Latest news with #HurricaneSandy
The Hill
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Andrew Cuomo: Mamdani doesn't understand ‘importance' of NYPD, public safety
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent in the New York City mayoral race, said Tuesday that his Democratic competitor Zohran Mamdani would hurt the morale of local police if elected. Cuomo, in his criticism, pointed to Mamdani's past statements about the New York Police Department (NYPD), including allegations of widespread racial discrimination. 'Who would want to work for a mayor who basically called — not basically — did call the police officers racists? I think he would aggravate what is already a bad situation. And I don't think he understands the importance of the NYPD and the importance of public safety,' Cuomo said during an appearance on CNN's 'The Arena.' 'And something like this happens, and then it really is a reality check for all this political theory and political hype that we have going on in this country, with the extreme left postulating these theories that have no connection to reality,' he told host Kasie Hunt. Mamdani, a Ugandan immigrant and Democratic socialist, was recently criticized for previous posts condemning local police in 2020, a year filled with racial tensions and reports of police brutality. Citizens decried the 2014 death of Eric Garner, who was strangled to death by an NYPD officer. 'All this misery. All for money. In the last budget, the City Council tried to make the NYPD reduce its overtime budget by half. They simply refused. There is no negotiating with an institution this wicked & corrupt,' Mamdani wrote online in December 2020, according to Fox News. 'Defund it. Dismantle it. End the cycle of violence.' During a primary debate, Mamdani said he has no plans to defund the police. However, Cuomo said his opponent was making 'politics of public safety' and noted that his past rhetoric could negatively impact the current force if Mamdani was elected. 'I was governor for 11 years, Kasie. And every morning, it could be, God forbid, another 9/11,' the former governor said during the interview. 'It could be a Hurricane Sandy. It could be a COVID pandemic. And this city is very diverse, very concentrated. It is a delicate balance.' 'And public safety is job one. And when you talk about defunding the police, dismantling the police department, that they are racists, that they are anti-queer, and you demoralize them to the point where they're quitting at record levels, you can't hire new police, that is a dangerous situation,' he continued 'You're creating a dangerous situation.' His remarks come just days after four people were killed, including an NYPD officer, and a fifth seriously injured during a shooting in Manhattan. The suspect, 27-year-old Shane Tamura, was also among the victims after a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The city's mayoral candidates, including Cuomo and Mamdani, condemned the incident and thanked the first responders and NYPD for their efforts. Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who is also running as an independent, also ordered flags to be flown at half-staff in honor of the victims.
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
Abandoned power plant outside New York City to be transformed into huge family attraction with water slides
Designs have been unveiled revealing how an abandoned coal-burning power plant outside New York City will be transformed into a multi-story family attraction with a glass façade, swimming pools, water slides, restaurants and a semi-green roof. The power plant, reimagined by renowned global architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group (aka Big), will be the central attraction at a new 125-acre waterfront park on Manresa Island in southeast Connecticut called Manresa Wilds, set to open in 2030. This landscape, once scarred by pollution and inaccessible to the public for 75 years, will become "a vibrant first-of-its-kind destination where nature, history and imagination meet", according to Manresa Island Corporation, the nonprofit leading the creation of Manresa Wilds. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the former island — a causeway was built in 1860 connecting it to the mainland and South Norwalk — was home to a recreation destination called the Manresa Institute, with the coal-fired power plant arriving in the 1950s and subsequently much controversy. A major fuel oil spill severely damaged the area's tidal flats in 1969, while water contamination in the 70s, 80s, and 90s made the power plant, by then oil powered, the focus of protests by environmental groups. Ironically, damage caused by Hurricane Sandy in 2012 enhanced the site's natural environment — the power plant was decommissioned in 2013, a birch forest sprang up on disposed coal ash and the osprey population soared. The new park has been designed by New York City -based landscape architects Scape, which wants the public to enjoy the island's ecological richness, and a host of new features. The firm said in a statement that these will include waterfront walking paths, a restored wetland, tree canopies to mitigate extreme heat and flooding, an "expansive" green lawn and meadow, a public beach with "sweeping views of the Long Island Sound and New York City" and pedestrian bridges "that will provide opportunities to observe wildlife". Manresa Wilds, it's claimed, will lead to the "protection, expansion and revitalization of the wetlands and salt marshes". The vision for the power plant was also revealed in the statement, by Bjarke Ingels, Founder & Creative Director of Big. He said: "We seek to rediscover and reanimate the majestic spaces hidden within the bones of the decommissioned piece of infrastructure. "Boilers, silos, and turbine halls are post-industrial cathedrals awaiting exploration and reinterpretation." The eight-story boiler building will feature "multiple swimming areas and food and beverage options", with the turbine hall converted into a multi-purpose event space and speakeasy. Big revealed that the adjacent office building — the smallest structure — "will provide opportunities for marine and ecological learning as a laboratory with classrooms and research spaces". An underground water channel, meanwhile, "will be unearthed to create a scenic waterway that connects the boiler building, turbine hall, and office building". Ingels added: "As an extension of Scape's resettlement of the island for the enjoyment of human life among many other forms of life, we seek to extend that resettlement into the cavernous spaces within. "By editing rather than adding, we will open up and clear out the existing spaces so that the once coal-powered plant can become the framework for the social and cultural life of Manresa's future — from energy infrastructure to social infrastructure." Manresa Island Corporation told The Independent that the project will be of huge benefit to the local population. It said: "While the project's programing and final design are still in development, Manresa Wilds will support the local economy in many ways, first by unlocking access to 1.75 miles of waterfront to create meaningful recreational and educational programing for all. "Manresa Island Corp is also committed to providing long-term economic benefit for the Norwalk community through partnerships with local businesses and academic institutions and numerous employment opportunities."
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
Abandoned power plant outside New York City to be transformed into huge family resort with water slides
Designs have been unveiled revealing how an abandoned coal-burning power plant outside New York City will be transformed into a multi-story family resort with a glass façade, swimming pools, water slides, restaurants and a semi-green roof. The power plant, reimagined by renowned global architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group (aka Big), will be the central attraction at a new 125-acre waterfront park on Manresa Island in southeast Connecticut called Manresa Wilds, set to open in 2030. This landscape, once scarred by pollution and inaccessible to the public for 75 years, will become "a vibrant first-of-its-kind destination where nature, history and imagination meet", according to Manresa Island Corporation, the nonprofit leading the creation of Manresa Wilds. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the former island — a causeway was built in 1860 connecting it to the mainland and South Norwalk — was home to a recreation destination called the Manresa Institute, with the coal-fired power plant arriving in the 1950s and subsequently much controversy. A major fuel oil spill severely damaged the area's tidal flats in 1969, while water contamination in the 70s, 80s, and 90s made the power plant, by then oil powered, the focus of protests by environmental groups. Ironically, damage caused by Hurricane Sandy in 2012 enhanced the site's natural environment — the power plant was decommissioned in 2013, a birch forest sprang up on disposed coal ash and the osprey population soared. The new park has been designed by New York City -based landscape architects Scape, which wants the public to enjoy the island's ecological richness, and a host of new features. The firm said in a statement that these will include waterfront walking paths, a restored wetland, tree canopies to mitigate extreme heat and flooding, an "expansive" green lawn and meadow, a public beach with "sweeping views of the Long Island Sound and New York City" and pedestrian bridges "that will provide opportunities to observe wildlife". Manresa Wilds, it's claimed, will lead to the "protection, expansion and revitalization of the wetlands and salt marshes". The vision for the power plant was also revealed in the statement, by Bjarke Ingels, Founder & Creative Director of Big. He said: "We seek to rediscover and reanimate the majestic spaces hidden within the bones of the decommissioned piece of infrastructure. "Boilers, silos, and turbine halls are post-industrial cathedrals awaiting exploration and reinterpretation." The eight-story boiler building will feature "multiple swimming areas and food and beverage options", with the turbine hall converted into a multi-purpose event space and speakeasy. Big revealed that the adjacent office building — the smallest structure — "will provide opportunities for marine and ecological learning as a laboratory with classrooms and research spaces". An underground water channel, meanwhile, "will be unearthed to create a scenic waterway that connects the boiler building, turbine hall, and office building". Ingels added: "As an extension of Scape's resettlement of the island for the enjoyment of human life among many other forms of life, we seek to extend that resettlement into the cavernous spaces within. "By editing rather than adding, we will open up and clear out the existing spaces so that the once coal-powered plant can become the framework for the social and cultural life of Manresa's future — from energy infrastructure to social infrastructure." Manresa Island Corporation told The Independent that the project will be of huge benefit to the local population. It said: "While the project's programing and final design are still in development, Manresa Wilds will support the local economy in many ways, first by unlocking access to 1.75 miles of waterfront to create meaningful recreational and educational programing for all. "Manresa Island Corp is also committed to providing long-term economic benefit for the Norwalk community through partnerships with local businesses and academic institutions and numerous employment opportunities."
Time Out
22-07-2025
- General
- Time Out
Will the Red Hook Pool ever open this summer after numerous delays? Here's the latest
It's been a scorcher of a summer already in New York City, but for Red Hook, one vital cool-down spot remains stubbornly out of commission. The Red Hook Pool, a beloved Olympic-sized oasis that's served the Brooklyn waterfront since 1936, never opened for the season. Just days before its planned June 27 debut, a decades-old pipe 'completely disintegrated,' according to NYC Parks officials, halting operations before the first splash. Since then, the timeline has shifted like a pool noodle in the deep end. First slated for a July 19 reopening, that date was quickly scrapped once it became clear the busted 16-inch feeder pipe needed to be custom-fabricated—a process that takes weeks. Now, the earliest projected reopening is mid-August, leaving just a few fleeting weeks before city pools close on September 7. That news hasn't gone over well with locals. Alan Mukamal, a longtime resident who recently founded Friends of the Red Hook Pool, said the city's suggested alternatives aren't practical for many families. 'I had little kids, I know I wasn't going to get them on a bus to go two miles, transfer, go swimming, get back on the bus with the air conditioner on, they're all wet,' he told Brooklyn Paper. 'It's not a realistic thing.' Council Member Alexa Avilés echoed the frustration, noting the city's failure to provide alternative options or timely communication. 'These delays are really frustrating,' she told the paper. 'To see [a needed upgrade] drag on forever and then impact pool operations is very frustrating.' Red Hook has felt the ripple effects of long-neglected infrastructure before. The pool and adjacent recreation center were badly damaged during Hurricane Sandy and are now in line for a $122 million rebuild, slated to begin in 2028. That project will fully replace the pool basin, filtration systems and add resiliency upgrades, but it's cold comfort to residents sweating it out in 2025. In the meantime, community members and groups like New Yorkers for Parks are calling for action: faster fixes, shuttle service to other pools and transparency around what's next. 'Pools are not a luxury, they are essential to communities, so to have this pool close on the first day the pools were supposed to open—that's heartbreaking,' said Kathy Park Price, director of advocacy and policy at New Yorkers for Parks, in an interview with The City. While the Red Hook Pool will technically—just barely—open for the season, this summer of no-swim has left many residents high and dry in a neighborhood where access to green space and public cooling options are already limited.
New York Post
17-07-2025
- New York Post
Mayor Eric Adams claims key documents lost in Hurricane Sandy in $5M sex assault lawsuit
The hurricane ate my records! That's what city lawyers told a former NYPD worker suing Mayor Eric Adams for sexual assault, claiming that Hurricane Sandy wiped out Adam's personnel records in 2012. Lorna Beach-Mathura, the former department employee accusing Adams of assaulting her over three decades ago, had requested records and documents to disprove claims by Adams that the pair never worked together. City attorneys told ex-NYPD official Lorna Beach-Mathura, who is suing Mayor Eric Adams for sexual assault, that Hurricane Sandy wiped out Adams' personnel records in 2012. Paul Martinka 'All physical personnel records and employment folders maintained for Defendant Adams were destroyed when the Kingsland Avenue warehouse suffered extensive damage from flooding during Hurricane Sandy in October 2012,' city attorney Maxwell Leighton wrote of the Greenpoint storage facility back in May. The letter, filed Thursday in Manhattan Supreme Court, came nearly a year after Beach-Mathura's legal team first made the discovery request. Her lawyers called the latest excuse 'disingenuous' and 'a transparent attempt to delay and frustrate the discovery process.' 'The timing and substance of this disclosure are highly suspect, surfacing only now after more than a year of requests for these records and nearly two years into litigation,' attorney Siobhan Klassen wrote to city lawyers in response. Beach-Mathura, who worked for the department over three decades ago, has requested records to prove she worked with Mayor Adams when the alleged assault occurred. Goddard Law Klassen also demanded that the city produce 'detailed' chain of custody records to prove that 'Adams' files were stored in the affected location and irretrievably lost due to flood damage.' The letters, first reported by The Daily News, note that the city has not even produced requested electronic records on claims that the request was 'overbroad.' In a letter to Judge Richard G. Latin, Megan Goddard — another of Beach-Mathura's lawyers — accuses Adams and the city of 'willful obstruction' and that they're unable to 'comply voluntarily.' Goddard requested Latin to order a sworn statement regarding the alleged destruction. Beach-Mathura sued Adams for $5 million in 2023 over claims that he demanded she perform oral sex on him, and that he masturbated and ejaculated on her when she refused. Adams' private lawyer, Alex Spiro, made similar claims of discovery deficiencies against Beach-Mathura last year.
