Politics

Salamanca Secures Spot on Democratic Ballot for Election as Bronx BP

By SÍLE MOLONEY
City Council Member Rafael Salamanca Jr. (C.D. 17) announced on Wednesday, April 2, that he has submitted over 11,000 petition signatures to NYC Board of Elections to officially qualify for the ballot in the upcoming Democratic primary race for Bronx borough president which takes place in June 2025.

UPDATE Court Extends Temporary Stop on State Homecare Program Transition as Advocates Hold Rally

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Advocates for older and disabled New Yorkers and their caregivers reacted on Friday, April 4, to a same day federal court ruling which has extended a temporary halt to a controversial, 3-month transition by NYS Department of Health (DOH) of its home care program to a new single, statewide financial intermediary (FI), in place of around 600 individual FIs. The deadline by which program participants (consumers and workers) were due to transition to the new FI was April 1, with the transition having started in early January, but there is at least some evidence that suggests it was not going as smoothly as anticipated.   

Op-Ed: Why I Oppose Gov. Hochul’s Proposed Mask Restrictions

By J. GOODMAN
Regarding Gov. Hochul’s proposed mask ban, which she seeks to bundle into New York’s upcoming state budget (due to be finalized by March 31), I oppose the ban. As a disabled Jewish woman who engages in activism, I find the possible codification of this measure to be a horrific violation of human and civil rights, in multiple ways:

NYS Assembly Passes Legislation to Restrict the Use of Harmful Chemicals in Menstrual Products

By SÍLE MOLONEY
NYS Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (A.D. 83) and Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal (A.D. 67) announced on Thursday, March 27, the passage of a new law (A.1502, Rosenthal) earlier this week that makes menstrual products safer by restricting the inclusion of certain chemicals like lead, mercury and per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), among others, in their production.

UPDATE Op-Ed: In Celebration of the Life & Legacy of Lydia Sadler, Church of the Mediator Vestry Senior Member

By STEPHANIE COGGINS
Early last month, I received a direct message from a friend of mine, alerting me that Lydia Sadler had suffered a traumatic asthma attack, resulting in complications that put her on life support in the NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital in Manhattan. Several days later on Feb. 12, the follow-up message relayed the catastrophic news: Lydia had died, selflessly donating her organs for the furtherance of someone else’s life.