The NYPD released on Friday night a sketch of the male suspect wanted for the attack, which occurred inside a wooded area of the park in the vicinity of Wellhouse Drive and the Terrace Bridge, at about 9:35 p.m. on Sept. 16.

Based on a preliminary investigation, police reported that the suspect approached the victim, a 41-year-old woman, and grabbed hold of her neck. He began choking the woman, causing her to experience pain and difficulty breathing.

Police sources said the victim and suspect did not know each other.

While he choked the victim out, cops said, he attempted to sexually assault her.  Following the attack, authorities reported, the perpetrator fled the scene on foot, heading westbound on Wellhouse Drive further inside the park.

The incident was reported to the 78th Precinct. Police said the victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment and examination; she was listed in stable condition.

Police described her attacker as a man standing 6 feet, 2 inches tall who was last seen wearing a light-colored baseball cap, a light-colored short-sleeve shirt, and khaki pants.

Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts can call the NYPD Sex Crimes Hotline at 212-267-7273 or 646-610-7272. Information can also be provided to the Crime Stoppers hotline at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA) or by visiting crimestoppers.nypdonline.org; tips may also be submitted via X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.

Through Sept. 9, the 78th Precinct had catalogued just six rape cases year-to-date, down from nine at the same point last year. 

Firefighters responded to 155 Wortman Ave. just after 5:15 p.m. on Sept. 10 following several calls reporting a fire on the fourth floor.

Members of Ladder Company 103 forced their way into the apartment and found a resident semi-conscious amid burning materials, according to the FDNY.

About 65 firefighters battled the blaze using two hoselines before knocking down the main body of the fire. Crews then removed the victim from the building and turned them over to waiting paramedics, who rushed the victim to a local hospital.

The fire was placed under control at 5:55 p.m. Fire marshals are investigating the cause of the blaze.

Explore Brooklyn’s Charter Schools on October 3rd!

• Meet & Greet Charter School Representatives – Get all your questions answered, explore different schools, and even complete same-day applications.
• Discover Summer Camps & Afterschool Programs – Find exciting opportunities to keep your child learning and having fun all year long.
• Enjoy Free Family Fun – Bring the kids for a day packed with interactive activities, arts & crafts, music, games, and more.
• Experience Hands-On Learning – Engage in fun, educational activities that spark curiosity and creativity.

We can’t wait to welcome you to the Brooklyn Charter School Fair & Kids Activity Expo. See you there!

Psst... Check Out .... The Advantages of Charter Schools

The workshop covered the history of tenant organizing in New York City, tenants’ rights, the benefits of organizing a tenant association, tenant organizing tactics from organizers with the Union of Pinnacle Tenants, Met Council on Housing and Housing Justice For All, and how to get involved in initiatives such as “Talk to Tenants,” a volunteer canvassing campaign that talks to renters in buildings with chronic housing violations about how to organize.

About 70% of New Yorkers are renters, and more than 50% spend more than 30% of their income on rent, which is considered rent-burdened.

Justin Freeman, the executive director of Organizing for OME, opened the workshop with a brief overview of the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants (MOPT), which Mayor Zohran Mamdani re-established on his first day in office by executive order to coordinate across city agencies to protect tenants’ rights and improve the affordability and quality of housing for New York City renters. He also discussed OME, which Mamdani established by executive order on his second day in office to encourage community engagement with City Hall.

“We are here today because we know that our government works best when New Yorkers are meaningfully involved. The goal of NYC 101 is to pull back the curtain of how city government works," Freeman explained. "We talk about demystifying government, the processes, the resources, the policies, to encourage New Yorkers to organize to fight for the kind of city that they really want to see."

During the workshop, tenants learned the importance of researching their building’s history through sites like whoownswhat.justfix.org, documenting maintenance and repair needs, how to start a tenant association step by step and worked through two organizing scenarios.

Joanne Grell, a tenant leader with Community Action for Safe Apartment (CASA), represented Housing Justice For All. Before the 90 tenants broke out into workshops to discuss tenant organizing tactics, she told them that tenant associations build a strong community network.

“When I go to my landlord and I say the buzzer's broken, our building management, he doesn't care. But when all my building goes to him, or we write him an email, or eventually we'll stop paying rent, or we'll go on a rent strike, or we'll ask DHCR for a rent reduction," Grell said. "He's gonna listen to us, right? The benefits of being an organized tenant association union are that you overcome isolation and fear."

In 2025, the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) fielded more than 835,000 complaints.

Tenants at 426 East 22nd St. in Flatbush, which has a slew of violations, told Brooklyn Paper that the workshop showed the mayor cared about his constituents.

“He's representing us in a way that we haven't seen in a while, and it is refreshing. And I think it has to do with the fact that he's also young, and young people really look outside the box, and I think that this is a very, very good initiative,” said one tenant who has lived in the building for 34 years.

She noted that her building was part of the Pinnacle Group’s portfolio, which was sold during the company’s bankruptcy proceedings. The company had racked up more than 5,000 housing violations and 14,000 complaints.

According to records from the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, the housing complex received 193 complaints in the last two years, ranging from collapsed ceilings and pest infestations to mold. The building also has 14 overdue lead paint violations and 147 open violations.

“We don't even know who management is. They came because it was one of those buildings that was sold under the Pinnacle thing, and so they came in like a storm, [saying], ‘Oh, we're gonna do this, and we're gonna [that], and then from there: to nothing. We don't have any management,” she said.

“I'm not going anywhere. I like the neighborhood, but I still feel like there's so much more that can be done. Some of it is inhumane. I spent my money because I live there, so I do my own floor; I do my own painting. I had to fight for a very long time to get good cupboards in the kitchen.”

Her neighbor added that they are dealing with a rat infestation and that one of the building’s doors is broken, yet management has not responded to several repair requests.

“We have gang members coming in the building, hanging out in there. Homeless people are coming in the building, hanging out in there," she said. "We also have an apartment on the first floor that no one has lived in for months now, and it has nothing but garbage and roaches and flies."

Lex Rountree, a membership coordinator with New York State Tenant Bloc and Housing Justice For All, told Brooklyn Paper that having an administration that prioritized tenants’ rights was powerful and impactful.

“When you have such a popular mayor who has all of these resources. It's really great that we're able to pull them together, bring the people out, and then connect them to groups like ours that then can help them across the finish line,” Rountree said. “The city can only support so much in actually building tenant unions. That's what we're here for. The city's doing its part to educate. We're doing our part to help organize people and build that power.”

Workshop participant and Little Haiti resident Kamilla said she attended the workshop because she wanted to get more involved in her community.

“I was first introduced to tenant unions when I went to NYU, and I remember the power you have as an individual. I think oftentimes, especially right now in the current political state, people feel defeated and like nothing's possible," Kamilla said. "But it really just takes one person to start the conversation and get the ball rolling and push back."

The next NYC 101: The Power of Organized Tenants events are scheduled for East Harlem on Sept. 24 and Washington Heights on Sept. 30.

But the same sprawling performance report released Thursday shows some core services moving in the opposite direction, with New Yorkers waiting longer for ambulances, streetlight repairs and some basic government services than they did a year earlier.

City Hall published the fiscal year 2026 Mayor’s Management Report under the banner that Mamdani’s “pothole politics” are working, pointing to a 27% increase in pothole repairs, a 20% rise in affordable housing completions and major felony crime falling more than 2%. Murders declined about 20%, and shooting incidents dropped more than 16%, according to the report.

“This year’s Mayor’s Management Report shows what happens when City Hall puts those priorities into action,” Mamdani said in a statement. “We are making housing affordable, connecting more young people with jobs, putting more money back into the pockets of working families, filling more potholes and delivering the essential services New Yorkers deserve.”

But the report is not exactly a report card for Mamdani, who took office halfway through the fiscal year.

The 544-page document covers July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026, six months under former Mayor Eric Adams and six months under Mamdani. The Mayor’s Office of Operations itself describes the report as a “baseline” for the new administration and a starting point for measuring its progress going forward.

The Citizens Budget Commission likewise cautioned against treating the MMR as a Mamdani report card, calling it “hardly” one because of the split fiscal year. The nonpartisan fiscal watchdog has also long argued that the document emphasizes how much work agencies perform — calls answered, cases handled or services delivered — more than the quality, efficiency and impact of those services.

In an early review of 20 key indicators, CBC found 11 moved in the expected direction, six moved in the opposite direction and three were little changed from the prior year.

“Not surprisingly, this manifests as a mixed picture, showing what is working and where the Administration should focus,” CBC said in a written assessment shared with amNewYork.

Work in progress

That distinction between how much government does and how well it performs is apparent in several measures that worsened over the past year. FDNY ambulance response times, for example, deteriorated sharply even as the number of medical emergencies declined slightly.

The end-to-end average response time for an ambulance to a life-threatening medical emergency rose from 11 minutes, 21 seconds in fiscal 2025 to 13 minutes, 9 seconds in fiscal 2026 — one minute and 48 seconds longer. Meanwhile, the combined dispatch-and-travel time for ambulances and fire companies increased from 7:45 to 9:13, well above the department’s six-minute target.

FDNY attributed the slowdown in part to declining EMS staffing and fewer ambulances. Average ambulance in-service hours fell 5%, while 11 hospital-operated ambulances left the 911 system during the year.

Police response times also worsened. The NYPD’s end-to-end response time to critical crimes in progress increased from 9 minutes, 10 seconds to 9 minutes, 38 seconds, which CBC said was the highest level since fiscal 2013.

At the same time, quality-of-life summonses increased 13%, from 196,102 to 220,802. CBC said that, to the extent summonses reflect active enforcement efforts, the increase showed the NYPD continued to address public safety and disorder concerns. The group added that increased enforcement should be paired with training and oversight to ensure summonses are appropriate and fair.

Transportation presents another example. City Hall highlighted 229,000 potholes repaired, up 27%, including 185,788 on local streets and 43,577 on arterial highways. But the average time it took DOT to close a pothole repair doubled from 1.99 days to four days. The figure remained within the agency’s five-day target.

CBC noted that the 185,788 potholes repaired on local streets was the second-highest total since fiscal 2019, when the city repaired just over 196,000.

Streetlight repairs fared worse. The average repair time increased from 5.3 days to 8.5 days, its highest level in 15 years, according to the MMR. DOT took first action on broken streetlights within 10 days 75.5% of the time, down from 94% the previous year and the lowest rate recorded since the measure began in fiscal 2008. The agency cited weather-related outages, equipment failures, utility coordination and more complicated repairs.

Housing results were also mixed. City Hall said affordable housing completions climbed 20% to 26,971 homes, the most in five years. But the median time to complete applicant approvals for an affordable housing lottery project increased 12%, from 210 to 236 days.

The share of lottery projects where approvals were completed within six months dropped from 41% to 26%. HPD said the longer waits may be tied to larger projects and a record number of units being leased up.

CBC identified that slowdown as one of several housing measures moving in the wrong direction.

Among families with children in the shelter system, exits to permanent housing fell 11%, from 12,336 to 10,941, while their average shelter stay increased from 372 to 415 days.

There were signs of improvement elsewhere in the shelter system. CBC found that single-adult exits to permanent housing increased 7%, to 10,540, while the average daily shelter census declined about 1.5%. The average monthly CityFHEPS subsidy, meanwhile, increased more than 9%, from $1,908 to $2,087 as rents continued to rise citywide.

Some basic customer-service measures also slipped. The average wait at an HRA office rose from 81 minutes, 25 seconds to 97 minutes, 3 seconds, well above the agency’s 60-minute target. The share of calls answered within 30 seconds fell from 14.1% to 8.3%. HRA said its callback system means customers do not have to stay on the line and attributed longer visits in part to federal policy changes.

Building momentum

The report also recorded gains across several measures.

Average child care voucher enrollment rose more than 20%, from 91,227 to nearly 110,000 children, while infant and toddler enrollment increased nearly 17%, from 6,378 to 7,449. CBC described both as measures of service utilization, while noting that 3-K enrollment declined 2.3% to 43,678.

Recreation-center membership reached a 15-year high and tree planting increased 61% to roughly 55,000. City Hall also highlighted bus-lane installation more than doubling, from 5.5 to 12 miles.

The number of people in assisted outpatient mental health treatment increased from 2,828 to 3,052, while low-income households facing eviction or homelessness that received Housing Court legal services rose from 37,463 to 38,661.

The administration also highlighted a nearly tenfold increase in workers entitled to restitution, from 7,531 to 73,817. But the MMR shows that three large settlements involving Starbucks, Uber and Getir accounted for roughly 88% of the workers and 92% of the restitution dollars reported for the year.

CBC said the broader issue is whether the city uses the MMR not simply to publish thousands of statistics, but to identify problems and hold agencies accountable for improving them.

“With the Mayor’s focus on excellence in City government, the Administration would be wise to reform — then use — the MMR to manage the City moving forward, focusing on progress, impact and efficiency,” the group said.

In the report’s foreword, Mamdani pledged to use the data to improve city services. “We will use this data to drive improvement, make it easier for New Yorkers to get the services they deserve and build a government that earns their trust by delivering every single day,” he wrote.

The Public Health and Health Planning Council voted in favor of the takeover, which would bring Maimonides — a private safety-net hospital — into the city’s public health system. The merger still requires court approval. 

If approved, NYCH+H would take over operations of Maimonides’ 711-bed hospital in Borough Park, along with Maimonides Midwood Community Hospital, the freestanding Maimonides emergency room in Bay Ridge, and 15 outpatient clinics, filings show. 

City and hospital officials say the merger would allow the financially-struggling Maimonides to access higher Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement rates only offered to public hospitals, bringing in up to $9 million in additional revenue per month. 

“We are grateful that the Public Health and Health Planning Council approved the application to allow Maimonides to join NYC Health + Hospitals, bringing us one step closer to securing the financial support we need to maintain and expand the outstanding care our communities have come to rely on,” said Ken Gibbs, Maimonides’ president and CEO, in a statement. Gibbs is set to be replaced by H+H executive Svetlana Lipyanskaya when the merger is finalized. 

More than 80% of Maimonides patients are insured by Medicaid and Medicare, filings show. The hospital lost more than $80 million in 2024, according to Crain’s, and while it managed to turn things around and earn a 1.4% operating margin last year, the hospital warned that financial issues raised “substantial doubt” that the hospital could keep operating for another year. 

The merger would also come with a five-year, $2.2 million grant from the state and access to the electronic health record system EPIC, which would streamline care and allow patients to access records and contact doctors online. 

Supporters of the merger — including the New York State Nurses’ Association, which represents more than 1,000 nurses at Maimonides, and 1199SEIU — say the merger will preserve quality care at the hospital. 

“We are in full support of protecting continuity of care and preservation of nursing jobs at Brooklyn’s only Level 1 adult and pediatric trauma center,” said NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, a longtime Maimonides nurse. “In the face of federal funding cuts to healthcare, the state and city are doing the right thing by investing in protecting and improving the healthcare services our community needs. This merger would help ensure that Maimonides is able to provide the care our communities need for years to come.”

But opponents, including several members of Maimonides’ Board of Trustees, say joining NYCH+H would reduce the quality of Maimonides’ healthcare, threaten its long-term viability, and degrade the culturally-specific care it offers for the large Orthodox Jewish patient population. 

At a PHHPC committee meeting about the merger last month, Joel Rosenberg, who works at social services organization Together We Are in Borough Park, said local families who rely on Maimonides are concerned about what will happen if the merger is approved.

“We have also heard the promises that religious accommodations and cultural practices will be preserved,” he said. “Our community does not trust those promises.”

In a lawsuit filed last year, opponents also argued that Maimonides had failed to consider other partners for the merger and had rushed to reach an agreement with NYCH+H. 

The merger was initially set to be finalized in April, but was delayed when Attorney General Letitia James opted not to issue an administrative approval of the move, instead deciding to require court approval. 

The move was not immediately set to undergo review by the Public Health and Health Planning Council — state officials initially said it was exempt from the requirement — but a judge in May ruled that the review was necessary, after all. 

At the Sept. 17 PHHPC meeting, committee member Jeffrey Kraut said the body had carefully considered arguments for and against the merger. In the end, he said, it became clear that Maimonides’ financial condition is “absolutely unsustainable,” and that the merger presented “credible financial gain.”

“There certainly are many questions raised in approving this transaction, but there’s also substantial risk … in failing to act while the institution continues to deteriorate,” he said. “Ultimately our responsibility is to maintain access that's needed for this hospital to give them a reasonable opportunity to remain viable for the community we serve.”

Mitchell Katz, president and CEO of NYCH+H, celebrated the vote as a “critical first step towards ensuring high-quality, culturally responsive health care remains available to the residents of Brooklyn.” 

The merger still requires “final regulatory and legal approvals,” said Maimonides spokesperson Sam Miller – including the court approval required by the AG — and they hope to obtain those approvals this fall. 

Martin Bienstock, a lawyer representing the Coalition to Preserve Maimonides, one of the groups opposing the merger, said the committee’s vote was unsurprising. 

“Yet no one should mistake today’s vote for the end of this process,” he said. “Major legal, financial, and public-interest questions remain unanswered that have shadowed this proposal from the beginning. The Coalition will continue to pursue every appropriate legal, regulatory, and public avenue to oppose an unlawful takeover of Brooklyn’s community hospital.”

For Brooklyn homebuyers, it is not just about finding the right neighborhood and place that feels like home. The reality of buying in NYC is choosing between a condo, co-op or new development. Each one has a significant impact on the buying process, monthly costs, flexibility and long-term plans.

Ashlie Roberson of The Agency hosted a webinar in collaboration with Brooklyn Paper, “Buying in Brooklyn 2.0: Condo vs. Co-op vs. New Development.” The webinar offered prospective buyers an inside look at what separates these three paths to homeownership, as well as what buyers should be considering and asking their brokers before making a decision. 

Roberson discussed everything from hidden costs and financing considerations to understanding board processes and approvals, resale potential and long-term value. Roberson emphasizes that the right choice depends on a buyer’s individual financial situation, lifestyle and goals.

For first-time buyers in particular, understanding the differences between property types is crucial to help avoid any surprises later. Condos generally extend flexibility in personal financials and approvals, but often with a higher purchasing price. On the other hand, co-ops may come with more extensive and strict board requirements, but each co-op is unique. New developments bring their own considerations, which can include common charges, taxes, amenities, warranties and the potential costs associated with buying into a newly built property.

Roberson also brought a unique perspective to the conversation, with more than $1 billion in closed sales and the founder of The Agency’s NYC top-performing team, she combines her extensive Brooklyn market knowledge with her construction background. Not only does this offer her trained eye in evaluating property values, but also allows her to lend her expertise to buyers about the potential of a space and long-term considerations. 

Roberson also acts as Treasurer of a Park Slope co-op board, providing listeners and clients firsthand insight into the board process and the responsibilities that come with co-op ownership.

There is no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to choosing between a condo, co-op or new development. Understanding the financial, practical and long-term implications of each will allow buyers to approach the market with clarity, and help them find a home. 

The growth is reflected in the Mayor’s Management Report released Thursday, which shows the broader reach of Notify NYC and three other emergency communications channels climbing from 1.34 million subscriptions in fiscal 2025 to 1.61 million in fiscal 2026 — a roughly 20% increase.

But because the fiscal year began six months before Mamdani took office, NYC Emergency Management provided a more detailed look at what happened under the new administration to amNewYork.

Notify-related subscriptions grew from 1,425,523 at the end of December to 1,602,111 by June 30, a net increase of 176,588 (up 12.3%). The vast majority of that growth came through two channels: Nixle, which lets people quickly subscribe to text alerts, and the Notify NYC mobile app.

Citywide Nixle subscriptions rose by 86,010 over the six-month period, while subscriptions to localized Nixle alerts rose by another 49,215. Together, they accounted for more than three-quarters of the growth. The mobile app added another 35,160 subscriptions.

NYCEM expanded its use of Nixle in fiscal 2025 under Eric Adams, launching localized messaging that lets people sign up for alerts tied to their neighborhoods. The agency has said the Nixle figures also incorporate an existing channel that was added to its subscriber count in 2025.

By comparison, signups through the Notify NYC website rose by just 1,371, while 22 additional subscriptions came through the city’s 311 phone system.

Emergency Management Commissioner Christina Farrell said Nixle’s simplicity is part of its appeal: people can sign up by text and immediately begin receiving alerts. But she said the city also had an unusually eventful first half of the year.

“We also have had so many emergencies this year,” Farrell said in an interview Thursday, pointing to snowstorms, extended cold, flash flooding and extreme heat.

The city has long seen Notify subscriptions jump around major emergencies. Last year’s Mayor’s Management Report similarly noted that growth tended to spike around major weather events as city officials urged people to sign up.

Storms, signups and Mamdani’s megaphone

Farrell said this year’s first major jump came during January, when the Big Apple became the Frozen Apple — gripped by back-to-back snowstorms and an extended period of frigid temperatures.

The numbers show how sharp the jump was. Between Jan. 20 and Jan. 27, Notify-related subscriptions increased by 69,239 — nearly 40% of the total growth recorded over the first six months of the year.

More than 58,000 of those additions came through citywide and local Nixle alerts.

The spike came as Mamdani and other city officials repeatedly promoted the service ahead of the winter weather. On Jan. 23, the mayor posted a short video telling viewers to “stay in the know for the snow” and directing them to sign up for Notify NYC. The video drew more than 1.7 million views across Instagram and Facebook, according to metrics shared by City Hall.

The data does not establish how many of those viewers subsequently subscribed. Farrell said emergency-related news coverage, elected officials and community groups all contribute to signup increases when severe weather approaches.

But she said Mamdani has brought a particularly large audience to the city’s outreach effort.

Farrell said Notify NYC came up during her first conversation with the mayor in January, when they discussed reaching populations that had not previously been plugged into the system.

“He has been a wonderful spokesperson,” Farrell said, adding that Mamdani has pushed Notify through his “multiple channels” and “large audience.”

“The prior mayors have definitely supported Notify, but I don’t think they had the platform,” Farrell said.

As of Thursday, Mamdani’s personal Instagram account had about 12.4 million followers, more than twice the 4.8 million following the official mayoral account. On TikTok, his personal account had 3.6 million followers, compared with 3.8 million on the official NYC Mayor account. On X, the official mayoral account had about 2.5 million followers, compared with about 1.2 million on Mamdani’s personal account.

Farrell said Mamdani’s reach may be particularly useful in connecting with younger New Yorkers, a group she said can be difficult to engage on emergency preparedness.

Older residents can be harder to reach for a different reason. Some do not rely as heavily on smartphones, apps or social media, Farrell said, requiring the city to continue using traditional media, printed materials, landlines and community organizations.

She said she believes many of the people signing up this year are younger and that Mamdani’s age and following may be helping the agency connect with that demographic.

NYCEM is also trying to expand its reach among non-English speakers and residents of areas particularly vulnerable to coastal storms, Farrell said, citing the Rockaways, Coney Island, the North Shore of Staten Island and City Island.

From faxes to Nixle

Once someone is signed up, the alerts are produced around the clock by NYCEM’s Watch Command, a 24/7 operation staffed across three shifts.

Farrell said staff receive information throughout the day about everything from transit disruptions and major crashes to flooding, road closures and planned events. Most alerts begin with templates that are adjusted to the circumstances, she said, and can then be translated and targeted citywide, by borough or to particular ZIP codes depending on who needs the information.

Notify NYC itself dates to 2007, when it began as a pilot in one community board in each borough. Farrell said the system initially relied much more heavily on phone calls, faxes, emails and text messages, years before mobile apps and social media became major ways of reaching New Yorkers.

The service has expanded over time to include more types of notifications and new ways of receiving them, including a mobile app and school-related alerts. Farrell estimated that close to 2 million people signed up for a dedicated COVID-era short code between roughly 2020 and 2023 as officials pushed rapidly changing information about city services and vaccines.

Today, the system sends information in 14 languages, including American Sign Language, according to the Mayor’s Management Report.

The subscription figures themselves are not necessarily a count of 1.6 million individual NYC residents. Farrell said the agency works to avoid double counting, but acknowledged that people can receive alerts on multiple devices or through different channels. NYCEM also encourages people outside the five boroughs to sign up, including commuters, tourists and people with relatives in the city.

The Mayor’s Management Report attributes this year’s broader increase partly to support from elected officials and coordinated social media and advertising campaigns. It says Notify NYC subscriptions rose 20% from fiscal 2025, with growth driven largely by summer event marketing and public encouragement from city officials between January and June.

Farrell said that push continued into the summer as the city promoted Notify around major events, including the Knicks’ championship run, World Cup matches and July 4 activities. She described that period as less about emergencies and more about helping people navigate major events and making residents and visitors more familiar with the system.

Now, she said, the agency is considering more ambitious targets and looking at which platforms and populations it should focus on next. With Notify’s audience now in the range of 1.6 million to 1.7 million subscriptions, Farrell said: “It would be great to get it up over 2 million.”

New Yorkers can subscribe to citywide and neighborhood-specific emergency text alerts by texting “NOTIFYNYC” to 692-692.

For families across New York, this story is all too familiar. Learning does not stop when the school day ends.  After-school programs allow children to discover new interests. Tutoring helps struggling students catch up. Special education services, technology, transportation, and school supplies can make the difference between a child thriving and simply getting by. 

Every parent knows these supports aren’t extras, and the costs add up quickly.  

The new Federal Scholarship Tax Credit Program offers a powerful solution.  

Beginning in 2027, taxpayers can contribute up to $1,700 to an approved Scholarship Granting Organization and receive a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit. Those contributions will fund scholarships that help eligible K–12 students pay for qualified educational expenses including after-school programs, tutoring, special education services, technology, transportation, and supplies.  

And importantly, eligible students in all public and nonpublic K-12 schools can benefit. 

The program does not take money from New York’s state budget. But New York can only participate if Gov. Kathy Hochul opts in. If she does, it would unlock up to $1.5 billion in scholarship dollars for New York students each year.  

Gov. Hochul has expressed support for the program. Now New York needs her to make that support official.  

If New York does not opt in, New York taxpayers could still contribute to Scholarship Granting Organizations serving other participating states – while New York students miss out.  

This is a rare moment where educational access, fiscal responsibility, and economic development all point in the same direction. 

Let’s keep New York’s scholarship dollars in New York, supporting NY children in every kind of school.  

Visit Scholarships for All NY to add your name and urge Gov. Hochul to opt in.