Innovative program at CUNY colleges retools Hillels as social service hubs for students
JEWISH TELEGRAPHIC AGENCY—Financial problems and stress almost forced Benjamin S. to drop out of college last year. “Some days I just wouldn’t eat because I didn’t have any cash on me,” said Benjamin, a student at Baruch College in New York who asked that his full name not be used to protect his privacy. But […]
Just 90 NYC high schools offer journalism classes. A new movement is trying to change that.
CHALKBEAT NEW YORK—Brooklyn English teacher Sydney Kukoda launched her new journalism elective class last week with an unconventional assignment. She emptied the contents of her wallet onto a desk and asked her students to investigate, take notes, and then write a short biography of her based on facts they had independently verified. … The lesson […]
To fill empty apartments for homeless people, NYC will first start tracking them
GOTHAMIST—Each year, New York City and state agencies fund tens of thousands of apartments with on-site services for some of the city’s most vulnerable people. But as of June, more than 5,000 of those supportive housing units sat empty. Policymakers say new legislation could help change that. A measure approved by the City Council on Wednesday is […]
Summer problem has year-round solutions
DAILY NEWS—With Labor Day and the swimming season over, it’s understandable that many people put water safety out of mind with beach and pool days behind us. But for a country facing a national water safety crisis, this should be a year-round issue that demands our attention. Through strategic partnerships, targeted investments, and innovative programs, […]
Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY Launches Free “Journalism for All” High School Curriculum
CRAIG NEWMARK GRADUATE SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM—The Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY today announced the launch of the Journalism for All curriculum — a free, year-long high school journalism curriculum designed to expand access to media education at a time of growing misinformation and mistrust. The curriculum—set to be taught in 30 New […]
Using NYC’s streets for all New Yorkers
DAILY NEWS—Zohran Mamdani’s campaign captured the attention of voters by promising to address the city’s affordability crisis and by connecting with New Yorkers on our streets. You don’t have to look hard to find city streets in just about every image of his campaign. He walked the length of Manhattan four nights before the primary. […]
Mission to Revive Abandoned Spaces With Art Expands to Public Housing
THE CITY—“Art on the Ave,” which provides artists with opportunities to showcase their work in vacant storefronts across the city, is opening its first NYCHA-based exhibit. Usually, a New York City vacant storefront has nothing to offer passersby but the dead and empty husk of what once was an alive and vibrant business. The nonprofit […]
New on Rikers Island: a Jewish prayerbook designed with incarcerated congregants in mind
JEWISH TELEGRAPHIC AGENCY—When some of Rabbi Mia Simring’s congregants named themselves The Very Narrow Bridge Congregation, they weren’t just referring to the anthemic Hebrew song “Gesher Tsar Meod” or the teaching from Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav on which it is based. They were also alluding to their status as inmates on Rikers Island, New York City’s largest […]
NYPD head count doesn’t correlate to crime rates, data suggests, despite candidate rhetoric
GOTHAMIST—Whether or not to hire more police officers has been one of the more contentious policy arguments among New York City’s mayoral hopefuls — but a new report by a former NYPD executive shows that more cops don’t necessarily equal better public safety. The report, published Thursday by the group Vital City, shows crime declined consistently across […]
How You (Yes, You) Can Help New York City Thrive
VITAL CITY—Between a summer of punishing heat, the stress of spending more and getting less for the privilege of living here, a mayoral race that promises to be one of the nastiest in recent history, ominous ICE agents everywhere and the passage of a One Big Beautiful Bill that is anything but for New York […]