Eight years ago, Max Plyshevsky moved into a light-filled two-bedroom corner apartment in Sunset Park. It was the first place the divorcee owned by himself. It was his haven, with room for his daughter when she came to visit. He invested his savings into the fourth-floor condo and figured he had a nest egg. But […]
Samantha Maldonado
Samantha is a reporter for THE CITY, where she covers climate change and the environment.
Posted inDepartment of Sanitation
Less Compost, More Methane Gas and Landfill Loom in Proposed Budget Cuts
The city sanitation department’s proposal to eliminate funding for community composting means most food waste collected through public programs will become gas or landfill, not compost. Under proposed budget cuts as part of a wider agenda to trim city spending, community compost organizations — GrowNYC, the Lower East Side Ecology Center, BIG Reuse and Earth […]
Posted inThe Deed Finders
Hochul Signs Bill Giving Prosecutors More Power to Halt Deed Theft Evictions
New York State is moving to combat deed theft. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday signed into law a bill that aims to give prosecutors more latitude to go after fraudulent real estate transactions — and keep homeowners in their homes. Sponsored by Sen. Brian Kavanagh (D-Manhattan/Brooklyn) and Assemblymember Helene Weinstein and co-authored by Attorney General […]
Posted inClimate Change
Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Challenging Imminent City Climate Law
A state court judge this week dismissed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the city’s Local Law 97, which seeks to slash carbon emissions from buildings. The lawsuit was filed in New York Supreme Court in May 2022 by two Queens co-ops, their board presidents and an LLC that owns a Manhattan residential and commercial building. […]
Posted inImpact
Queens Public Administrator to Depose Speculator Bros About Forgery Claims Uncovered by THE CITY
A home in Douglaston, Queens, estimated to be worth more than a million dollars, has become the focal point of a showdown between city officials and a trio of real estate speculators accused of predatory practices and fraud. Through an LLC called The Queens Foundation, one of those speculators had acquired interests in the property […]
Posted inAffordable Housing
Low-Income Co-Ops Do Without Gas for Years in Face of Steep Cost of Fixes
Jose Fernandez has been cooking without gas for over two years. So have his neighbors in their West Harlem co-op. Con Ed turned off the gas in the summer of 2021, after an inspector noticed a problem with an exterior pipe, fixed it and subsequently performed a separate air pressure test that the system failed, […]
Posted inEnvironment
Uncertain Future for Solar, Wind Projects as New York Rejects Funding Boost
The state Public Service Commission (PSC) on Thursday rejected a request by developers of wind and solar for a financial boost. The decision by the commission, which regulates utilities and oversees rates, raises questions over whether the key clean energy projects — planned around the state and in the Atlantic Ocean — will move forward […]
Posted inEric Adams
Soggy Residents Unimpressed After Mayor Adams Touts Sewer Upgrades to The Hole
Mayor Eric Adams made a brief stop on his way to JFK Airport Wednesday afternoon to a small neighborhood on the border of Queens and Brooklyn known as The Hole. It was his last media appearance in the city before a trip south of the border, as the mayor continued to tamp back criticism over […]
Posted inPolitics
How a Federal Government Shutdown Could Hurt New Yorkers
From food stamps to immigration court to parks access, millions of people locally could soon feel the brunt of Washington’s dysfunction.
Posted inWeather
City Caught Flat-Footed on Flood as Deluge Dredges Up Past Lessons
Parents, public officials and climate advocates all say the mayor and his team were ill-prepared for the effects of a storm that was on the radar days before.