To Balance the Budget, Mamdani Details Two Paths – Tax the Rich or Let the Middle Class Fund the Gap

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani released the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Preliminary Budget on Tuesday, Feb. 17, outlining the scope of what was described as a fiscal crisis he said he inherited from the prior administration. The mayor presented two paths forward to balance the budget (a legal requirement): raise revenue from the wealthiest New Yorkers and most profitable corporations and end the drain of City resources to the State, or have working and middle-class New Yorkers fund the gap.   

UPDATE Dinowitz Challenger Evers Calls on AM to Return Donation from Karp after Epstein Files Disclosure

Morgan Evers who launched her campaign to challenge local Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz on Dec. 7, for his Assembly District 81 seat in the upcoming June primaries, is calling on the seasoned politician who has held the seat for four decades to return a campaign contribution received from prominent New York attorney Brad Karp, after the latest Epstein file disclosures by the U.S. Department of Justice reveal emails exchanged between the deceased convicted pedophile and representatives of Karp.

UPDATE Bedford Park: CB7 Honors Veterans at Community Breakfast

Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7), the New York Grey Cadets, Assemblyman John Zaccaro Jr. (A.D. 80), the NYC Civic Engagement Commission, veterans, residents and others gathered at Bedford Park’s Lehman College on Saturday Nov. 15, for a community breakfast in honor of Veterans Appreciation Month, which, as reported, is marked in November in New York City, since 2023. A participatory budget (PB) conversation was also held. 

What Does the Latest U.S. Military Build Up in Puerto Rico Mean?   

Puerto Rico has a long and proud tradition of U.S. military service. Increases in the U.S. military presence in the Caribbean have set the region on edge. According to an ABC article dated Nov. 24, entitled Top U.S. military Adviser Visits Caribbean as Trump Ramps Up Pressure on Venezuela, high level officials from the Pentagon visited troops on the Island during Thanksgiving to thank them for their service. Is this military build-up temporary, and does it presage a larger conflict with Venezuela?