Latest news with #DailyNews
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Longshot NYC mayoral candidate Michael Blake gets $2 million in matching funds on eve of primary
NEW YORK — Mayoral candidate Michael Blake has secured $2 million in public matching funds approved by the city's Campaign Finance Board — a significant but belated cash infusion for the longshot campaign. With just five days left in the primary race, the new cash influx likely comes too late for Blake, a former Bronx assemblyman, to mount a competitive campaign or significantly raise his profile. But Blake said the new funds mean his 'name will resonate across the city over the final five days' and mentioned get out the vote efforts and field operations targeting undecided voters. He declined to give specifics. 'We have days to close the deal,' Blake told the Daily News. 'Now we can make it clear to voters — you still have a choice. Especially to Black and brown voters, Michael Blake is a choice for you.' The decision comes after the Democrat sued the CFB for its refusal to allow him to participate in the second and final mayoral debate last week. The board in late May ruled that Blake would not be participating in the debate because he hadn't met the fundraising threshold to qualify for it, and a Manhattan Supreme Court justice backed up their decision. Blake's campaign argued in their suit that he had, in fact, met that threshold, and that the CFB's system errors mistakenly made it seem that he hadn't. The candidate garnered some attention with a lively performance at the first debate at the start of June, and climbed onto some endorsement slates after State Sen. Jessica Ramos, another mayoral candidate all but removed herself from consideration when she endorsed Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo. He also cross-endorsed Zohran Mamdani earlier this week as part of a broader attempt to block Cuomo from the mayoralty. Blake received 2% of the vote in a recent Marist poll.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
NY Daily News calls Adams' ban of City Hall reporter unconstitutional, demands reversal
NEW YORK — New York Daily News management is demanding that Mayor Eric Adams reverse his stated ban on the paper's senior City Hall reporter from mayoral press conferences, calling the move a violation of the Daily News' constitutional rights. An attorney for the paper made the demand in a letter sent to the city's Law Department Friday. 'Banning (senior City Hall reporter Chris) Sommerfeldt from attending the Mayor's press conferences is plainly unconstitutional,' attorney Matthew Leish wrote, citing both First and 14th amendment issues. Leish asked the Adams administration to drop the ban by noon on Monday at the latest, and did not rule out further legal action. '(T)he Daily News and Mr. Sommerfeldt expressly reserve all of their rights and remedies,' he wrote. As previously reported by the Daily News, Adams banned Sommerfeldt from future press conferences Tuesday after the reporter asked a question without raising his hand. Sommerfeldt has not been called on by the mayor's press staff in more than three months. The reporter had just asked a follow-up to another journalist's question when Adams said: 'You're calling out a lot, Chris, stop calling out!' the mayor said in a sing-song tone. 'You must have done that in school.' 'Listen, if he does that again, he's not to come into our conferences,' Adams then said to his press staff. Sommerfeldt then asked the mayor, 'You want to take a question from me, then?' 'He did it again,' Adams replied. 'Make sure security knows he's not allowed back into this room.' In his letter Friday, Leish, the Daily News' attorney, said the purported ban 'unquestionably violates the First Amendment,' which prohibits selective regulation of the press. 'The Mayor's press conferences are generally open to any credentialed journalist, and the purported reason for Mr. Sommerfeldt's exclusion – the fact that he asked questions without being called on – is completely arbitrary given that other journalists have done exactly the same thing without incident,' Leish wrote. The attorney said the ban also violated Sommerfeldt's 14th Amendment right to due process to address the proposed ban. Asked during a round table on the upcoming mayoral primary on WPIX Thursday about his plans, Sommerfeldt said he was going to continue 'doing my job.' Adams, asked if he planned to enforce the ban during a News 12 interview, said he expected there would be conversations between his team and Daily News management and that 'we'll decide what we're going to do from there.' City hall did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The letter comes amid a groundswell of opposition to the ban. The New York Press Club, the Freedom of the Press Foundation and PEN America have all called on Adams to drop the ban, as has the Daily News Union. Republican mayoral hopeful Curtis Sliwa and Democratic candidate Zellnor Myrie also criticized Adams for the ban. _____
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Son of Pulitzer-winning author Michael Chabon accused of rape, strangulation in NYC
NEW YORK — The 22-year-old son of the Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon has been accused of choking and raping a woman in Manhattan last year, prosecutors announced. Abraham Chabon, a student at New York University, is facing a count of second-degree strangulation and first-degree rape in connection with the the alleged attack, according to a criminal complaint viewed by the Daily News He pleaded not guilty to both counts during an appearance in Manhattan Criminal Court on June 13 and he was released following the arraignment, after Judge Kacie Lally set bail at $45,000 cash or a $150,000 bond. The alleged incident occurred inside a building on East 12th Street on Jan. 25 2024, according to the complaint. That's where Chabon allegedly grabbed the woman by her neck and forced her onto the bed. She said he choked her to the point where she struggled breathe as he raped her. She also alleged that Chabon repeatedly struck her in the face 'causing stupor and loss of vision in one eye' as well as pain, swelling, and bruising to her neck and face. An attorney for Chabon, Priya Chaudhry, declared his innocence in a statement to The New York Times, adding that he 'was as shocked by these false allegations as anyone.' Chaudhry also noted that Chabon 'has strong family support and a devoted partner who all believe in his innocence. We hope the prosecutor's investigation reveals his innocence quickly.' His father, Michael Chabon's writings include 'The Mysteries of Pittsburgh,' 'Wonder Boys,' 'The Yiddish Policemen's Union,' 'Telegraph Avenue,' and 'The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay,' which won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. It also served as inspiration for an opera of the same name, set to have its New York premiere at the Metropolitan Opera this fall. His mother, Ayelet Waldman, is also a writer known for her books 'Bad Mother' and 'A Really Good Day: How Microdosing Made a Mega Difference in My Mood, My Marriage, and My Life.' The couple share four children, including Abraham.
IOL News
8 hours ago
- Business
- IOL News
Durban Tourism celebrates excellence at annual business awards
Durban's mayor Cyril Xaba (far right), with some city officials and awards recipients. at the Durban Tourism Business Awards Ayanada Mdluli (left), the Daily News editor was also present at the 4th annual Durban Tourism Business Awards. This week, the vibrant and bustling city of Durban played host to the 4th annual Durban Tourism Business Awards, held at the prestigious Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre. Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. The awards ceremony served as a beacon of recognition, celebrating innovation and excellence within South Africa's thriving tourism sector. The tourism industry, a cornerstone of the local economy, has historically faced numerous challenges, particularly in the wake of the global pandemic. However, the resilience and ingenuity displayed by various stakeholders in the sector have been remarkable. This year's event brought together key figures from various sectors, all eager to applaud the trailblazers who have pushed boundaries and set new standards. Organised by Durban Tourism, the awards aimed not only to honour achievements but also to inspire ongoing development and sustainability. DAILY NEWS
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Making NYC affordable: Where the mayoral primary candidates stand on the housing crisis
NEW YORK — New York City is facing intertwined housing and affordability crises, with record rents and historically low apartment vacancy rates. About half of households struggle to pay for the basics while a quarter live in poverty. Within the debate over affordability, finding ways to create more affordable housing has become a major concern for voters. With the Democratic primary for mayor approaching on Tuesday, the Daily News is breaking down some of the key issues for voters and where each candidate stands on them. Here is how the contenders have proposed tackling the housing crisis on social media, in interviews, during debates and as part of their formal policy plans. We have included the top seven candidates who met the fundraising thresholds to qualify for the second debate. Adams has touted her housing record as Speaker, saying she is 'doing the work' with large-scale rezonings like City of Yes, Innovation QNS and the Atlantic Avenue Mixed-Use Plan. As mayor she pledged to 'use every tool available' to address the housing crisis by cutting red tape and using emergency powers to get affordable housing built. She and the broader City Council also passed an expansion of the CityFHEPS rental assistance program as part of a protracted legal battle with Mayor Eric Adams. She has indicated she supports a rent freeze at least this year for tenants in rent-stabilized apartments. Cuomo has said he would use 'every option available' to develop 500,000 new apartments over a 10-year period. During the first debate, the former HUD secretary vowed to 'blow up' the city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development to minimize bureaucracy, a proposal that was warmly received by real estate players but balked at by tenant advocates. Cuomo has not supported a rent freeze for rent-stabilized tenants, dismissing it as a 'politically convenient posture.' Opponents of a freeze have argued that the cost of operating and maintaining buildings would continue to rise while rents remained flat, potentially putting property owners in a precarious financial position. Lander has said he would be 'the best-prepared housing mayor,' citing his years in urban planning and work passing the Gowanus rezoning while on the Council. His lengthy housing plan involves declaring a housing emergency to expedite the development of 500,000 new units of housing over a decade, including on city-owned golf courses. It also calls for coming down harder on 'irresponsible' landlords and increasing funding for NYCHA and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development. Lander has called for a one-year rent freeze in his capacity as comptroller and expressed an openness to doing so again as mayor. Mamdani has made freezing rents for rent-stabilized tenants a centerpiece of his campaign, saying he would do so for all four years if elected mayor. His housing plan would triple the City's production of affordable housing with the aim of producing 200,000 new homes over ten years. Mamdani would also fast-track 100% affordable projects, double the money being spent to preserve public housing and beef up municipal housing agencies. Mamdani proposes funding many of his ambitious plans by increasing taxes on the wealthiest New Yorkers. Myrie has pitched himself as the 'YIMBY' candidate, with a plan to build and preserve one million homes over a decade. It includes revitalizing NYCHA, building more in Midtown, reallocating shelter financing for housing and expanding the Right to Counsel program. Myrie has called for a one-year rent freeze for tenants in rent-stabilized apartments and said he would consider it in the future. Stringer's housing plan — dubbed 'Mitchell-Lama 2.0' — includes developing affordable homes by building on underutilized city-owned lots and reclaiming derelict properties from neglectful landlords. He further hopes to bolster public housing by securing $40 billion for NYCHA improvements. The former hedge fund manager summarized his housing mantra as 'unleash the private sector.' Tilson says he would cut red tape in order to create more affordable housing by streamlining zoning and approval processes, and said the city should be constructing at least 100,000 new units annually. Tilson indicated at the second debate that he does not support a rent freeze for rent-stabilized tenants this year.
