As sub-zero winds barrel through New York City, Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s “all hands on deck” strategy has enlisted school nurses, peer outreach and even CUNY campuses to coax people indoors—no small feat when frigid calculations show hypothermia can s…
As New York nurses enter a fifth week on strike, Mount Sinai’s administration and the New York State Nurses Association inch closer to a deal, spurred by a mediator’s new proposal. Montefiore nurses have already secured safer staffing levels and more posts, though hospitals keep paying top dollar for temporary replacements. Talks persist at the Javits Center, where, at least for now, winter weather outpaces anyone in cooling negotiations.
The National Weather Service warns that an Arctic front will bring subzero wind chills to New York City, with real-feel temperatures plunging to minus 20 degrees and officials invoking “Code Blue” after 17 people were found dead outdoors this fortnight. While Governor Kathy Hochul urges us to take frostbite and hypothermia seriously, the city’s beleaguered ferry service and heating complaints suggest we may need thicker skins—or at least better boilers.
Eyeing mushrooming deficits and a chronic housing shortage, New York City might finally cash in the overlooked “air rights” floating above its own rooftops. By pooling and selling these unused development rights citywide—much as Broadway theatres did in the 1990s—we could unlock billions for affordable housing and fiscal relief. It seems the sky over Gotham may prove less a limit, more a lifeline.
The Trump administration will appeal a federal judge’s order to release over $205 million for the Gateway tunnel, a $16 billion New York–New Jersey rail link currently starved of cash and stalled under the Hudson. At issue: federal rules on contract diversity. As legal salvos fly, construction workers and commuters alike may have ample time to ponder the virtues of vintage infrastructure.
New Yorkers can expect a rude awakening on their February utility bills, as Con Edison and National Grid warn that last month’s record-breaking cold—the chilliest start to winter in over a decade—will mean double-digit percent increases for many. With the Indian Point nuclear plant retired and natural gas demand smashing records, it seems the Big Apple’s only thing heating up is energy sticker shock, not the apartments.
Leila Bozorg, New York’s deputy mayor for housing, previewed a sweeping Affordability Agenda she says will cement Mayor Mamdani’s record, outlining potential rent freezes, rezonings, and aid for tenants and landlords in an interview with THE CITY. With housing prices scaling ever higher, we applaud any attempt at balance—though New Yorkers could be forgiven for suspecting a little more blueprint than building, for now.
As New York plunges into another frosty winter, Dan Goldman, a Manhattan-Brooklyn congressman, has proposed federal legislation to funnel up to $225 million annually to the New York City Housing Authority for boiler upgrades—reframing reliable heat as a matter of security rather than mere comfort. Given NYCHA’s 175,000 chilly apartments and rising outage tallies, we suspect tenants might welcome a little hot air from Washington for once.
As New York faced the winter’s coldest night, Mayor Zohran Mamdani hustled to broadcast citywide warnings and boost shelter options, including two new warming centers and extra outreach staff—though even this brisk push couldn’t halt the Code Blue count of 17 cold-related deaths since last month’s snowstorm. Still, New Yorkers do seem to specialize in stubborn resilience, whatever the wind chill might suggest.
