Brooklyn

Neighborhood Groups Say They Need More City Support to Plan for Climate Emergencies

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Community-based organizations are primed and ready to help New Yorkers deal with extreme weather events but say they need more robust communication, engagement, and financial resources from the city. “This is about long-term cultivation of capacity at the street level,” said Rebecca Bratspies, director of CUNY Law’s Center for Urban Environmental Reform. “And we need it because we’re going to be facing this over and over again.”

Education

Newly Arrived Immigrant Youth Face Challenges to School Enrollment

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Federal law that protects the educational rights of homeless children and youth under 21 says young adults should be enrolled in school immediately, but the city is not meeting this requirement, advocates say. They report newly arrived immigrant youth being placed on waiting lists, told there are no spaces, or advised to take the General Educational Development (GED) high school equivalency test instead.

Government
skycrapers

Local Law 97’s ‘Mediated Resolution’ Clause Gives Too Much Leeway for Exemptions, Lawyers Say

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The Dept. of Buildings has the power to offer a mediated resolution to landlords who don’t comply with the city’s building emissions law, bypassing fines if they promise to get back on track. But lawyers fear the provision leaves the door open for DOB to evoke it too freely, and question whether the agency has the staff capacity to monitor such deals.

Education
International High School at Lafayette. 2630 Benson Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11214

How Climate Change is Hitting NYC Public Schools

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More than a quarter of the city’s public school buildings are currently at risk from extreme stormwater flooding, according to an analysis by the Comptroller’s Office shared with City Limits. Teachers, students and environmental groups are pushing for more weather-resilient schools.

Health and Environment

En las carpas para inmigrantes de la ciudad, enfermedades y envejecimiento plantean desafíos

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“Parece un coro de tos en esa carpa”, dijo Luis Zambrano, de 62 años, quien contrajo neumonía este invierno mientras se alojaba en el complejo de carpas del refugio en Randall’s Island, donde la ciudad ha alojado a miles de inmigrantes recién llegados. “El frío que pasa a través y debajo del catre no se va ni con varias cobijas, así que siempre tienes frío durmiendo”.

Health and Environment

In City’s Tent Shelter for Immigrants, Illness and Aging Pose Challenges

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“It looks like a coughing choir in that tent,” said Luis Zambrano, 62, who came down with pneumonia this winter while staying at the shelter complex on Randall’s Island, where the city has been housing thousands of newly arrived immigrants. “The cold that passes through and under the cot doesn’t go away with several blankets, so you are always cold sleeping.”