Latest news with #GregoryP.Mango
New York Post
24-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
More than 445K voters head to polls in hotly contested NYC primary election despite 100-degree temps
More than 445,000 New York City voters flooded the polls Tuesday despite punishing heat — as a crowded field of mayoral candidates duked it out for the Democratic nomination. Some 446,487 New Yorkers had cast their ballots as of 6 p.m. — three hours before polls closed — with the total turnout coming to a whopping 876,472 when including mail-in and early voting tallies, the city Board of Election said. An influx of 120,000 votes flowed in just between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., the BOE numbers showed, with many more expected to come out after work hours — putting the total on pace to meet 2021's roughly a million ballots. Election workers in some cases were armed only with paper fans – and no air conditioning — to meet the throng of voters as temperatures outside reached nearly 100 degrees in the record-breaking hottest day of the year. Advertisement 4 A classroom thermometer indicating an inside temperature at a polling station at Taylor Wythe Community Center that is close to 96 F. Gregory P. Mango 'What's one day sweating if it's gonna help people?' said Queens voter Dhyan Rajami, who cited high rents as his most important issue — one that has taken center stage in the crowded Democratic mayoral primary. 'I feel like it [voting] had to be done. I care about getting people the resources they need and it's going to be hot the rest of the summer,' said Rajami, a supporter of Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani. Advertisement Another voter at air conditioner-less Russell Sage High School in Forest Hills made her voice heard despite suffering heat-related health issues earlier in the day. 'It's absolutely horrible, I had an asthma attack on the way to work,' Jada, 48, told The Post. 'But all day long I've been thinking about voting.' At the Taylor Wythe Community Center polling site in Brooklyn, staffers and voters languished without AC and little water — as the indoor temperature clocked in at 99 degrees in the afternoon. 4 A first time voter shows off her voting sticker after she cast her ballot. Gregory P. Mango Advertisement 'I just turned 75, I shouldn't even be out in this kind of heat,' a worker, who did not want to be named, said. 'We've been here since 5 a.m. It's cooler outside than it is in here.' Some workers who live in the NYCHA building went upstairs to get fans from their own homes with the BOE only delivering handheld paper fans for comfort. 'It's hot as the devil in here,' another poll worker said. Later in the afternoon, city Emergency Management workers parked an MTA bus outside the site so poll workers could cool off inside on their breaks. Advertisement Earlier in the day, panic temporarily set in at Frank Sinatra High School in Queens when the heat and humidity caused ballots to stick together, leading to signal issues with scanners. The poll site coordinator told The Post they made it work, but the momentary snafu left them 'on edge.' Candidates were also sweating for every last vote as they made 11th-hour pleas for support. Mamdani and City Comptroller Brad Lander — who cross-endorsed each other earlier this month in a bid to stymie former Gov. Andrew Cuomo — made a final joint appearance at the 72nd Street subway station on the Upper West Side. The 33-year-old Queens assemblyman scoffed at Cuomo dismissing a new poll that showed the two hopefuls in a near dead-heat after the former governor had led the pack for months. 'Ultimately, what he's having a hard time getting to grips with is that we are exactly where we want to be,' Mamdani said. 4 Voters on line in the Democratic primary. Michael Nagle Lander called the joint partnership with Mamdani 'something really remarkable' and made clear the top goal was to 'add votes together to block Andrew Cuomo.' Advertisement 'So that we don't wind up with a corrupt, abusive, bitter, sour politics of the past,' he said, pulling no punches. The primary is expected to come down to how Lander's votes split between Mamdani and Cuomo once the comptroller is eliminated from one of the final rounds of ranked-choice voting. Prior to the cross-endorsement, the majority of Lander's votes were falling to the ex-gov, but the Emerson College/PIX11 poll released Monday had the ballot breaking for Mamdani, putting him over the edge in the eight round. Lander's message was echoed by state Attorney General Letitia James — an arch rival of Cuomo since her office investigated the sexual harassment claims against him that led him to resign in 2021. Advertisement James slammed Cuomo in a primary day robocall, accusing him of failing the black community. 'When you vote today, please rank five candidates for mayor. But do not make Andrew Cuomo one of them,' James said. But Cuomo appeared confident as he voted on the 5th floor of the Art and Design School in Midtown East while accompanied by two of his daughters and his son-in-law. 'It all comes down to today and people have to vote,' he said. 'If you look at history, when people don't vote and only a small number of people vote that's when you get outcomes that the majority disapproves of.' Advertisement He also waved off the heat — which had been believed to work against him as much of his centrist voter base skews older. 'Is it a little warm today? It's a little warm,' Cuomo insisted. 'Is it oppressively hot like they said? I don't believe so.' 4 Poll workers at one spot without AC were given paper fans. Desheania Andrews/NY Post Mamdani's campaign, meanwhile, has been propelled by younger New Yorkers and celebrities, including model Emily Ratajkowski, despite his freebie-filled socialist agenda widely being panned as far-fetched. Advertisement 'We know it's hot, but the time is now,' Ratajkowski posted to her 29 million Instagram followers Tuesday while wearing a 'Hot Girls For Zohran' T-shirt. Other races on the ballot included primaries for comptroller, public advocate, Manhattan borough president and several City Council races. The full results of the ranked-choice primary are not expected until July 1, as only the first round totals will be tabulated on Tuesday night. One notable name missing from the mayoral primary ballot was Mayor Eric Adams, who is a registered Democrat but is running for re-election on an independent line in the November general election. The winner of the Democratic nomination will face off then against Adams, GOP candidate Curtis Sliwa and independent candidate Jim Walden. Even if they fail to cinch the Dem nomination, Cuomo and Mamdani could still appear on the general election ballot on different party lines. Adams still voted at his Brooklyn polling site Tuesday and claimed, perhaps jokingly, he was writing in his name in five times. 'One, two, three, four, five – Eric Adams,' he said. 'Five times. I'm looking forward to November.' — Additional reporting by Georgett Roberts, Zoe Hussain, Mikella Schuettler and Reuven Fenton
New York Post
24-06-2025
- New York Post
Bed-Stuy aquarium returns – reigniting fish abuse concerns
This could turn into a Bed-Stuy fish fry. A viral sidewalk 'aquarium' that won over the Big Apple last summer has reemerged, The Post has learned – and animal advocates are already sweating in fear that the little swimmers will sizzle in this heat wave. 5 A viral sidewalk 'aquarium' that captured the awe of New Yorkers last summer has reemerged after its founder was sentenced to 12 years in prison for attempted murder in January, The Post has learned. Gregory P. Mango Advertisement A glass tank of about a dozen goldfish was planted in a tree pit Saturday, an aquarium caretaker told The Post, next to the pond's original site — a founder was sentenced to 12 years in prison on unrelated attempted murder charges in January — a now-filled in water hydrant puddle near Tompkins Avenue and Hancock Street. But animal advocates say it isn't just fishy – it's downright cruel, especially with New York under a state of emergency thanks to a record-breaking scorcher that is set to bring Gotham to a boil this week. 'This project continues to be an inappropriate way to house fish,' veterinarian Benjamin Rosenbloom, founder of New York City-based Wet Pet Vet, told The Post. 'I suspect on some level it may be a grift for donations and/or attention. Advertisement 5 Animal advocates say the practice isn't just fishy – it's downright cruel, especially as New York is under a state of emergency for a heat wave set to boil Gotham this week. Gregory P. Mango 'At the very least, it is not acceptable for the welfare of the animals housed there.' Since the makeshift aquarium is so small, Rosenbloom said exposure to the sun could elevate water temperatures to deadly levels — resulting in less available dissolved oxygen for the fish. 'In this current heatwave they most certainly will die. It will be a painful death,' said Kathy Nizzari, founder of the animal welfare group Lights Out Coalition. Advertisement 5 A fish tank at the intersection of Tompkins Avenue and Hancock Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Gregory P. Mango The group is urging the pond's caretakers to move the fish 'indoors' to create a 'proper environment.' John Di Leonardo, executive director of Humane Long Island, called the confinement — heat wave or not — 'cruel' and 'teaches children all the wrong lessons.' But the pond's co-founder, Je-Quan Irving, maintains the 'community is backing us,' and said he has no plans of slowing down — despite the allegations. Advertisement 'I'm just happy they wanted us to keep pushing through and have it come back,' Irving, 49, said. His fellow founder, Hajj Malik Lovick — convicted of attempted murder, assault and gun charges for shooting a man outside the Lover's Rock bar in Bedford-Stuyvesant in 2023 — is also 'all for it' behind bars, Irving said, and is watching over the pond via a bizarre life-sized cardboard cutout. 5 Hajj Malik Lovick, an aquarium co-founder, pictured in 2024. Gregory P. Mango The original iteration of the aquarium – the result of water from a leaky hydrant pooling into a one-inch tree pit – was raided by the FDNY and cemented over by the city last year, organizers said at the time. But the latest version is up to code, Irving claims. 5 A new deli at the corner of Tompkins Avenue and Hancock Street recently opened, named the 'Aquarium Deli Food.' Gregory P. Mango 'There's a fish tank and that's pretty much the way we are going to be now … we couldn't go back in the ground because they were worried about if we were cutting any plants,' Irving, a Triple A roadside worker, said citing concerns of several city agencies. 'They told us we can set it up, it just can't be underground.' 'I'm going to be adding some reefs, some plants inside the aquarium,' he added. 'I'm going to do some lighting. I'm going to decorate all around the tree itself with more plants.' Advertisement Irving also plans, he said, to consult marine biologists to determine what other fish he can add to the burgeoning aquatic community. 'I remember seeing it the first time and its couple of different iterations … it definitely did some community building,' Bed-Stuy local Kristen Kainer, 51, reflected on the previous project. 'The other one was more dynamic, bigger and creative,' Kainer added, noting she's still 'glad it's something that's back up.' Advertisement Another Bed-Stuy local Calvin, 48, Fed Ex employee, called the new neighborhood attraction — which now touts its own Google Maps listing and is the namesake of the new Aquarium Deli down the street — a 'beautiful thing.' 'The kids love it,' the Fed Ex employee said. 'I just hope it becomes a good thing like it was [before].'
New York Post
15-06-2025
- Climate
- New York Post
Rain soaks NYC Father's Day — and that's just the beginning
Dads across the Big Apple braved a rainy, gray Father's Day — as forecasters warn the gloomy stretch is only getting started. 'Monday through Wednesday is going to stay overcast, with highs mostly in the 60s and low 70s,' FOX Weather meteorologist Cody Braud told The Post on Sunday. 'It's just gonna be another kind of similar stretch of days like today, where it's kind of gloomy outside, but there may also be some pockets of extremely light rain,' Braud said. Advertisement Then the weather will take a turn for the worse Thursday evening. 3 Coney Island's attractions still lure dads and their families despite the gloomy weather Sunday. Gregory P. Mango 'There's actually a chance of severe storms on Thursday,' Baud said. 'There's gonna be a cold front pushing in from the west. Advertisement 'We could see some storms later in the afternoon, possibly even once the sun goes down, bringing the threat of damaging winds,' he added. Despite Sunday's dismal skies, several determined dads hit the sights from Citi Field to Coney Island to make the most of their rain-soaked afternoon with the family. At Citi Field in Queens, 41-year-old Michael Handell wouldn't let the rain ruin his Father's Day and his daughter's first-ever Mets game. 'The weather's been terrible,' said Handell, a Washington Heights native who runs a kids' sports program. 'It seems to rain on the weekends all the time, like every weekend there seems to be rain.' Advertisement But his daughters, Libby, 6, and Molly, 3, were still 'excited' despite the weather while clad in their colorful rain coats. 'It's what I want to do on Father's Day,' Handell said. 'It's a great gift.' 3 Families also braved the unseasonable weather at the Mets' City Field stadium in Queens. Michael Nagle On Coney Island in Brooklyn, Dan Lutz, 55, came in from Sayville, LI, with his son Jason, 12, for a new Father's Day tradition of riding the amusement park's famed Cyclone rollercoaster. Advertisement 'We would have gone more times but had to stop after three times because of the rain hitting you in the face, it's a little rough,' he said. Sebastian Green, a 40-year-old filmmaker from Astoria, Queens, also was at Luna Park and watched his sons, ages 7 and 4, play in the arcade. 'This is a great Father's Day!' Green said. 'It's important to teach them that the rain doesn't stop you from having a good time.' 3 'It's important to teach them that the rain doesn't stop you from having a good time,' Sebastian Green said as he enjoyed the day with his sons, 7 and 4, in Luna Park on Coney Island. Gregory P. Mango But some locals were fazed by the gloom. 'This whole weekend's a washout! This kind of cold, wet weather destroys the business,' grumbled a man named Denny, 70, who was slinging candy apples and cotton candy at Lunatic Ice Cream. 'You get nothing, maybe 10% of what's normal on a weekend,' he said of customers. 'It's only tourists. Who's going to want to spend their Father's Day walking around in this?' Advertisement But after the cold, rainy stretch this week, New Yorkers can expect a pivot to more summer-like temperatures. Sunny skies and hot temps reaching the 90s are expected toward the tail end of the week, Braud said.
New York Post
04-06-2025
- Health
- New York Post
NYPD's teenage ‘Commissioner for a Day' is on a mission to end deadly subway surfing through social media
He wants to stop subway surfing dead in its tracks! A bright Bronx teenager who won the NYPD's annual 'Commissioner for a Day' award Wednesday is on a mission to end deadly subway surfing through social media, he told The Post. Carmelo Vereen, 18, was given the honorary role after penning an essay on how to 'deter young people' from the daredevil stunt, which has killed 14 New Yorkers in the past two years. Advertisement 'Kids are subway surfing as young as 11, so their minds aren't really fully comprehending what they're doing,' Vereen, an 11th grader at the Urban Assembly Bronx Academy of Letters, told The Post. 'Social media is one of the ways that subway surfing has gained a huge popularity. It's one of the [reasons] why people are doing it now,' he said. The same tool should be used to 'dismantle it' and 'make it seem as not cool a trend,' he said. Advertisement For the contest, the Police Athletic League posed the essay question, 'As Police Commissioner, what steps would you take with MTA officials to prevent and deter young people from participating in 'subway surfing?'' Vereen, center, said social media and other forms of education could help stop subway surfing. Gregory P. Mango Vereen — who eventually wants to become a police officer himself — begins his essay with a bold statement about the growing trend, which involves riding on top of moving trains. 'When a 14-year-old died subway surfing in 1996, former Mayor Giuliani said this: 'There is no way that you can protect a child who decides to surf on top of a subway car.' ' Advertisement 'However, I disagree with that,' he writes. Vereen wants to eventually become a police officer. Gregory P. Mango He goes on to recommend a 'TrendStat' program that would track and flag online posts that glamorize subway surfing with the goal of getting them taken down. In the essay, the clever teen also pushes for cops to use youth programs that bring the survivors of subway surfing and families 'who lost loved ones' together to educate young folks about the dangerous trend. Advertisement During a ceremony at One Police Plaza Wednesday, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch praised Vereen's ideas. 'Your essay rose to the top. And it wasn't just because of how well you wrote. It was the way that you thought,' she said. 'You approached it with empathy, with depth, and with the understanding that no one agency can solve any problem alone.' Along with the honorary title, Vereen was also awarded $500 cash and a chance to spend the day with some of the city's top cops, according to PAL New York.
New York Post
04-06-2025
- General
- New York Post
War on rats gets ugly as hundreds of ‘eyesore' Empire Bins gobble up parking spaces in Harlem
These drivers are in for rat-ical change. West Harlem has become the first neighborhood in the United States to have all of its trash containerized in order to squash uptown rats' curbside trash feasts, City Hall officials said Monday – but the hundreds of UFO-like 'Empire Bins' are now permanently taking some coveted parking spots, The Post has learned. Advertisement 4 West Harlem has become the first neighborhood in the United States to have all of its trash containerized in an attempt to squash uptown rats' curbside trash feasts. Gregory P. Mango The latest cohort of European-style bins, which are mandatory for all residential properties with more than 30 units, were installed over the weekend — and have gobbled up about 4% of parking spaces in the neighborhood overnight, a city sanitation department rep told The Post. 'It takes up parking spots that were already hard to find,' said Harlem resident Erica Lamont, who claims she circled the blocks of Broadway and West 149th Street for a half-hour on Tuesday morning. Advertisement 'The bins are the size of small cars and when you put two and three on a residential street, you are ultimately forcing people to force blocks away,' Lamont, 46, said. 'It's not placed in no standing or truck loading zones – they are placed in the few actual parking spots that residents could get,' said Michelle R., a 40-year-old dog sitter in the neighborhood. 'I like the garbage cans, but I feel bad for the people that normally park their cars there.' Other locals, like Harlem resident David Jones, simply blasted the bizarre look of the gargantuan containers. 'It's an eyesore,' said Jones, 40. 'It's right there in front of your face. I'm neutral. If it does the job then let's applaud it — If it doesn't, then let's get rid of them and come up with something else.' Advertisement 4 The latest cohort of European-style bins, which are mandatory for all residential properties with more than 30 units, were installed over the weekend, the city said. Gregory P. Mango Some locals previously told The Post the massive receptacles clash with the neighborhood's aesthetic, even though they may be needed to scare away rats. The pilot program, which spans Manhattan's Community Board 9, includes 1,100 on-street containers for about 29,000 residents living in properties with over 30 units, as well as about half of properties with 10 to 30 units that opted to use the bins. The locked bins are accessible to building staff and waste managers via 'access cards,' and have been serviced by automated side-loading trucks since Monday. Advertisement 'Rat sightings in NYC are down six months in a row,' a DSNY rep told The Post. 'This is the exact same period that residential bin requirements have been in effect. Containerization WORKS, and there is no reason that other cities can have it and New York can't.' 4 The pilot program, which spans Manhattan's Community Board 9, includes 1,100 on-street containers for about 29,000 residents. Gregory P. Mango But while citywide rat sightings are down, Manhattan's Community Board 9 has seen a 7.8% jump in rat sightings compared to this time last year, according to a Post analysis of 311 data. Still, City Hall hopes the new bins will end the curbside rat buffet fueled by garbage bags lingering on residential streets — which uptown residents say have made it nearly impossible to walk on some streets at night. 'When there's trash on the sidewalk, there's rats—plain and simple. And yet for years, City Hall acted like trash cans were some sort of sci-fi/fantasy invention,' said Council Member Shaun Abreu, Chair of the Committee on Sanitation and Solid Waste Management. 'Now with full containerization in West Harlem and Morningside Heights, we've got clean bins, no more sidewalk piles, and fewer rats. We fought like hell to make this happen, and now we're proving it works.' Harlem resident Rick M. said he hopes the new containers are effective as residents have historically had to move quickly past piles of street side trash 'because you don't know what may run out. 'I've seen rats run from one big pile to another so it's nice to not have to walk by piles of trash,' the 30-year-old said. Advertisement 4 Harlem resident Wise Grant, 64, warns the containers are only as effective as those who use them. Steven Vago/NY Post 'The rat problem was so bad here that humans couldn't be living here — they'd be attacking you right here,' lifelong Harlem resident Shanice Day told The Post at Morningside Avenue and 124th Street. Day, 39, recalls rats as big as cats 'like Master Splinter rats from Ninja Turtles' that would chew wires off people's cars — and attributes the Empire Bins to a rapid decrease in rodent sightings. 'What I can honestly say is we are almost rat free,' she added. 'If people are upset about the bins they're crazy, because they are a big help.' Advertisement But Harlem resident Wise Grant, 64, warns the containers are only as effective as those who use them. 'It slows them down but it's not a way to get rid of them,' the retired voting machine technician said. 'It's up to the individual people. People throw food on the floor and it feeds them.' 'That's what people do on the streets. They don't care … They have to care about where they live.'
