Andrew Cuomo

Here’s what you need to know about New York’s plastic bag ban

Image: Michael Kowalczyk via Flickr.

October 19, 2020

Here’s what you need to know about New York’s plastic bag ban

The ban on single-use plastic bags will go into effect on Monday, more than seven months after enforcement was set to begin. Gov. Andrew Cuomo's statewide ban on plastic bags was approved by state lawmakers last year with plans to begin enforcement on March 1, 2020. But a lawsuit from the Bodega and Small Business Association and a delay in a court decision on the lawsuit because of the coronavirus pandemic pushed enforcement of the new law back multiple times until a state judge ruled in August that the ban can begin on October 19. Starting Monday, grocery and retail stores that collect state taxes from customers will no longer be permitted to use plastic bags to contain purchases at checkout. Ahead, learn more about the Bag Waste Reduction Law, the exceptions to the law, and alternatives to single-use plastic.
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NYC makes outdoor dining permanent, lifts ban on propane heaters at restaurants

Photo by Eden, Janine and Jim on Flickr

October 16, 2020

NYC makes outdoor dining permanent, lifts ban on propane heaters at restaurants

By Devin Gannon

The New York City Council on Thursday voted to make outdoor dining permanent and year-round and lifted the ban on portable propane heaters. The legislation approved by the Council extends the city's current Open Restaurants program, in which more than 10,500 restaurants have enrolled since June, until September 30, 2021, and requires it to be replaced with a permanent program. Under the program, restaurants will also be able to use portable propane heaters, which were previously banned.
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Mother Cabrini statue unveiled in Battery Park City

Photo credit: Kevin P. Coughlin / Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo on Flickr

October 13, 2020

Mother Cabrini statue unveiled in Battery Park City

By Devin Gannon

Gov. Andrew Cuomo unveiled a statue honoring Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first U.S. citizen to be canonized by the Catholic Church and patron saint of immigrants, in Battery Park City on Monday. Created by Jill and Giancarlo Biagi, the bronze memorial depicts Mother Cabrini on a boat with two children and faces Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, a symbol of hope for immigrants coming to New York. The governor formed a state commission last year to lead the creation of the memorial after the city's She Built NYC program passed over Mother Cabrini as their next monument, even though she received the most nominations in a public poll.
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Events & Things To Do

Here’s how to find out if your neighborhood is in a COVID-19 cluster zone

Map of Brooklyn’s Covid-19 cluster; courtesy of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Office

October 8, 2020

Here’s how to find out if your neighborhood is in a COVID-19 cluster zone

By Devin Gannon

In an effort to contain new clusters of the coronavirus, Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday ordered non-essential businesses to close and houses of worship to restrict capacity in parts of Brooklyn and Queens and suburbs of New York City. The new initiative divides the clusters into three categories depending on the rate of transmission, with red, orange, and yellow zones determining the level of restrictions in place. The new rules will be in effect for a minimum of 14 days starting on Thursday. To clear up confusion over the cluster zones, the city released a searchable "Find Your Zone" map that allows New Yorkers to enter their address to find what zone they live, work, and go to school in.
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Policy

Schools in New York City’s COVID hot spots will close starting Tuesday

After fully reopening last week, some schools in NYC will have to close again. Photo credit: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

October 5, 2020

Schools in New York City’s COVID hot spots will close starting Tuesday

By Devin Gannon

Schools in nine New York City ZIP codes where COVID-19 cases have grown rapidly will temporarily close starting Tuesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. Mayor Bill de Blasio first announced on Sunday plans to shut down schools in these neighborhoods, which includes about 200 private schools and 100 public schools. While de Blasio's original proposal would also shutter non-essential businesses in these hot spots and high-risk activities in an additional dozen ZIP codes that are seeing an increase in cases, Cuomo on Monday said only schools will be closed as of now, adding that the state will review the data before taking further action. The governor said he would not "recommend any NYC family send their child to a school" in those areas.
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Policy

Photo by Daniel Lee on Unsplash

September 28, 2020

Cuomo extends New York’s COVID-19 eviction moratorium through 2020

By Devin Gannon

Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday signed an executive order extending the moratorium on residential evictions through the rest of the year. The freeze, which officially began in late March because of the pandemic, was set to expire on October 1. The order extends the Tenant Safe Harbor Act, which protects tenants who can prove they experienced financial hardship during the COVID-19 crisis, to January 1, 2021. According to the governor, the executive order will extend these protections to eviction warrants "that existed prior to the start of the pandemic," which were not previously included under the original law.
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Policy

New York pol calls on Cuomo to reopen comedy clubs

Photo by ajay_suresh on Flickr

September 22, 2020

New York pol calls on Cuomo to reopen comedy clubs

By Devin Gannon

New York gyms, malls, museums, and restaurants, have all been given the green light from officials to reopen. Why not comedy clubs? State Sen. Michael Gianaris is proposing new measures that would allow comedy venues to immediately reopen under the same coronavirus restriction placed on other indoor activities, which would include a 25 percent capacity limit. "I challenge anyone to explain why comedy clubs would be less safe to operate than restaurants or bowling alleys," Gianaris, who represents parts of Queens, told the New York Post.
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New York will construct a statue of Ruth Bader Ginsburg in her native Brooklyn

Ruth Bader Ginsburg at her confirmation hearing / R. Michael Jenkins, Congressional Quarterly. Courtesy of the Library of Congress

September 21, 2020

New York will construct a statue of Ruth Bader Ginsburg in her native Brooklyn

By Devin Gannon

United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will be recognized with a statue in her hometown of Brooklyn, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Saturday, just one day after the death of the trailblazing icon. Born in 1933 to Russian-Jewish immigrants and raised in a clapboard house on East 9th Street in Midwood, Ginsburg attended the city's public schools and later Cornell and Columbia Universities. In 1993, Ginsburg, who fought for gender equality her entire career, became the second woman to ever serve as a justice on the Supreme Court.
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Uncategorized

New York’s COVID-19 infection rate has been below 1 percent for one month straight

Photo by Anthony Quintano on Flickr

September 8, 2020

New York’s COVID-19 infection rate has been below 1 percent for one month straight

By Devin Gannon

Once the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, New York now has one of the lowest infection rates in the country. For four weeks straight, the percentage of positive virus tests has stayed below 1 percent, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Monday. At the peak of COVID-19 this spring, the state was reporting over 10,000 new cases and hundreds of deaths per day. On Monday, there were 520 new cases, with 0.88 percent of tests coming back positive, and two deaths statewide.
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Policy

FEMA pulls funding for sanitizing schools and subways, according to officials

Photo: Patrick Cashin / MTA New York City Transit

September 4, 2020

FEMA pulls funding for sanitizing schools and subways, according to officials

By Devin Gannon

A recent rule change by the Federal Emergency Management Agency could take away funding for disinfecting subway cars and city schools, Sen. Chuck Schumer said on Thursday. New guidance from the agency says states need to cover the costs of disinfectants, personal protective equipment, temperature scanners, and other cleaning-related items that have been reimbursed by FEMA since March, the start of the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. Schumer called the change a "downright dirty decision" made during a time when New York and the rest of the country continues to fight against the spread of the virus.
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Cuomo says indoor dining could resume with an NYPD task force enforcing COVID-19 rules

By Devin Gannon

Indoor dining could resume in New York City only if police are able to enforce compliance of coronavirus regulations at restaurants, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Thursday. During a call with reporters, the governor said he could allow restaurants to open for indoor dining if the city creates a task force of NYPD officers designated to oversee compliance. Cuomo said he plans to discuss the issue with City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, who on Wednesday called for an immediate start of indoor dining, which has been allowed in every region in the state except the five boroughs.
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Photo of Donald Trump via Wikimedia Commons; Photo of Governor Andrew Cuomo via Wikimedia Commons

September 3, 2020

After threat to defund NYC, Cuomo says Trump will need ‘an army’ to walk down the street

By Dana Schulz

"Forget bodyguards, he better have an army if he thinks he’s gonna walk down the street in New York," Governor Andrew Cuomo said last night in response to Donald Trump's new claims that he's planning to defund New York City. After sending a five-page memo to the U.S. Attorney General and the Office of Management and Budget about Portland, Seattle, Washington, and New York City, Trump Tweeted, "My Administration will do everything in its power to prevent weak mayors and lawless cities from taking Federal dollars while they let anarchists harm people, burn buildings, and ruin lives and businesses."
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Policy

300+ restaurants sign on for $2B lawsuit over New York’s indoor dining ban

By Pictures of Money via Flickr cc

September 1, 2020

300+ restaurants sign on for $2B lawsuit over New York’s indoor dining ban

By Dana Schulz

The plot continues to thicken over when and if indoor dining will resume in New York City, with New Jersey starting indoor restaurant operations this Friday and Mayor de Blasio hinting that it won't return in the city until a COVID vaccine is approved. And now, a group of 337 restaurants has signed on to a lawsuit that is seeking $2 billion from the city and state. As Crain's reported, the main plaintiff is 28-year-old Queens Italian restaurant Il Bacco, which is just 500 feet over the Nassau County border where restaurants were allowed to reopen indoor dining.
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New York Fashion Week is still on for next month

Photo by Art Comments on Flickr

August 25, 2020

New York Fashion Week is still on for next month

By Devin Gannon

One of fashion's biggest events will still take place in New York City next month. Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday announced that New York Fashion Week will be held September 13-17 for a mix of live and virtual fashion shows, under stringent coronavirus restrictions and capacity limits. Indoor events will be able to take place at 50 percent capacity and with no spectators, according to the governor.
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New York is setting up COVID-19 testing sites at JFK and LaGuardia airports

Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

August 25, 2020

New York is setting up COVID-19 testing sites at JFK and LaGuardia airports

By Devin Gannon

New coronavirus testing sites will be set up at John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports to limit the spread of the virus from out-of-state visitors, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Monday. The testing sites will allow "faster testing of people coming in, including hospital staff," the governor said during a press briefing. The additional measure comes as New York saw a record low COVID-19 test positivity rate of 0.66 percent on Monday, making it the 17th straight day with a positivity rate below 1 percent.
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Policy

See designs for the Brooklyn park dedicated to LGBTQ advocate Marsha P. Johnson

Renderings courtesy of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Office and NY State Parks

August 25, 2020

See designs for the Brooklyn park dedicated to LGBTQ advocate Marsha P. Johnson

By Devin Gannon

Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday dedicated Brooklyn's East River State Park to Black transgender rights activist Marsha P. Johnson, making it the first state park in New York named after an LGBTQ person and transgender woman of color. Located on the Williamsburg waterfront and known for hosting popular outdoor market Smorgasburg, the park will feature a new colorful public art installation honoring Johnson, who played a significant role in the Stonewall Uprising and was a founding member of the Gay Liberation Front. The dedication comes on what would have been Johnson's 75th birthday.
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Policy

Governor Cuomo has a book coming out about the COVID crisis in New York

Photo: Kevin P. Coughlin / Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

August 18, 2020

Governor Cuomo has a book coming out about the COVID crisis in New York

By Dana Schulz

Crown Publishing announced that a new book by New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo titled "American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic," will be released on October 13, 2020, just three weeks before election day, as the Associated Press notes. According to Crown, the book will provide Cuomo's "personal reflections and the decision-making that shaped his policy, and offers his frank accounting and assessment of his interactions with the federal government and the White House, as well as other state and local political and health officials."
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Policy

New York gyms and fitness studios can reopen August 24

Photo by Victor Freitas on Unsplash

August 17, 2020

New York gyms and fitness studios can reopen August 24

By Devin Gannon

New York gyms and fitness studios can reopen next week at limited capacity and with face-covering mandates, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Monday. The state says gyms can open as early as August 24 at a capacity of 33 percent if all guidelines, including ventilation requirements, are met. Local governments will determine whether indoor fitness classes are allowed to be held. But gyms in New York City will likely not reopen next week despite state approval, as the city prioritizes getting schools ready for September.
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Policy

After Cuomo provides health personnel, 9/11 Tribute in Light is back on

Image by David Z from Pixabay

August 17, 2020

After Cuomo provides health personnel, 9/11 Tribute in Light is back on

By Dana Schulz

It takes nearly 40 stagehands and electricians more than a week to produce the annual Tribute in Light display that marks the 9/11 anniversary each year, according to the New York Times. And because they must work in close contact, the National September 11 Memorial & Museum decided last week to cancel this year's memorial. Upon hearing the news, Governor Cuomo, however, stepped in and said he'd provide the medical personnel necessary to make the event happen safely.
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Events & Things To Do

Schools cleared to open in all New York regions

Via Pixabay

August 7, 2020

Schools cleared to open in all New York regions

By Devin Gannon

Every school district in New York can open in September for-in person instruction, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Friday. Last month, the governor said schools can open in a region if it is in phase four of reopening and if the daily infection rate remains at or below 5 percent over a 14-day average. If the infection rate spikes above 9 percent over a 7-day average, schools will close, Cuomo said.
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Policy

New York’s eviction moratorium extended by one month

Photo by Goh Rhy Yan on Unsplash

August 6, 2020

New York’s eviction moratorium extended by one month

By Devin Gannon

The statewide moratorium on eviction has been extended another month, offering temporary relief to thousands of New Yorkers at risk of losing their homes. The order was set to expire midnight on Thursday, but Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order extending the rule to September 4. The New York State Unified Court System is expected to announce on Thursday whether it will follow the mandate and issue new guidance on evictions.
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Policy

NYC is setting up COVID checkpoints at major entry points to enforce 14-day quarantine

Photo by Eepeng Cheong on Unsplash

August 5, 2020

NYC is setting up COVID checkpoints at major entry points to enforce 14-day quarantine

By Devin Gannon

New York City will set up "COVID-19 checkpoints" at key entry points this week to ensure compliance with the state's quarantine requirements, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Wednesday. Travelers to New York from 35 states currently on the travel advisory list, which includes places with 10 infections per 100,000 residents on a seven-day rolling average, must quarantine for 14 days. Starting Wednesday, the Sheriff's Office will be deployed at bridges, tunnels, and busy transit hubs to remind visitors of the mandatory quarantine. The new initiative comes as about 20 percent of new coronavirus cases in New York City are from people traveling in from other states, according to Dr. Ted Long, head of the Test & Trace Corps.
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Policy

After original church was destroyed on 9/11, construction restarts at new St. Nicholas Shrine

All photos courtesy of Governor Andrew Cuomo/Flickr

August 3, 2020

After original church was destroyed on 9/11, construction restarts at new St. Nicholas Shrine

By Dana Schulz

It's been nearly 20 years since St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine was lost in the attacks on 9/11, but today, Governor Cuomo announced the restart of construction on the new Santiago Calatrava-designed church. Work originally began in 2015, but stalled in late 2017 when the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America ran out of funding.
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New Developments

New York suspends liquor licenses of six NYC bars in violation of COVID-19 regulations

Photo by Eden, Janine and Jim on Flickr

July 27, 2020

New York suspends liquor licenses of six NYC bars in violation of COVID-19 regulations

By Devin Gannon

Six more bars and restaurants in New York City temporarily lost their liquor license last week for violating social distancing regulations. Following a statewide compliance check between July 21 and July 23, the State Liquor Authority found violations at 84 establishments and suspended the liquor licenses of 10 bars, of which six were in the five boroughs, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday. Over the weekend, an additional 105 violations were issued to bars and restaurants, the governor said on Sunday.
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Serving chips is not enough to comply with New York’s new booze rules

Photo by Prayitno via Wikimedia Commons

July 23, 2020

Serving chips is not enough to comply with New York’s new booze rules

By Dana Schulz

Ever since Governor Cuomo announced last week that restaurants and bars across the state could only serve alcohol if customers were seated and ordering food, the question has been, what exactly constitutes "food?" According to the State Liquor Authority's updated COVID guidelines, "a bag of chips, bowl of nuts, or candy alone" are not enough; "food" is defined as that which is "similar in quality and substance to sandwiches and soups," including "salads, wings, or hotdogs." This basically makes it illegal for an establishment to serve a margarita if the customer only orders chips and salsa.
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