Sunday, August 2, 2026

GreenThumb - Join us this month in a community garden!

 

August Monthly Newsletter

Community gardeners and visitors enjoying last year's Harvest Fair at Hattie Carthan Community Garden and Herbert Von King Park in Brooklyn.
Community gardeners and visitors enjoying last year's Harvest Fair at Hattie Carthan Community Garden and Herbert Von King Park in Brooklyn. Photos by NYC Parks / GreenThumb

Save the Date for our annual Harvest Fair!

Mark your calendars for the 46th Annual GreenThumb Harvest Fair on Saturday, October 3, 2026 at Herbert Von King Park and Hattie Carthan Community Garden. Join GreenThumb and community gardeners for this free public event in Bed-Stuy and celebrate the start of fall with workshops, live entertainment, healthy cooking demonstrations, the annual GreenThumb Fresh Chef Contest, and one day photography exhibition of this year's winning submissions from our Harvest Fair Competition, and more! More information to come soon!

New Deadline! Submit your Harvest by August 3rd!

Gardeners, there's still time to send us photos of what's growing in your garden for the 2026 Harvest Fair Competition! For guidelines and to submit your harvest, please fill out the Harvest Fair Competition Submission Form by Monday, August 3, 2026 to be considered for this year's competition. Photos of what you grew earlier in the season are eligible to be entered into the competition as well! Any entries submitted after August 3rd will be considered for next year's Harvest Fair Competition.

Headshot of Ham El-Waylly

Photo courtesy of Ham El-Waylly

2026 GreenThumb Fresh Chef Contest

We are excited to announce Ham El-Waylly as this year's guest chef! Ham El-Waylly was raised in Doha, Qatar. He is a chef, recipe developer, and video creator based in New York City, where he is one half of a culinary power couple with his wife, Sohla El-Waylly. His New Orleans–style seafood restaurant Strange Delight is a Brooklyn favorite, and his first cookbook Hello, Home Cooking: Do-Able Dishes for Every Day is a National Bestseller. 

Our Fresh Chef Contest will challenge participants to replicate their most delicious and nutritious version of a surprise dish demonstrated by Chef Ham! Registration opens soon, stay tuned to our website and @GreenThumbNYC on Instagram and Facebook!


Top Stories

Volunteers at El Batey De Doña Provi Garden in the Bronx last month during a workday to weed and plant native plants.

Volunteers at El Batey De Doña Provi Garden in the Bronx last month during a workday to weed and plant native plants. Photo by Ruby Loesch, GreenThumb

Volunteer at a Community Garden

If you are new to community gardening, volunteering is a great opportunity to get to know community gardeners and learn how to become a garden member at these gardens. Beginners and experienced volunteers are welcome!

To sign up for a group of 10 or more, please contact Volunteer Program Coordinator at gt.volunteer@parks.nyc.gov. Join hands with GreenThumb gardeners across the city with your corporate, school, or other community group as a volunteer for one or multiple days! If you're interested in volunteering at a GreenThumb garden, please visit our website to learn more and fill out the Intake Form.

GreenThumb staff tabling at Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Making Brooklyn Bloom 2025
GreenThumb staff tabling at Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Making Brooklyn Bloom in 2025. Photo by Ashley Kuenneke, GreenThumb

Join GreenThumb at Summer Streets

Summer Streets is an annual celebration by the New York City Department of Transportation that replaces our city's usual noisy streets into open streets filled with programming, performances, and more!

GreenThumb will be tabling during select Summer Streets this month. Stop by to make your own native seed mix and receive a GreenThumb-themed temporary tattoo! Learn about our upcoming programming, volunteer workdays, and how to join a community garden.

Manhattan

  • Find us on August 1, 8, and 15 from 7:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. at: 
    • Astor Place, between Broadway and 8th St. (August 1st only)
    • East Harlem, 109th St. and Park Avenue
    • Harlem, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard between West 110 St. and West 113 St. (August 1st only)
Brooklyn
  • Find us on August 22 from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. at:
    • Eastern Parkway and Classon Ave.
    • Eastern Parkway and Lincoln Terrace

We Want Your Feedback!

  • Share your feedback to help us better understand the educational content, technical skills, and resources that you would like to see us offer. Learn more and complete the survey (available in English and Spanish) here.

  • Public Space Partners Survey is open for groups that care for, manage, activate, or advocate for public spaces across the New York City Region. Learn more and complete the survey (available in Bengali, Chinese, English, Haitian Creole, Russian, and Spanish) here.
Workshops & Events

Please visit the Garden Events page for new additions, latest updates and to see upcoming workshops, activities, and public programs from GreenThumb and our partners. Visit the Community Garden Events page to find programming from GreenThumb garden groups. All free and open to the public!
You may request translation services for any GreenThumb workshop for any language at least three weeks in advance at greenthumbinfo@parks.nyc.gov.

Looking for birds in 6th Street and Avenue B Garden during a Fall Migration Birding workshop in 2023.
Looking for birds in 6th Street and Avenue B Garden during a Fall Migration Birding workshop in 2023. Photo by Elena Dubas-Ruiz, GreenThumb

Highlight of the Month:

Bird Friendly Garden Management Workshop

Saturday, August 8, 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
79th St. Transverse, New York, NY 10024

This bilingual English/Spanish walking workshop with the National Audubon Society uses The Ramble in Central Park as an outdoor classroom for learning how community gardens can better support birds and urban wildlife. Participants will explore bird habitat through guided observation, sound-based activities, and three ecological themes: water, food, and shelter. 

Register on our website

GreenThumb Workshops

Stay tuned for our Fall Program Guide on our website! 

More Workshops & Events


Grants & Opportunities
GreenThumbNYC

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Saturday, August 1, 2026

ICE Arrests Former “Dancing With the Stars” Contestant from Latvia with Violent Criminal History in California

 

This illegal alien was previously a contestant on the Latvian equivalent of “Dancing With the Stars”

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the following statement after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested an illegal alien and former reality TV contestant from Latvia with a criminal history that includes sexual battery, aggravated assault, and drug possession.

On July 28, ICE law enforcement arrested Roberts Nemiro, a criminal illegal alien from Latvia, in San Francisco after a referral by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). His criminal history includes convictions for aggravated assault of non-family with a gun and disorderly conduct, and arrests for battery, sexual battery, possession of controlled substance, and possession of paraphernalia.

Latvia1

Roberts Nemiro

Nemiro was previously a contestant on “Dejo ar zvaigzni!”, the Latvian version of the British TV series “Strictly Come Dancing,” also known as “Dancing With the Stars.”

“This illegal alien from Latvia may have once had a career as a professional dancer on TV, but has turned into a career criminal with a rap sheet that includes aggravated assault with a gun, sexual battery, and drug possession,” said Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. “Despite California being a sanctuary state, ICE was able to arrest this criminal and get him off our streets, and he will soon be deported from our country. ICE is bringing the curtain down on his illegal stay and crime spree here in the U.S.”

Nemiro first came to the United States on a visa in October 2011. He then illegally overstayed his visa after it expired in August 2012. He is in removal proceedings.

Under Governor Gavin Newsom, California has become a hotbed of illegal alien crime. Some of the recent illegal alien crimes in the sanctuary state include:

  • In July, ICE lodged a detainer for Gokhan Bagci, an illegal alien from Turkey, after his arrest for sexually assaulting a 6-year-old girl at a daycare in Sacramento, California.
  • In May, ICE lodged a detainer for Joaquin Escoto Vazquez, an illegal alien from Mexico, after his arrest for fatally stabbing two women and a baby in Modesto, California.
  • In May, ICE lodged a detainer for Manvir Singh, an illegal alien from India, after he was arrested for causing a semi-truck crash that killed two people near Lodi, California.
  • In May, ICE arrested Aman Kumar, an illegal alien from India, who had been released by sanctuary politicians in California after causing a hit-and-run accident that injured a 4-year-old boy in Fresno, California.
  • In May, ICE lodged a detainer for Wilfredo Jose Tortolero-Arriechi, an illegal alien from Venezuela, after he had been arrested for fatally stabbing a social worker in a hospital in San Francisco, California.
  • In April, ICE arrested David Antonio Aviles Perez, an illegal alien from El Salvador and MS-13 member, in San Diego, California, who has an international warrant for aggravated murder and had previously been arrested in California for assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a controlled substance, and petty theft.
  • In February, Governor Newsom pardoned Somboon Phaymany, an illegal alien from Cambodia who had been convicted for attempted murder and assault with a firearm. 
  • In January, ICE lodged a detainer for Enrique Bautista Vasquez, an illegal alien from Mexico, after he had been arrested for raping an autistic girl in Cathedral City, California.
  • In December 2025, ICE lodged a detainer for Brayan Alva-Rodriguez, an illegal alien from Guatemala, after he had been arrested for causing a drunk driving crash that killed an 8-year-old girl in San Diego, California.
  • In December 2025, ICE lodged a detainer for Hector Balderas-Aheelor, an illegal alien from Mexico who had been previously deported FOUR times, after he was arrested for causing a felony hit-and-run accident that killed an 11-year-old boy on Thanksgiving morning. 
  • In November 2025, ICE lodged a detainer for Humberto Munoz-Gatica, an illegal alien from Mexico, after he was arrested for driving under the influence and hit-and-run following a fatal crash that killed a 71-year-old man in Orange County, California. 
  • In October 2025, ICE lodged a detainer for Beto Cerillo-Bialva, an illegal alien from Mexico, after he was arrested for murder following a drunk-driving crash that killed six people in Napa County, California.
  • In June 2025, ICE arrested Cuong Chanh Phan, an illegal alien from Vietnam, who had been convicted of second-degree murder for his involvement in a mass shooting in 1994 that killed two teenagers and injured seven others at a graduation party in San Marino, California. 
  • In June 2024, Partap Singh, an illegal alien from India, caused a multi-car pileup while driving an 18-wheeler recklessly in San Bernardino, California, after he had been given a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) by Newsom’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). The crash seriously injured 5-year-old Dalilah Coleman and several others.

In addition to the crimes committed by illegal aliens in California, Governor Newsom’s sanctuary policies have had disastrous consequences in other states as well. These include:

  • In July, ICE lodged a detainer for Axel Eduardo Chavez-Marroquin, an illegal alien from El Salvador, after he was arrested for murdering a veteran in Utah. He had twice been arrested in California for domestic violence – in Santa Ana in 2024, and then in Laguna Niguel in 2025 – but despite ICE lodging detainers against him both times, California sanctuary politicians released him from jail and back into the community.
  • In January, ICE lodged detainers for Gunpreet Singh and Jasveer Singh, criminal illegal aliens from India, after they had been arrested for smuggling more than 300 pounds of cocaine in a semi-truck in Putnam County, Indiana. Governor Newsom’s DMV had given both men CDLs.
  • In December 2025, ICE arrested Gerson Emir Cuadra Soto, an illegal alien from Honduras and MS-13 member who is wanted in his home country for a quadruple homicide, in Grand Island, Nebraska. He had been given a driver’s license by Newsom’s DMV.
  • In November 2025, Rajinder Kumar, an illegal alien from India who had been given a CDL by Newsom’s DMV, jackknifed his semi-truck and trailer on a highway in Deschutes County, Oregon, killing a newlywed couple. ICE arrested Kumar in April 2026.
  • In August 2025, ICE arrested Harneet Singh, an illegal alien from India, after he killed three people on the Florida Turnpike by making an illegal U-turn in his semi-truck. Newsom’s DMV had given Singh his CDL.
  • In August 2025, ICE lodged a detainer for Harjinder Singh, an illegal alien from India, after he made an illegal U-turn in his semi-truck and killed three people in St. Lucie County, Florida. Singh had obtained his CDL in Newsom’s California.

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Florida Woman Sentenced To Two Years In Prison For Orchestrating Multimillion-Dollar Federal Student Aid Loan Forgiveness Fraud Scheme

 

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jamie McDonald, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General’s Eastern Regional Office (“DOE OIG”), Jamila Davis, and Inspector in Charge of the New York Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Ketty Larco-Ward, announced that NYDIRA ADAMS a/k/a “Nadira Adams,” a/k/a “Nadira Adams-McMillan,” was sentenced to two years in prison for carrying out a scheme in which she charged federal student loan borrowers to submit documents containing misrepresentations and false statements to the United States Department of Education to take advantage of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. ADAMS’s scheme sought to cause the Department of Education to forgive over $6 million in federal student loan debt based on lies, misrepresentations, and falsehoods.  The defendant pled guilty on April 30, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Denise L. Cote, who imposed this sentence. 

“Nydira Adams defrauded the Department of Education out of millions of dollars and preyed upon individuals seeking relief from federal student loan debt,” said U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald.  “Through lies, misrepresentations, and false documents, Adams abused the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program—a federal program intended to benefit individuals who dedicate at least 10 years of their careers to public service or non-profit work. And she did so to enrich herself. Today’s sentencing sends a clear message: individuals who swindle the Government and taxpayer-funded programs will be held accountable.”   

“Nydira Adams thought she could game the system and would not get caught, but she was wrong,” said DOE OIG Special Agent in Charge Jamila Davis.  “The OIG will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to aggressively pursue those who abuse the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program or any Federal education program for their own selfish purposes.  America’s taxpayers and students deserve nothing less.”

“Through lying, cheating, and manipulation, Ms. Adams devised a scheme to defraud the Department of Education and her clients by depicting herself as someone who held proprietary information on DOE programs, cheating those who truly needed student loan forgiveness and other assistance from the Department of Education,” said USPIS Inspector in Charge Ketty Larco-Ward.  “Her actions are unconscionable and this sentence sends a message, that no matter who you claim to be, when you lie and steal from the public, postal inspectors and their law enforcement partners will be there to bring you to justice for your criminal activity.”

According to court documents, statements made in court, and evidence presented during the sentencing:

From at least in or about March 2023 through at least in or about January 2025, Adams held herself out as the “Student Loan Default Guru” and operated a business under the same name.  In reality, AdAMS used misrepresentations, false statements, and false documents to deceive the Department of Education into forgiving federal student loans issued to borrowers who paid Adams thousands of dollars for her purported services. On multiple occasions, Adams knowingly and intentionally caused applications for Department of Education relief programs to be submitted which contained falsehoods pertaining to the borrowers’ eligibility for the relief programs. Among other falsehoods, ADAMS claimed that one California-based borrower worked full-time at a New-York-based religious institution and falsely represented that another borrower worked full-time for a public school district.  Adams’s scheme resulted in an intended loss of over $6 million to the Department of Education.       

In addition to the prison term, ADAMS, 38, of Pensacola, Florida, was sentenced to three years of supervised release. 

Mr. McDonald praised the outstanding investigative work of the DOE OIG—Eastern Regional Office; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, New York; and the Special Agents assigned to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. 

 This case is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S. 

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Attorney General James Reminds New York Consumers and Businesses of E-Bike and E-Scooter Safety Requirements


After Recent Deadly Crashes, AG James Urges New Yorkers to Follow the Law and Prevent the Use of Illegal Motor Vehicles

New York Attorney General Letitia James issued a consumer alert reminding businesses, consumers, and families of New York’s important legal requirements for e-bikes and e-scooters. Bicycles with electric assistance, also known as e-bikes, and scooters with electric assistance, also known as e-scooters, are subject to strict safety requirements and speed limits in New York. After recent tragic deaths in New York City, Attorney General James is reminding New Yorkers that marketing and selling vehicles to New Yorkers as “e-bikes” or “e-scooters” that exceed state speed or power limits for those vehicles is a violation of New York law. Two-wheeled electric-powered vehicles that travel beyond those speed limits are not e-bikes or e-scooters under New York law. They may be e-motos, mopeds, or motorcycles that are subject to additional registration, licensing, and insurance requirements. New Yorkers are encouraged to file complaints with the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) about businesses putting New Yorkers in danger by illegally selling these vehicles by falsely labeling them as e-bikes and e-scooters.

“Our laws set limits on e-bikes and e-scooters to help keep New Yorkers safe, and the riders and companies who ignore them are putting everyone on our streets in danger,” said Attorney General James. “I urge businesses and consumers throughout our state to follow the law and keep unlicensed and unregistered motor vehicles off our streets. No one should have to fear for their lives when crossing the street, and I encourage New Yorkers to follow the law and report those selling illegal e-bikes and e-scooters to my office.”

The increased use of electric vehicles that exceed the legal limits set for e-bikes and e-scooters has led to a surge in injuries and fatal accidents in New York. The risks of these vehicles are higher when retailers misleadingly sell them as e-bikes or e-scooters, instead of as e-motos, motorcycles, or mopeds.

Under New York law, e-bikes must have an electric motor of less than 750 watts, and fall into one of three classes:

  • Class 1, also known as low-speed pedal-assisted e-bikes, provide electric assistance only while being pedaled and only at speeds under 20 miles per hour.
  • Class 2, also known as low-speed throttle-assisted e-bikes, provide electric assistance up to 20 miles per hour but have a throttle that allows the rider to use the motor without pedaling. 
  • Class 3, also known as speed throttle-assisted electric bicycles, are similar to Class 2 e-bikes, but the electric motor assistance must stop when the bicycle reaches 25 miles per hour.

    • All e-bikes sold in New York must have a permanent label that identifies the bike’s classification number, top assisted speed, and the wattage of its motor. It is illegal in New York to ride a Class 1 or 2 e-bike with electric assist faster than 20 miles per hour.  It is also illegal to ride a Class 3 e-bike outside of New York City, or with electric assist in excess of 25 miles per hour. Riders must be at least 16 years old to legally operate any e-bike in New York state.

    Under New York law, e-scooters are defined as having a maximum speed of no more than 20 miles per hour. It is illegal to ride an e-scooter in New York over 15 miles per hour. As with e-bikes, e-scooters sold in New York must have a permanent label that identifies the top assisted speed, the number of people for which it is designed and equipped, and the motor wattage. Riders must be at least 16 years old to legally operate or ride as a passenger on e-scooters in New York state. Cities, counties, and other local governments may have additional rules and ordinances regarding where and how e-bikes and e-scooters can be ridden.

    Bicycles that go faster than 25 miles per hour with electric assistance in New York City, or faster than 20 miles per hour with electric assistance outside New York City, are not e-bikes under New York law, and are instead e-motos, mopeds, or motorcycles that may be subject to additional registration, licensing, and insurance requirements through the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

    Businesses can only advertise or sell vehicles as e-bikes to New Yorkers if they fall within one of the three classes, and may only advertise or sell vehicles as e-scooters to New Yorkers if they meet the definition of one under New York law, including by having a top speed of 20 miles per hour or less. Businesses cannot advertise or sell vehicles that are intended to be modified to exceed legal limits of e-bikes or e-scooters. Misrepresenting the characteristics of an e-bike, e-scooter, or other vehicle, converting one for illegal use, or selling one without the required label is illegal under New York law.

    Attorney General James encourages all parents to carefully ensure that any bicycle, or e-bike, or e-scooter that they are purchasing for their children is safe and legal for their children to ride. Children under 16 may not operate any e-bike and may not operate or ride as a passenger in any e-scooter. Riders aged 16 and 17 must wear helmets on e-scooters, and riders of any age must wear helmets on class 3 e-bikes. Cities, counties, and other local governments may have stricter requirements. Regardless of age or the type of bike or scooter, wearing a helmet is always strongly recommended for safety.

    New Yorkers who believe a business is violating the law by selling e-bikes or e-scooters that exceed the legal safety limits should contact OAG by submitting a complaint online or by calling 1-(800) 771-7755.

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