Friends,
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New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Amanda Lefton and State Department of Health (DOH) Commissioner Dr. James McDonald issued an Air Quality Health Advisory for Wednesday, July 16, 2025, for ozone for the New York City Metro and Lower Hudson Valley regions.
The pollutant of concern is: Ozone
The advisory will be in effect 11 a.m. through 11 p.m.
The Wednesday, July 16, Air Quality Health Advisory regions consist of: New York City Metro, which includes New York City, Rockland, and Westchester counties; and Lower Hudson Valley, which includes Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Ulster, and Sullivan counties.
Ozone
Summer heat can lead to the formation of ground-level ozone, a major component of photochemical smog. Automobile exhaust and out-of-state emission sources are the primary sources of ground-level ozone and the most serious air pollution problems in the northeast. This surface pollutant should not be confused with the protective layer of ozone in the upper atmosphere.
Ozone is not a direct emission, but rather forms when sunlight chemically reacts with nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from automobile exhaust and industrial emissions. High ozone is not as visible as PM2.5 because it is a colorless gas, but will produce hazy skies and reduce visibility in high concentrations. Ozone production can also be enhanced by the presence of wildfire smoke.
People, especially those with cardiovascular disease and those who have respiratory disease (such as asthma), young children, the elderly, those who exercise outdoors, and those involved in vigorous outdoor work should consider limiting strenuous outdoor physical activity when ozone levels are the highest (generally afternoon to early evening). When outdoor levels of ozone are elevated, going indoors will usually reduce exposure. Individuals experiencing symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain, or coughing should consider consulting their personal physician.
Ozone levels generally decrease at night and can be minimized during daylight hours by curtailment of automobile travel and the use of public transportation where available.
New Yorkers also are urged to take the following energy-saving and pollution-reducing steps:
Additional information on ozone and PM 2.5 is available on DEC's website and on DOH's website (PM 2.5) / DOH's website (ozone). A new DEC fact sheet about the Air Quality Index is available on DEC’s website or by PDF download.
To stay up-to-date with announcements from DEC, sign up to receive Air Quality Alerts through DEC Delivers: DEC's Premier Email Service. A toll-free Air Quality Hotline (1-800-535-1345) was also established by DEC to keep New Yorkers informed of the latest air quality situation.
First Project of Multi-Phase Innovative Urban Village Program To Redevelop Christian Cultural Center’s Campus
Development Includes Commercial Space for Grocery Store Offering Fresh Produce
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that construction is underway at Innovative Urban Village Phase 1A, a 385-unit affordable housing development with commercial space for a fresh food grocery store in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn. The $270 million project is part of the comprehensive redevelopment of the Christian Cultural Center’s campus. Event images and project renderings are available here. Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) has financed more than 7,700 affordable homes in Brooklyn. Innovative Urban Village continues this effort and complements Governor Hochul’s $25 billion five-year housing plan, which is on track to create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes statewide.
“New York remains committed to keeping our state affordable and ensuring everyone has a safe and modern home to call their own,” Governor Hochul said. “This project is helping us fight the housing affordability crisis while also prioritizing improvements that will make the neighborhood more livable for families. Innovative Urban Village would not have been possible without the cooperation of all our partners, including Mayor Adams and the Christian Cultural Center, who are dedicated to making New York a more affordable place to live. We look forward to the project’s completion and to welcoming residents home.”
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said, “The best way to tackle our city’s housing crisis is to build more affordable housing, and that is exactly what our administration is doing. 'Innovative Urban Village' will bring more homes, more jobs, and more joy to Brooklyn, while giving more New Yorkers access to a brighter future in this vibrant community. From creating record amounts of affordable housing year after year to passing historic zoning reform that will build new homes across our entire city, we are proud to be the most pro-housing administration in our city’s history. Thank you to Governor Hochul and Reverend Bernard for their shared vision and partnership in bringing this ambitious project to life.”
All 385 apartments will be affordable to households earning between 30 percent and 80 percent of the Area Median Income. Additionally, 94 apartments will be reserved for households eligible for on-site support services, including those struggling with homelessness. Services will include case management, legal services, nutritional support, and social services.
Innovative Urban Village will feature all-electric heating and cooling, solar panels, green roofs with drought resistant vegetation to reduce heat and water consumption, electric vehicle charging stations, low-flow fixtures, LED lighting, and ENERGY STAR appliances.
This project is part of a multi-phase program to redevelop the Christian Cultural Center’s campus. The redevelopment is a joint-venture partnership between the Christian Cultural Center, The Gotham Organization, and Monadnock Development. It was designed by Practice for Architecture and Urbanism and SLCE Architects. The Urban Resource Institute will provide the on-site support services.
The multi-phase program will ultimately include a total of nearly 2,000 affordable apartments in 10 buildings. It will also feature community space with childcare, senior services, workforce development, and a new performing arts center. New streets are being added as an extension of the existing neighborhood street grid to maximize walkability through interconnected pedestrian routes and three acres of publicly accessible open space.
The City of New York approved the rezoning of the project site to accommodate the redevelopment.
Innovative Urban Village is supported by HCR’s Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program which is expected to generate more than $115 million in equity and $47 million from its Housing Finance Agency. Additional support includes $47 million from the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development’s Extremely Low- and Low-Income Affordability Program. The project is also supported by the Urban Investment Group at Goldman Sachs Alternatives.
The site is participating in the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's successful Brownfield Cleanup Program and, when completed, would be eligible for $28 million in tax credits administered by the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. Operating funding for the supportive apartments will be provided by the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative administered by the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance.
Today’s announcement also builds on Governor Hochul and Mayor Adams’ “City of Yes” plan to create thousands of new homes across the city and develop more family-friendly neighborhoods from Coney Island to Inwood.
A former Army soldier, who was most recently stationed in Texas, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to hack into telecommunications companies’ databases, access sensitive records, and extort the telecommunications companies by threatening to release the stolen data unless ransoms were paid.
According to court documents, between April 2023 and Dec. 18, 2024, Cameron John Wagenius, 21, used online accounts associated with the nickname “kiberphant0m” and conspired with others to defraud at least 10 victim organizations by obtaining login credentials for the organizations’ protected computer networks. The conspirators obtained these credentials using a hacking tool that they called SSH Brute, among other means. They used Telegram group chats to transfer stolen credentials and discuss gaining unauthorized access to victim companies’ networks. This activity happened while Wagenius was on active duty with the U.S. Army.
After data was stolen, the conspirators extorted the victim organizations both privately and in public forums. The extortion attempts included threats to post the stolen data on cybercrime forums such as BreachForums and XSS.is. The conspirators offered to sell stolen data for thousands of dollars via posts on these forums. They successfully sold at least some of this stolen data and also used stolen data to perpetuate other frauds, including SIM-swapping. In total, Wagenius and his co-conspirators attempted to extort at least $1 million from victim data owners.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller for the Western District of Washington, Assistant Director Brett Leatherman of the FBI’s Cyber Division, and Special Agent in Charge Kenneth DeChellis of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Cyber Field Office made the announcement.
Wagenius pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, extortion in relation to computer fraud, and aggravated identity theft. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 6 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, a maximum penalty of five years in prison for extortion in relation to computer fraud, and a mandatory two-year sentence consecutive to any other prison time for aggravated identity theft. Wagenius previously pleaded guilty in a separate case to two counts of unlawful transfer of confidential phone records information in connection with this conspiracy. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI and DCIS are investigating the case. The U.S. Army’s Criminal Investigative Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas, and the National Security Cyber Section provided valuable assistance. Flashpoint and Unit 221B also provided assistance.
Senior Counsel Louisa Becker and Trial Attorney George Brown of the Justice Department’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sok Tea Jiang for the Western District of Washington are prosecuting the case.
