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More than one-third of home test kits sent in by residents to the city’s environmental agency over the past decade had some level of lead. THE CITY analyzed the test kit results from 2014 through 2024 and found that 35% of kits showed some lead present.
Here’s what to know about where our water comes from, how to check your service line and indoor plumbing pipe material, and how to mitigate your household’s lead exposure.
The Legal Aid Society asks the NYPD Inspector General to investigate department misuse of facial recognition technology, including in an incident THE CITY exposed in which detectives asked the FDNY to help ID a pro-Palestinian protester in an end run around NYPD policy.
A top NYPD official in charge of transportation is under investigation for an alleged hit and run of a parked car — and then trying to cover it up, THE CITY has learned. buff.ly/5WLtPDK
Months after other city officials under law enforcement probe left, the mayor’s head of real estate, Jesse Hamilton, remained on the payroll and in the mix of big-money deals:
Federal Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy pledged Wednesday that the massive overhaul of Penn Station — wrested away from the state of New York earlier this year — will “move at the speed of Trump” once it starts in 2027. buff.ly/nxV9qrL
Rent is about to go up for thousands of families who get help paying for their housing through city vouchers. The Adams administration has moved ahead with a controversial rule that will, after five years of receiving rental help, require voucher-holders to pay 10% more in rent.
Two correction officers were slashed by a detainee with a history of violence during a transfer at Rikers Island Wednesday. The attack comes as city jails face renewed scrutiny over safety and solitary confinement rules.
Ukuleles, kazoos, a washtub bass — they’ve all appeared on the banks of the Gowanus Canal this summer for weekly musical jamborees open to everyone.
If you need some ideas on how to spend the long Labor Day weekend, read our latest edition of Summer & THE CITY for ideas on how to soak up the best of the season before it comes to a close. buff.ly/JXHWG0B
Mayor Eric Adams’ administration has moved ahead with a controversial rule change that will increase the share working families with housing vouchers will have to pay in rent.
Two Emergency Services Unit correction officers were slashed by a detainee with a long history of violence during a routine transfer at Rikers Island Wednesday night. buff.ly/VkLQwFK
How Jesse Hamilton Held on at Eric Adams’ City Hall www.thecity.nyc/2025/08/28/h...
Federal Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy pledged Wednesday that the massive overhaul of Penn Station — wrested away from the state of New York earlier this year — will “move at the speed of Trump” once it starts in 2027. Check it out in @thecity.nyc www.thecity.nyc/2025/08/27/f...
A federal judge has extended a temporary restraining order that dramatically limits the number of people immigration enforcement can hold inside its detention area on the 10th floor of 26 Federal Plaza. www.thecity.nyc/2025/08/27/i...
A Department of Correction captain and two correction officers have been suspended following the death of a detainee inside his Rikers Island cell early Saturday morning. Investigators probe whether required checks were missed or if warning signs of medical distress went unnoticed.
With the election coming up Nov. 4, Campaign Finance Board debates are on their way. Candidates for mayor will do verbal combat on Oct. 16 and Oct. 22 — with THE CITY joining in the final event.
A top NYPD official in charge of transportation is under investigation for an alleged hit and run of a parked car — and then trying to cover it up, THE CITY has learned.
The Legal Aid Society has asked the city Department of Investigation to look into the NYPD’s use of facial technology and apparent violations of its own internal policies.
A top NYPD official in charge of transportation is under investigation for an alleged hit and run of a parked car — and then trying to cover it up. “He’s in a lot of trouble,” a senior NYPD source said. “It’s a serious case.” www.thecity.nyc/2025/08/27/n...
A top NYPD official in charge of transportation is under investigation for an alleged hit and run of a parked car — and then trying to cover it up, THE CITY has learned. www.thecity.nyc/2025/08/27/n...
The Legal Aid Society has asked the city Department of Investigation to look into the NYPD’s use of facial technology and apparent violations of its own internal policies. www.thecity.nyc/2025/08/26/n...
More than one-third of home test kits sent in for testing by residents to the city’s environmental agency over the past decade had some level of lead.
The cash Winnie Greco, a former top aide to Mayor Eric Adams, slipped into an opened bag of Herr’s sour cream and onion chips and handed to a reporter for THE CITY came to $300, according to investigators.
City Council stalls on proposed measure requiring gear and training, after Uber and DoorDash spend millions on this year’s elections. A draft of the amended bill shows what Councilmember Gale Brewe calls “stronger penalties for repeat violations.”
Investigators are examining whether mandatory 30-minute checks were missed or if signs of medical distress went unnoticed in the death of 29-year-old Ardit Billa. www.thecity.nyc/2025/08/25/a...
For the record, Katie Honan never ate the chips inside. www.thecity.nyc/2025/08/25/c...
When the chips are down you can count on @thecity.nyc to get the full story
LISTEN: ‘Chipgate’ is Small Potatoes buff.ly/LW8XEoL
Just How Much Cash Was in That Bag of Potato Chips From Winnie Greco? www.thecity.nyc/2025/08/25/w...
More than one-third of home test kits sent in for testing by residents to the city’s environmental agency over the past decade had some level of lead — results that reflect many New Yorkers’ continued reliance on pipes containing the potent neurotoxin. buff.ly/Gv0ArOP
Asylum-seekers are avoiding formerly routine hearings for fear of being detained, as a court order takes hold discouraging mass detention inside a lower Manhattan office building.
As federal law enforcement probes Philip and David Banks for possible influence-peddling, emails obtained by THE CITY shed light on how brother Terence cashed in on their power.
A decades-delayed commitment to extend the subway into East Harlem took a significant step forward Monday when the MTA board approved a $1.9 billion contract for the next phase of construction on the Second Avenue Subway.
A 6-year-old girl and her mother — whose arrests by ICE last week sparked widespread condemnation — were deported to Ecuador Tuesday, local elected officials said.
In case you’re confused about why everyone is talking about chips… www.thecity.nyc/2025/08/20/w...
Send us tips, not chips. Support independent journalism: donorbox.org/nycdonate
The police commissioner ignored a plea by the Civilian Complaint Review Board and overruled a trial judge’s recommendation that Lt. Jonathan Rivera should be terminated for the 2019 death of a driver who attempted to flee a vehicle stop in The Bronx.
When riders drop cell phones, glasses and wallets on train tracks, the safest course is to call the experts.
A plan from the Parks Department’s Marine Unit to reconstruct the Dyckman Marina has the Hudson River Community Sailing group heading for treacherous waters.
The NYPD is transferring oversight of its 3,600 school safety agents from the Community Affairs Bureau to the office of Chief of Department John Chell, according to multiple sources.
A corruption indictment unveiled Thursday alleges what safe street advocates have long suspected: that a scheme involving an influential Greenpoint family and the mayor’s aide wrecked improvements to the neighborhood’s deadliest street.
we made it baby
THE CITY @thecity.nyc couldn’t take potato chip cash but they need YOURS. Small newsroom: big stories. If you care about local news contribute here:
Dear friends, especially those in journalism & fellow New Yorkers, while I appreciate the comic gesture, going forward please desist from sending me bags of Sour Cream & Onion potato chips. I done already done had Herr's. In lieu of chips, you can donate here: donorbox.org/nycdonate
Within a year of working with Winnie Greco on the mayor’s 2021 campaign, Tian Ji Li allegedly traded favors with Adams’ top aide buff.ly/Ku079mB
Like our recap? Subscribe to THE CITY SCOOP, where we break down the important headlines for busy New Yorkers, Monday through Friday. Sign up here: www.thecity.nyc/the-scoop/
Now, following the Manhattan DA’s office charging the Argentos with trading favors with Lewis-Martin in exchange for her help blocking DOT street improvements, street safety activists are reviving their push for redesigning McGuinness Boulevard.
In 2023, THE CITY first reported how the influential Greenpoint-based siblings Gina and Tony Argento — owners of the sound stage company Broadway Stages — were behind a campaign to block a street safety plan the city had already approved for McGuinness Boulevard in Greenpoint.
Lewis-Martin used her position to order around city commissioners — including those in the Buildings, Fire, and Housing Preservation and Development departments — to intervene directly and remove obstacles on behalf of developers paying her bribes, prosecutors alleged.
At one point, Lewis-Martin allegedly pressured Hamilton to ensure a Li associate got a contract for a migrant shelter, instructing him, “I need those done…whatever site TJ wants, I need him to get them. Because that’s our fucking people.”
Li was formerly the co-owner of the New World Mall, which played a prominent role as a fundraising site for Adams’ 2021 mayoral campaign. In 2023, THE CITY and Documented spoke to donors who said they did not donate to the mayor’s campaign at fundraisers held at the hub.
On Thursday afternoon, City Hall announced that Hamilton, another longtime ally of Eric Adams, had resigned.
Six other people were also accused of conspiracy, bribery and other charges: Lewis-Martin’s son; Jesse Hamilton, whom the mayor put in charge of city leases; businessman Tian Ji Li and developer Yechiel Landau; and Gina and Anthony Argento, co-owners of Broadway Stages. They’ve pleaded not guilty.
Lewis-Martin, who’s worked closely with Adams for decades and has been a prominent volunteer on his reelection campaign, resigned from her post in City Hall in December — days before she was first hit with other bribery and money laundering charges. She’s pleaded not guilty in that case, too.
Mayor Eric Adams’ longtime advisor, Ingrid Lewis-Martin, was charged by the Manhattan district attorney on Thursday with taking bribes from private interests in exchange for getting their projects through bureaucratic hurdles and steering lucrative contracts to select vendors.
While the internet has been consumed by Chipgate, there was another big City Hall corruption story. Here’s a thread on what you might have missed 🧵
Andrew Cuomo, who, like Adams, is running as an independent after a humbling loss in the Democratic primary to socialist Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, handed out bags of chips to reporters at a campaign event where he called Chipgate “embarassing.” www.thecity.nyc/2025/08/21/w...
Longtime right hand to the mayor Ingrid Lewis-Martin, city official Jesse Hamilton and Greenpoint film and TV studio owners are among those charged by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg in alleged cash-for-favors exchanges Thursday. www.thecity.nyc/2025/08/21/e...
Tian Li was indicted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg along with six others for their alleged roles in an alleged wide-ranging bribery scandal involving Adams’ decades-old top lieutenant, Ingrid Lewis-Martin. www.thecity.nyc/2025/08/22/t...
LISTEN: @katiehonan.bsky.social describes how an ally of Mayor Eric Adams slipped her cash hidden inside an empty bag of potato chips, and how she and her editors navigated the episode www.wnyc.org/story/an-ada...
Eric Adams’ Close Advisor and Associates Indicted in Wide-Ranging Influence Schemes www.thecity.nyc/2025/08/21/e...
Wait I didn't realize there were ALSO chips in the bag
We don’t take payoffs — but we do take donations: donorbox.org/nycdonate
Bob Clark, VP of marketing for Herr Foods, Inc., said the company was surprised to see it was mentioned in the press. “While we can’t speak to the details of the story,” he said, “we can confirm that our Sour Cream & Onion flavor is money.” www.thecity.nyc/2025/08/21/w...
For those who may be first-time readers, hello! We're thecity.nyc, a nonprofit newsroom based in New York City. We've been keeping a close eye on Mayor Eric Adams and his inner circle for years. Keep up with our reporting by subscribing to our newsletter: www.thecity.nyc/the-scoop/
NEW: Eric Adams’ Closest Advisor and Associates Indicted in Wide-Ranging Influence Schemes www.thecity.nyc/2025/08/21/e...
I'd like to emphasize that you can make a totally above-board donation to support @katiehonan.bsky.social's work at @thecity.nyc right here. All you get in return is great journalism, and a tax deduction. It's up to you whether you itemize any potato chips you include.
If you value the work our nonprofit newsroom does, chip in! Support our newsroom staff by becoming a member: donorbox.org/nycdonate?
A former top City Hall advisor and current campaign confidante to Mayor Eric Adams attempted to give money to a reporter from THE CITY following a campaign event in Harlem Wednesday.
Following the interaction at the Whole Foods, Honan brought the chips bag and envelope with money back to THE CITY's office and handed it over to her editors. THE CITY then contacted the city Department of Investigation.
The two then walked to a nearby Whole Food where Greco handed Honan the opened bag of chips. Honan told Greco she could not accept the chips, but Greco insisted that she keep them. After the two parted ways, Honan opened the bag and discovered a red envelope inside stuffed with cash.
On Wednesday, City Hall reporter Katie Honan spotted Greco near the announcement of the opening of Adams’ newest campaign office, in Harlem. Greco later texted Honan after the event when she spotted her again and asked her to meet across the street from the campaign office next to a TD Bank.
The failed payoff — was of cash in a red envelope stuffed inside an opened bag of Herr’s Sour Cream & Onion potato chips — was made by Winnie Greco, an Adams ally who resigned last year from her job as the mayor’s liaison to the Asian community after she was targeted in multiple investigations.
A former top City Hall advisor and current campaign confidante to Mayor Eric Adams attempted to give money to a reporter from THE CITY following a campaign event in Harlem Wednesday. www.thecity.nyc/2025/08/20/w...
BREAKING: Eric Adams Advisor Winnie Greco Handed a CITY Reporter Cash Stuffed in a Bag of Potato Chips www.thecity.nyc/2025/08/20/w...
The four are expected to be indicted by the Manhattan District Attorney on influence-peddling charges. MORE HERE: www.thecity.nyc/2025/08/20/e...
On Wednesday Lewis-Martin’s attorney, Arthur Aidala, confirmed that she was required to appear in Manhattan Supreme Court to face a new indictment, and said Jesse Hamilton, currently a deputy commissioner for DCAS, and Adams allies Tony and Gina Argento would also be charged.
NEW: Mayor Eric Adams’ former chief advisor, a deputy commissioner he put in charge of city leases and two key donors of the mayor are expected to be indicted by the Manhattan District Attorney on Thursday. buff.ly/ItpGcaW
MERCH DROP: We’ve got two new ways to show (or wear) your support for THE CITY. Every purchase supports independent local reporting that’s free for all New Yorkers. And as a reminder, our merch store still has all of our classic logo merch. Shop here: buff.ly/ismkLyn
Asylum-seekers are avoiding formerly routine hearings for fear of being detained, as a court order takes hold discouraging mass detention inside a lower Manhattan office building.
“Send our friends in Washington a message — it is working,” Gov. Hochul said of the vehicle tolls.
A 6-year-old girl and her mother — whose arrests by ICE last week sparked widespread condemnation — were deported to Ecuador Tuesday, local elected officials said.
Irina and her daughter are among the estimated 40,000 Ukrainians who landed in New York City after fleeing the war in Ukraine. Now, as the Trump administration upends Biden-era refugee and parole policies, their plight is more precarious than ever. www.thecity.nyc/2025/08/20/u...
The police commissioner ignored a plea by the Civilian Complaint Review Board and overruled a trial judge’s recommendation that Lt. Jonathan Rivera should be terminated for the 2019 death of a driver who attempted to flee a vehicle stop in The Bronx.
NEW: A 6-year-old girl and her mother – whose arrests by ICE last week sparked widespread condemnation — were deported to Ecuador Tuesday, local elected officials said. buff.ly/Y8PEl9k
BronxNet, the community media center, announced on Tuesday that it laid off nine of its 69 staffers on June 18, citing a decline in subscribers and public investment and warning it might have to shut its facility in the East Bronx soon. www.thecity.nyc/2025/08/19/b...
How did the mayor end up so far behind the 8 ball that he’s polling in the single digits in his run for re-election? The FAQ NYC crew get into that and much more. Listen here:
A decades-delayed commitment to extend the Second Avenue Subway into East Harlem took a significant step forward Monday when the MTA board approved a $1.9 billion contract for the next phase of construction.
As some Democratic governors back legislation that would lead to higher taxes on wealthy residents in response to federal cuts, Gov. Kathy Hochul says she is sticking to her promise to not raise taxes on wealthy New Yorkers. Via NOTUS.org buff.ly/mnFnQIp
Far behind in the latest polls, Mayor Eric Adams is once again suing the Campaign Finance Board, the agency that keeps denying his requests for millions of dollars of public matching funds.
Mayor Eric Adams is once again suing the Campaign Finance Board, the agency that keeps denying his requests for public matching funds due to what it sees as his continuing failure to address its concerns about his campaign fundraising tactics. www.thecity.nyc/2025/08/18/e...
A decades-delayed commitment to extend the subway into East Harlem took a significant step forward Monday when the MTA board approved a $1.9 billion contract for the next phase of construction on the Second Avenue Subway. buff.ly/dOweet5
For months, the international medical residents who make up a significant number of the Brookdale Hospital staff, have been caught up in a whirlwind of restrictions regarding their visa and travel status. “We are feeling partially in fear, too.”
UNDERGROUND COMEDY ACT “‘I don’t know you, you don’t know me, it’s showtime, it’s gametime, lock in and get the dialogue and the script out.’” NEW: @thecity.nyc on the wacky, sometimes-lucrative world of subway stunts elaborately staged for social-media likes. www.thecity.nyc/2025/08/18/c...
As federal law enforcement probes Philip and David Banks for possible influence-peddling, emails obtained by THE CITY shed light on how brother Terence cashed in on their power.
Asylum-seekers are avoiding formerly routine hearings for fear of being detained, as a court order takes hold discouraging mass detention inside a lower Manhattan office building.
ICE detained a 7-year-old, her mother and 19-year-old brother at a check in at 26 Federal Plaza this week. The Queens mother and daughter have already been shipped to Texas while the 19-year-old is on is how at a detention center in NJ. www.thecity.nyc/2025/08/15/f...
ICE splits a Queens family into three, sending a 7-year-old to a newly reopened family detention center in Texas. @gwynnefitz.bsky.social reports on the behind-closed-doors deportation arrests targeting young kids.
Read the full story here: www.thecity.nyc/2025/08/15/f...