We ran a Daily Q yesterday on gun-control measures bottled up in Albany, and the resounding response we got from gun-control advocates is that the National Rifle Association and its lobbying arm are formidable heavyweights when it comes to setting the policy agenda. Yesterday, in announcing a new campaign against “stand your ground’ laws like […]
Daily Q
The death of teenager Trayvon Martin — shot by civilian George Zimmerman, who initially escaped charges under Florida “stand your ground” law because local police said they had not found anything to dispute Zimmerman’s claim of self-defense — has put gun control back in the headlines. Here in New York, it has breathed fresh life into […]
Today, the Siena Research Institute released a poll showing that Gov. Cuomo’s favorability rating is at an all-time high, with more than 70 percent of New Yorkers approving of his performance. These polls are often the way politicians gauge their relationship with voters and a powerful tool for the public to voice its views on […]
Last week, the New York City Taxi and Limousine Corporation unveiled the Taxi of Tomorrow. It features biker-friendly sliding doors, anti-microbial seats and, to much acclaim, a power outlet and two USB ports to charge electronics. But how safe is it to connect your phone via USB to any old port in a cab? After all, smartphone USB cables […]
New York City is growing faster than expected. The Census Bureau estimates that the city’s population grew by 69,777 since April 1, 2011, an increase attributed to higher birth rates and immigration. While the director of the New York City Department of City Planning’s Population Division, Joseph Salvo, said he welcomed the news, he added that the feds […]
Former New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein and ex-Washington, D.C., official Michelle Rhee have teamed up to launch StudentsFirstNY, a new lobbying group designed to be a counterweight to the powerful United Federation of Teachers. Advocating expansion of charter schools and wider flexibility in management of teachers, the group is setting its sights on […]
Yesterday, the Associated Press reported on a curious development at New York’s powerful new ethics board, the Joint Commission on Public Ethics. On Feb. 2, the board had announced the appointment of Ellen Biben, a former prosecutor and longtime aide to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, as its executive director. The hire was decided on in a […]
It’s official: New York City is stuck for the next decade with the U.S. Census Bureau’s population count of fewer than 8.2 million, now that the bureau has rejected Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s appeal asserting that enumerators had missed at least 50,000 New Yorkers. Bloomberg submitted the appeal last August, and his administration had fought hard […]
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the behemoth that runs not only the city’s subways and buses but also commuter rail and many of the region’s bridges and tunnels, sure looks like a winner this week. Under a state budget deal it will receive $13.1 billion to fully fund its capital plan, which pays for projects like […]
Today, the Supreme Court will hear arguments about the critical centerpiece of President Obama’s healthcare reform bill: the individual mandate. Lawyers challenging the law on behalf of 26 states will argue that it is unconstitutional for the federal government to penalize individuals who do not buy health insurance; the Obama administration will maintain that the […]
