“Renewal schools have not been improving any faster than the system — and that’s what he promised.”
Cab Owners Plead to Council for Help, Slam Uber and Lyft
“Several dozen beleaguered taxi-medallion owners flocked to a council Transportation Committee hearing Monday to complain that the ride-share apps have caused a 90 percent drop in the value of their medallions. They say that the city should never have allowed Uber, Lyft and others to operate without the same fees and regulations to which taxis are subject and that the presence of nearly 70,000 ride-share vehicles is killing their ability to earn a living.”
Two-Time Mayoral Hopeful Anthony Weiner Gets Prison Time
“Weiner, 53, dropped his head into his hand and wept as the sentence was announced by Judge Denise Cote. He must surrender to prison officials by Nov. 6. The sentencing completed the sordid downfall of the New York Democrat, whose penchant for exchanging lewd messages and photos with young women online destroyed his career in Congress in 2011, doomed his bid for mayor of New York in 2013, wrecked his marriage to Clinton’s closest aide, Huma Abedin, and became entangled in the 2016 presidential campaign.”
Staten Island Beep Slams Retail Complex’s Ambitions
“A planned waterfront retail complex has tried to skirt city review by claiming what it previously called a street to help with traffic is simply a driveway, Borough President James Oddo said. Riverside Galleria, the 470,000-square-foot plaza proposed on Arthur Kill Road near the Outerbridge Crossing, applied for an exemption to the state law that requires buildings to place streets on the city map. ‘Those of us who have been open to the project, those of us who have supportive this project from day one have said our major concerns are traffic,’ said Oddo in a Facebook Live video Monday. ‘The road that was featured as one of the relief valves for Arthur Kill Road is now in fact a “driveway.”‘”
PACs are a Minor Presence on City’s 2017 Campaign Stage
“This year, with new laws in place that increase transparency and a far lower profile election, a far smaller number of independent expenditures, or IEs, have been spent, mostly slipping under the broader radar of political watchers. As of the latest filings with the Campaign Finance Board on September 22, in this year’s elections, independent groups have spent $1.2 million on city elections, about 7.5 percent of what was spent in 2013.”
Does Slow Progress at Renewal Schools Mean They are Succeeding or Failing?
The New York Times
“Each school in the program has had an additional hour added to its school day. Teachers receive extra instruction in how to teach. Schools are paired with community-based organizations to address the needs of students and their families outside the classroom, like mental health counseling, dental care and help making sure students come to school. By the end of this school year, the city will have spent $582 million on Renewal. But researchers … who have looked at the program’s results so far say they range from mixed to disappointing.”
