Cox: Mamdani, Hochul Conspire to Make Housing Less Affordable

 

NYGOP Chair Ed Cox released the following statement in response to the New York City Council's plan that would drive up the cost of housing in New York City:

 

“The City Council’s scheme to give politically connected nonprofits first dibs on distressed buildings will choke investment, delay sales for months, and shrink the housing supply. That means higher costs and fewer options for renters.

 

"The radical housing agenda, coupled with Zohran Mamdani's rent freeze, is a one-two punch that will make housing scarcer and more expensive.

 

“Make no mistake about it: Kathy Hochul enabled this madness and owns everything Zohran Mamdani does. New Yorkers will remember next November that she bent the knee to socialist radicals as they drove up the cost of housing."

Michigan Pharmacist Sentenced to 46 Months in Prison for $4M Health Care Fraud Scheme

 

A former Michigan pharmacist was sentenced today to 46 months in prison for his role in a health care fraud scheme at a pharmacy he operated. He was also ordered to pay $4 million in restitution and to forfeit four real estate properties and $726,364.96.

According to court documents, from approximately 2011 to 2017, Nabil Fakih, 50, of Wayne County, billed Medicare for prescription medications that he did not dispense at the pharmacy he owned and operated in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. As part of the scheme, Fakih submitted fraudulent claims for reimbursement to Medicare for high-reimbursing prescription medications, such as blood thinners and lung disease inhalers that his pharmacy did not even have the inventory to dispense. He concealed his fraud by manipulating the inventory purchases at his pharmacy, as well as the receipt and transfer of the proceeds from the fraud, diverting the proceeds for his own personal use and benefit. As a result of his crime, Fakih caused a total of approximately $4 million of loss to Medicare.

In August 2024, Fakih pleaded guilty to one count of health care fraud before a federal judge in the Eastern District of Michigan.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Runyan of the FBI Detroit Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Mario Pinto of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) made the announcement.

FBI and HHS-OIG investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Andres Q. Almendarez of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.

The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of 9 strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,800 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $30 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.

Attorney General James Releases Statement on Dismissal of DOJ Indictment

 

New York Attorney General Letitia James today released the following statement after U.S. District Judge Cameron Currie granted Attorney General James’ motion to dismiss the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) indictment:

“I am heartened by today’s victory and grateful for the prayers and support I have received from around the country.

“I remain fearless in the face of these baseless charges as I continue fighting for New Yorkers every single day.”

Mental Health Milestone: Governor Hochul Announces 1,000 Psychiatric Beds Opened Across New York Since Taking Office

Highlights Milestone at Opening of New, State-Funded Children's Psychiatric Center at Montefiore Einstein in the Bronx

Significant Expansion Advances Governor's Commitment to Mental Health Resources

Governor Hochul today announced the opening of a new state-funded 21-bed inpatient psychiatric facility to serve youth at the New York City Children’s Center campus in the Bronx. Operated by Montefiore Medical Center with funding from the state, the 18,300-square-foot facility represents a unique collaboration to serve young people experiencing serious behavioral health issues and will bring the total inpatient capacity brought online by Governor Hochul to 1,000 beds statewide.

“We are committed to increasing options for families that need access to intensive behavioral health services and more importantly, to providing top-notch care to all children who experience serious mental illness,” Governor Hochul said. “Montefiore Einstein’s state-of-the-art Center for Children’s Mental Health represents the strong partnership we have with our community-based hospitals, and our ongoing commitment to providing the best possible care for our youth and support for their families.”Located at 1300 Waters Place, Montefiore Einstein’s new unit is on the Bronx campus of the New York City Children’s Center and includes 21 beds to serve youth between the ages of 5 and 17. The new center will provide intensive treatment for youth with serious behavioral health conditions, including severe depression, anxiety, trauma, suicidal thoughts, psychosis, and other acute psychiatric conditions.

 

Governor Hochul joined Office of Mental Health Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan, Montefiore Einstein President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Philip O. Ozuah, Assemblymember Michael Benedetto and other local elected officials on a walkthrough of the new facility, including its classrooms and other treatment spaces. Following the viewing, Governor Hochul met with Joziah, a 12-year-old from Manhattan, who attended this short ribbon cutting ceremony with his mother, Courtney, to share their experiences with the mental health system.

With the inpatient capacity added by the center, Governor Hochul has now overseen the enhancement of 1,000 psychiatric inpatient beds statewide. Overall, there are 89 beds serving children in the Bronx, with the new capacity at Montefiore Einstein representing a nearly 31 percent increase in children’s inpatient beds for the borough.

The new center resulted from a $3.1 million capital grant from the state Office of Mental Health, $7 million from New York State’s Behavioral Health Centers of Excellence Fund, and a $6 million capital appropriation from Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Assemblymember Michael Benedetto. The project also received support from a private donation received by Montefiore Einstein and additional funding from state Attorney General Letitia James.

The center was developed with direct input from young patients and located in the borough specifically due to community need an estimated 21 percent of children between the ages of five and 17 living in the Bronx have a diagnosed behavioral health disorder. The new center will improve continuity of care for Bronx patients and outpatient treatment, develop a workforce pipeline for multidisciplinary staff to include social workers, nurses, psychologists, and psychiatrists, and offer enriched training for medical students and other health professionals.

The new center continues Governor Hochul’s strong record of investing in mental health services and supports for young New Yorkers. In addition to directing a substantial increase of inpatient capacity at state-operated psychiatric centers –the largest in decades –she has greatly expanded outpatient programs designed to help individuals during their recovery.

Governor Hochul’s nation-leading commitment to protect the mental health of young New Yorkers has resulted in major investments into youth services and supports. Her $1 billion mental health initiative and hundreds of millions of dollars in funding in subsequent budgets significantly expanded access to care for young people and their families –from increasing inpatient and residential treatment capacity to building community-based services designed to help youth remain at home and in their community.

OMH now funds 20 Youth Assertive Community Treatment teams, which provide youth and family therapy, medication management, family and peer support, and skill-building. The agency supports two Youth ACT teams in the Bronx, including one providing services to 36 youth and another that is in development.

Governor Hochul also expanded school-based mental health clinics, which help students get a licensed mental health care provider in a familiar stigma-free setting on their school campus. The state now supports 1,265 clinic satellites, including 50 now operating in schools in the Bronx.

OMH also now supports 55 Home Based Crisis Intervention teams, which serve youth between the ages of 5 and 20 and provide intensive individualized services to help families maintain young people recovering from mental illness in their own homes. There are two teams now operating in the Bronx that have collectively worked with 200 families so far this year.

 

DEP Launches New, Innovative Mobile App to Better Understand the City's Noise

 

NYC Noise’ Lets New Yorkers Measure, Classify and Track Decibel Levels and Noise Types

Real-Time Data Will Help Identify Hotspots and Guide Targeted Enforcement

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today announced the release of NYC Noise, a new, innovative mobile application that will help both residents and DEP gain a deeper understanding of the city’s noise. Available for free on iPhone and Android, the app enables users to record decibel levels, classify noise types, and visualize noise levels in their surroundings while providing valuable data to DEP. Using the app, New Yorkers can document the time, date, location, and source of a noise by taking a simple five-second reading. Results appear in both map and table formats, showing average and maximum decibel levels along with user notes on noise type—such as construction, traffic, or music. By allowing New Yorkers to measure and track noise in their neighborhood, DEP can better analyze citywide noise patterns. This data will help DEP identify hotspots and guide targeted enforcement efforts.

“Noise is one of the most common quality-of-life issues New Yorkers face, and this new tool will help us better understand when and where those disturbances occur,” said DEP Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala. “I want to thank our teams in the bureaus of Environmental Compliance and Business Information Technology for their work in developing NYC Noise, which will help our inspectors target enforcement more precisely while empowering the public to participate in creating a quieter city.”

Noise is the top source of 311 complaints citywide, and DEP is responsible for enforcing New York City’s Air and Noise Code. However, traditional complaints often lack precise data on decibel levels and timing, making enforcement more challenging. The data entered by users will not be used for specific enforcement actions, and the noise itself will not be recorded, just the decibel level. However, the metrics captured by the app will help fill key data gaps—showing how loud the noise is, when it occurs, and what type it is. This data-driven approach will help DEP deploy inspectors more efficiently and focus enforcement efforts where and when they are needed most. For example, if user inputs show that jackhammering typically occurs at a certain location between 8 and 10 a.m., DEP can schedule inspections during that window.

Noise types can be classified as alarms, construction work, dog/animal noise, HVAC/fan noise, loud music, sirens, traffic (cars, buses), or horns. Users can also review their noise history log, which displays the average and maximum decibel levels, date, duration, location, and noise type for each entry. As more users record noise data, DEP will eventually compile the information into a citywide noise map—allowing the agency to identify hotspots, trends by time of day, day of the week, season, and the types of noise most common in certain neighborhoods.

The NYC Noise app will be available for download from both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store in mid-November.

About the NYC Department of Environmental Protection

DEP protects the health and safety of New Yorkers by enforcing the Air and Noise Codes and asbestos rules. DEP also manages New York City’s water supply, providing approximately 1 billion gallons of high-quality drinking water each day to nearly 10 million residents, including 8.5 million in New York City. The water is delivered from a watershed that extends more than 125 miles from the city, comprising 19 reservoirs and three controlled lakes. Approximately 7,000 miles of water mains, tunnels and aqueducts bring water to homes and businesses throughout the five boroughs, and 7,500 miles of sewer lines and 96 pump stations take wastewater to 14 in-city treatment plants. For more information, visit nyc.gov/dep, like us on Facebook, or follow us on X.

MAYOR ADAMS AWARDS KEY TO THE CITY OF NEW YORK TO NATIONAL WOMEN’S SOCCER LEAGUE CHAMPIONS GOTHAM FOOTBALL CLUB

Mayor Adams Also Announces City Hall, Other City Buildings to Be 

Lit ​Gotham FC ​Sky Blue Tonight in Honor of Champs​​​​​​​​ 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams today honored the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) champion​​ Gotham Football Club​ (FC)​ with the Key to the City of New York at a City Hall ceremony after the Gotham FC won the NWSL ​​championship Saturday evening. Additionally, Mayor Adams today announced that City Hall and other municipal buildings will be lit up ​in Gotham FC ​sky blue tonight. 

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“Gotham Football Club have inspired thousands of soccer fans and young girls and boys to believe in themselves, to be brave, to be bold, and to be fierce — fueled by the team slogan: ‘Always Building, Never Finished,’” said Mayor Adams. “In a city that never settles for less, Gotham FC reminds us of what it means to fight for greatness, to defy expectations, and to win with heart. Their victory is more than a championship; it’s a statement that women’s sports belong on the biggest stage. New York doesn’t just watch history; we make it, and we will celebrate the women who are redefining it.”  

 

“We are so proud to be recognized with this special honor at City Hall,” said Carolyn Tisch Blodgett, governor, Gotham FC. “This team earned a championship through the very grit, boldness, and excellence that defines this region, and we loved the opportunity to celebrate our championship with our Gotham FC community.”

 

​​​​The festivities celebrated the second NWSL championship victory in three years for Gotham FC, which has become a global powerhouse in women's professional soccer thanks to its domestic and continental success. Led by U.S. Women’s National Team stars Rose Lavelle, Jaedyn Shaw, and Emily Sonnett​​,​​ the 2025 NWSL champions defeated their archrival Washington Spirit 1-0 in the NWSL final, completing one of the most successful seasons in American women’s soccer history. ​​​ 

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​​​Representing New Jersey and New York with top global talent, Gotham FC is one of 16 clubs in the NWSL. The club won its first NWSL championship in 2023. Two years later, Gotham FC captured the first continental club trophy in North American women’s soccer history by winning the inaugural 2024-25 CONCACAF W Champions Cup, earning qualification for the first editions of the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup and the FIFA Women’s Club World Cup.​​ 

 

​​Rebranded as Gotham FC in 2021, the club plays its home matches at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, N.J. Originally founded in 2007 as Sky Blue FC, the team won the inaugural Women’s Professional Soccer Championship in 2009 and has been a founding member of the NWSL since the league’s launch in 2013.​     ​​ 

 

In addition to City Hall, the following city buildings will be lit up sky blue tonight in honor of the Gotham FC: 

 

•   Brooklyn Borough Hall: 209 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201 

•   The David N. Dinkins Manhattan Municipal Building: 1 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 

•   Queens Borough Hall: 120-55 Queens Blvd, Kew Gardens, NY 11424 

•   Staten Island Borough Hall: 10 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, NY 10301 

 

​​The Key to the City of New York was first awarded in 1702 by New York City Mayor Phillip French, when he offered "Freedom of the City" to Viscount Edward Cornbury, governor of New York and New Jersey. By the mid-1800s, it became customary to award the Key to the City of New York as a direct symbol of the city's wish that a guest feel free to come and go at will. Today, the Key to the City of New York is a beloved symbol of civic recognition and gratitude reserved for individuals whose service to the public and the common good rises to the highest level of achievement.   ​​​ 

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Governor Hochul Announces MTA Opening First-of-its-kind Railcar Acceptance and Testing Facility

Yard Inspects All New Subway Cars Shipped Via Truck, Rail and Barge; Features Direct Link to New York City Transit Tracks, Allowing Modern Trains to Enter System Faster and More Efficiently

Builds on MTA’s Plan To Add More than 1,500 Modern Subway Cars in 2025-29 Capital Plan; Details of the MTA Capital Plan Are Available Here

Three-Year Project Completed on Time and $5.5 Million Under Budget

Governor Kathy Hochul and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced the opening of the first-of-its-kind Railcar Acceptance and Testing Facility. Delivered on time and under budget, this state-of-the-art complex serves as the first stop for all new subway cars before they are put into service. This facility will help the MTA process new subway cars, work locomotives and other rolling stock more efficiently, helping complete onsite testing so they can enter service more quickly. This comes as the MTA prepares to receive the biggest infusion of new rail cars since systematic capital planning was first introduced more than a generation ago.

“Thanks to funding from congestion pricing and the MTA’s 2025-29 Capital Plan, we are making generational upgrades to our subway fleet,” Governor Hochul said. “Thousands of new, modern cars are set to improve the riding experience for millions of New Yorkers. By streamlining the process needed to get these new cars on the rails and into service, this new facility will ensure that riders feel the benefits of a new and improved subway fleet faster than ever.”

Located near the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal in Sunset Park, the facility can accept rolling stock delivered by truck, rail, or boat. Once accepted, individual cars will be linked together for testing and commissioning on the facility’s in-house tracks. The newly created trains will then be sent via the facility’s direct connection to the subway network to complete further testing and will be entered into revenue service once they pass final inspection. This is the first brand-new, full-scale subway car facility located on a new property that the Authority has added since the Pitkin Yard opened in Brooklyn in 1948.]

The Railcar Acceptance and Testing Facility was completed within its three-year timeline and $5.5 million under budget by utilizing design-build delivery that streamlines project design and management. The MTA realized significant savings through the use of prefabricated building components and precast concrete for the track pit construction, speeding the project’s completion and minimizing cost.  

The American Council of Engineering Companies of New York recently awarded the facility the silver medal in the Transportation category at the 2026 Engineering Excellence Awards Competition. This prestigious award recognized the yard’s state-of-the-art design, innovation, complexity and the benefits it will bring to the subway riding public and community as a whole.

The opening of the facility comes as the MTA is actively buying hundreds of modern R211 and R268 subway cars that will eventually replace all R46 and R68 subway cars, which have been in service for decades. The historic $68 billion 2025-29 Capital Plan includes the purchase of 1,500 new subway cars - the largest new investment in rolling stock since the 1980s. New R211 cars are being delivered at a rapid pace, with 750 already delivered and another 860 still to arrive.  

First placed into service in March 2023, the R211 features pre-installed security cameras in each car, as well as 58-inch-wide door openings that are eight inches wider than standard door openings on the existing car fleet. These are designed to speed up boarding and reduce the amount of time trains sit in stations. In addition to wider doors, these cars provide additional accessible seating, digital displays that will provide more detailed station-specific information, and brighter lighting and signage, among other features that improve the customer experience.

The R211 is currently in service on the Staten Island Railway, as well as the A, B, C and G lines. There are plans to add the R211 on the D and the Rockaway Park S within the next two years. The R211 is just the start of the MTA’s investment in new subway cars. The MTA Board recently approved the purchase of 378 new R268 subway cars, which feature many of the same amenities as the R211. The R268s will service the MTA’s B division lines beginning in 2028. In addition, the 2025-29 Capital Plan will include the purchase of new cars for the A Division, replacing the existing R62 trains serving the 1, 3 and 6 trains.

These modern cars also assist the MTA in its efforts to upgrade subway lines to Communications-based Train Control (CBTC), the international gold standard of signal systems. All R211s and R268s come equipped with technology that seamlessly integrates with CBTC signals, leading to a better overall commute for millions of daily riders — including more reliable service, fewer delays, more frequent trains and less waiting.

Crews are actively working to complete CBTC upgrades on the A, C, E, F and G lines. Planned work on the Fulton St and Liberty Av Lines of the A and C trains in Brooklyn and Queens and the 6th Av Line of the B, D, F and M trains in Manhattan are being paid for by funds generated from congestion relief. Upcoming CBTC modernization efforts on the A, Rockaway Park S, J and Z trains from the Williamsburg Bridge to Broad St, as well as on the N, Q, R and W trains in Manhattan and Astoria will be financed through the 2025-29 Capital Plan. 

Renderings Revealed for The Heartwood at 155 East 173rd Street in Claremont, The Bronx

 

The first renderings have been revealed for The Heartwood, a 19-story mixed-use building at 155 East 173rd Street in Claremont, The Bronx. Designed by Bernheimer Architecture and Levenbetts Architects, and developed in a joint collaboration between Settlement Housing Fund and Kalel Companies, the building will yield 113 affordable rent stabilized units and a new 17,500-square-foot home for the Grand Concourse Library. At least 15 percent of the residential units will be dedicated to formerly homeless individuals. The property is located at the corner of East 173rd Street and Selwyn Avenue.

The above rendering looks northeast at the whole tower, showing an earth-toned brick façade and a series of staggered setbacks across the western and eastern elevations. The lower setback will feature a terrace with glass railings and a pergola, and the roof will be covered by a canopy of solar panels.

The redevelopment process for the current two-story Grand Concourse Library kicked off in February with the announcement of an RFP by Mayor Eric Adams, along with the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and the New York Public Library (NYPL). The project is part of HPD’s Living Libraries program under Mayor Adams’ “City of Yes for Families” initiative.

The new library in The Heartwood’s base will preserve the historic Lorrie Goulet sculpture that hangs above the entrance along East 173rd Street. This can be seen below hanging above the new doorway leading to the triple-height ground-floor space. A brick lattice façade will screen the upper two-thirds of the glass curtain wall enclosing the library.

155 East 173rd Street. Designed by Bernheimer Architecture and Levenbetts Architects. Photo by Secchi Smith.

The new Grand Concourse Library at 155 East 173rd Street.

The new Grand Concourse Library will feature significantly more natural lighting than the existing structure thanks to its expansive windows and a domed skylight on the third story, shown in the following diagram. 

The facility will contain spaces for children, teens, and families, as well as a double-height adult reading room and study areas for the local community. The project is expected to become New York Public Library’s first Passive House-certified library. An emergency generator will provide backup power and cooling to the community room and several amenity spaces in the event of power outages.

Residential amenities at The Heartwood will include three outdoor terraces, community rooms, a teaching kitchen with programming for tenants, a fitness center, bike storage, and shared laundry facilities.

The development team will need to secure several public approvals before the project can proceed, as well as a rezoning and the transfer of City-owned property. A temporary home for the Grand Concourse Library must also be found before the start of demolition. Community stakeholders, including Community Board 4 and library patrons, will be involved throughout the process.

The nearest subways from the site are the B and D trains at the 174–175th Streets station to the north.

A construction timeline has yet to be announced.