international student advisors before departing.

This caution around winter travel in fact reflects larger challenges in international education that are already affecting enrollment. According to Reuters, U.S. colleges saw a 17 percent drop in newly enrolled international students in 2025, raising concerns about how immigration uncertainty is shaping student decisions.

According to data from the Open Doors Report, published by the Institute of International Education, international students make up a significant share of U.S. higher education, across undergraduate, graduate, and Optional Practical Training (OPT) programs. However, federal systems do not track how many students travel during academic breaks or how many decide to stay.

For many international students, winter break has quietly shifted from a time of reunion to a period of careful decision-making. With no clear travel ban but continued warnings, students say the responsibility falls on them to decide what risks are worth taking.

This winter, many are choosing to stay.

Flower vendors have increased their bouquet prices in response to President Donald Trump’s tariffs, as agriculture tariffs have affected imported flowers by some 10 percent, according to a recent report by CNN News.  

“A bouquet of 15 dollars with carnations and four roses has increased to 20 dollars with two roses and more carnations,” said a local customer in the Bronx, Gina Rossi. 

Vendors, in turn, expressed frustration with customers who complain about the increases. “Many customers don’t understand and complain about the increase on the bouquets, and we explain to them that it’s becoming expensive for us to get the flowers available for them,” said vendor Jose Mirelba. Florists are not profiting from tariffs.”

Countries such as Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, and the Netherlands are the largest exporters of flowers and floral material such as vase, foams, plastic flowers, etc. to the United States. According to a 2005 American University report, 85 percent of the flowers sold in the U.S are Imported from these countries. 

Ecuador is the dominant exporter of cut flowers throughout the world. It sells the most roses, carnations, and lilies, to most countries, with the U.S. as their top buyer. 

After Trump’s tariffs on agricultural goods affected the flower industry, prices are increasing and are affecting customers’ pockets and causing doubts to purchase flowers depending on the occasion.

Flower costs have varied wildly through the year, typically price changes based on season and vendor. As of this year common flowers such as Carnations are 2-3 dollars per stem, a dollar increase then last year. Orchids start at 20 dollars a bunch, Baby’s Breath at 15 dollars a bunch. Red Roses could vary from 40 dollars a bouquet or more, other colored roses prices are much higher. 

“Bulk purchases for events like ceremonies and weddings could range from 100 dollars to thousands, customers look for alternatives to achieve their ideal flower arrangements because 500 roses could cost an eye,” said floral designer Jessica Montez. 

Tariffs increase on imported flowers began in May before Mother’s Day. These tariffs significantly impacted South American imports, raising prices on carnations, tulips, roses, plants, and even supplies like foam and vases.

For corner flower shops such as Juquilita Flowers, tariffs prices have had an effect on their customer count. The flower shop, located near Saint Raymond’s Cemetery in the Bronx, mainly sells to customers who purchase for lost loved ones,. The flower shop has been open for over a decade and they are committed to keeping the store open. 

“Before the tariffs increase we sold mixed cardinal bunches for 7 and 10 dollars, we purchased our flowers from Ecuador and the prices have increased for us and we try to keep the prices as low to keep the store open,” said vendor Juan Lucas.

Most flowers are grown in countries with ideal cultivating conditions and low labor costs, Before tariffs increased in May, purchasing flowers grown locally could cost almost double the price of imported flowers due to labor and operation cost. 

“Local flowers are more fresh and better for the economy but more out of reach, most flowers found in local stores are imported and cheaper, and with the rush of the city life it will be difficult to search for local grown flowers,” said customer Carolina Mendez. 

“Every week I come to Juquilita because they are usually more affordable than bigger flower shops. I always purchased the same flowers for 15 dollars, but now the same flowers cost me 23 dollars after taxes,” said local customer Andrea Vincent. 

The flower shop has replenished merchandise less often this month and it’s concerning for the shop’s revenue. 

Hunts Point flower market is the wholesale outlet hub for many flower shops throughout the Bronx. The market was opened in 1967, and later relocated to the flower district on 28th street in Manhattan. 

“Our flowers are imported from South America and many Bronx flower shop owners purchase their flowers here. They ask for discounts or payment plans as the cost of flowers increase,” said florist Ramon Diaz. 

Florists worry that tariffs will increased further, but for now they’re hoping the tariff will stop at 10 percent or get reduced.

New York City is dubbed the “city that never sleeps,” operating twenty-four hours with no breaks. But Coney Island, wide awake in the summer as an iconic tourist destination, sleeps during winter, until the scorching heat returns. 

To most New Yorkers Coney Island is the beach, the Cyclone and Luna Park. It is constantly labeled as a summer attraction. Summer crowds jump around from the boardwalk to the rides to local dining options. All day, the MTA’s Stillwell Avenue station brings waves of visitors, who follow the same routine as those who arrived earlier. It is the season where businesses, both corporate and local, are able to thrive off the large crowds. 

But after the summer, foot traffic diminishes to a trickle of local residents taking the subway to work. The long lines are reduced to three to five people. Business operating hours, which once stretched from noon to midnight or beyond, now end by 10pm. Local businesses, without a brand name to carry them through the off season, close early or shut down entirely. Surf Avenue at night becomes a deserted, quiet space.

Two related development plans are in the works that might swell Coney Island’s resident population and maybe draw visitors to Coney Island in the cooler months.

On December 11th, a one billion dollar reconstruction for the Coney Island boardwalk was approved, according to Grace Tang, program director at the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, who spoke at a Community Board 13 meeting. The plan includes renovating the boardwalk using existing materials, replacing broken wood panels and unleveled concrete floors.

“Once design kicks off, we’ll reach out and work with the Community Board 13, New York City Housing Authority, the alliance of Coney Island, the Aquarium, and many others,” Tang said. Aside from offering new housing space, the ground floor of these new buildings also includes space for businesses to build new restaurants. As of now, there is an Asian cuisine restaurant being built in the space, adding more restaurants in the area.

The boardwalk renovation is part of the “Coney Island West” plan, first announced by NYC Mayor Eric Adams in 2024 that also includes 1,500 units of new housing and an upgrade to the sports center. Mayor Adams said, “We are delivering mixed-income affordable housing, investing $42 million to renovate Abe Stark Sports Center, and making significant improvements across streets, sewers, and the public realm. Coney Island’s best days still lie ahead, and today, we are starting the next chapter of its bright future.” 

The plan intends to encourage local business and address many issues that were caused by Hurricane Sandy, as the storm’s impact on the area is still present to this day. But the Coney Island West plan also stirs fear of gentrification.

Rosalina Khanis, a longtime native of Coney Island, said, “When I was little there were a lot of mom-and-pop shops and overall family-run businesses where everyone knew each other, and now it feels more commercialized, where it’s for business rather than being a community.” Khanis added, “Gentrification, on one point, is ok to bring in more younger people, but on the negative side, the sense of community really goes down.” 

Some businesses, though would be welcome. The current Coney Island area lacks 24-hour delis. Delis on Surf Avenue close down for the night by 11pm. As of now, there is only one deli open for twenty-four hours. The deli is located next to the Coney Island-Stillwell Av, and a worker, Jaheem, who preferred to not give out their last name, said, “People come to us because we are the only deli open all day and all night. MTA workers getting off work come here instead of McDonald’s. We’re the better option.”

   Ruby’s, a popular family-owned restaurant, may also benefit. A former worker, Brandon Zayas, commented, “Rudy’s will only benefit from any change happening to Coney; the place has been in business for decades and is considered a local landmark.” Ruby’s is currently closed for the winter season.

One development plan was recently defeated: the plan to introduce a casino. The selling point for the community was that a casino would boost the area’s economy by attracting year-round foot traffic. The casino proposal encountered pushback from Brooklyn’s borough president, Coney Island’s community board members, and City Council members. Talks regarding the proposal have lingered in the air since 2022, but finally, in 2025, the casino idea was shut down. Dubbed as a victory for the community.

The New York City Council is considering ways to eliminate gender bias in artificial intelligence technology used by city agencies. On December 8, 2025, Council Member Farah N. Louis introduced a bill that would require the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DOITT) to conduct a gendered impact assessment every two years on AI algorithms used by city agencies. As a result, the DOITT would have to evaluate and ensure that any AI technology used does not contribute to gender disparity in the workforce. 

For many AI experts, the bill addresses a problem that they have been researching for years since AI became open to the public. Because AI can have bias. By going unchecked, this bias can bring disadvantages to women in the workplace. Artificial intelligence was developed and introduced to the public as problem-solving software designed to make everyday life easier. While some will argue that it has done that, critics argue that AI is doing more to reinforce gender bias. 

This bias ranges from placing women into stereotypical roles to placing their resumes underneath those coming from men. AI learns from what it is taught and what is documented on the internet. The world itself holds gender bias, and artificial intelligence picks up on that. 

Much of the gender bias that women are facing from AI technology comes from hiring algorithms. These AI-powered algorithms filter through resumes during the hiring process and select candidates they find would be best suited for the job. On a smaller scale, when prompted to generate images, AI will categorize men and women into gendered roles in the workforce, such as nurses and construction workers.

“Most of the leaders in leadership positions are men, right? So, you just don’t have enough examples of women who’ve succeeded,” said Swathi Dhamodaran, a founding member of The Neural.AI, a network of engineering and technology professionals that examines the possibilities of AI. “And therefore,” Dhamodaran said, “what is AI based on? Training data, the bulk of which is successful, but men in this instance. That’s why hiring algorithms have gender biases.” 

In 2018, Amazon pulled an AI-powered recruitment tool after it was determined that it favored the resumes of men over women. The tool learned to pick out gendered terms in resumes that pointed to applicants being women, and even put graduates of two all-women’s colleges at the bottom of the list. Facial recognition systems also struggled to identify women, especially those who are women of color. False matches can be dangerous, leading to false arrests, placement on watch lists, and unwarranted police altercations, among other things. 

Sarah Wyer is a PhD researcher who specializes in bias in AI and received an award for being a top woman in tech. Wyer discovered gender bias within Google and, as an experiment, began prompting the GPT-2 tool she was using to gain feedback on specific gender biases she fed to it. 

“Some of the outputs that we were getting were terrifying,” Wyer said. “It was elevating the status of men and sexualizing the status of women. Then I did it with different versions of GPT-3, which is where ChatGPT came from. It was all very negative and very derogatory against women.” 

Wyer’s research found that AI like ChatGPT is easily influenced, and feeding it these gender biases then causes it to be trained around these beliefs. “The data choices that we make when we’re creating these large language models (LLMs) are important because our values can get embedded within there,” she said. 

Algorithms can be trained to break out of this habit, but it proves difficult when the AI tools can reinforce these biases from what they have already learned. However, the implementation of a bill by the NYC Council is a step towards keeping these tools from continuously leading users towards gender inequity.

“There is so much we as women can do,” Dhamodaran said. “Focus on the impact that can be made rather than the barrier that’s getting in the way of you being the only woman in the boardroom.”