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Rabbi Arthur Schneier has spent decades shaping Park East Synagogue into one of the most prominent synagogues in New York, a public showcase for Modern Orthodox Judaism that has drawn visiting world leaders, including Pope Benedict XVI. He became synonymous with the synagogue and grew in stature by founding a school renamed in his honor and a nonprofit focused on human rights.

Ten years ago, he hired Benjamin Goldschmidt to be assistant rabbi, a dutiful job that has never been a steppingstone to the synagogue’s senior position. But Goldschmidt, young and charismatic, quickly began to develop his own following by focusing on the spiritual needs of what he calls “the next generation of Jews.”

The relationship between the leaders grew strained as Goldschmidt, 34, rose in popularity at a time when Park East members began to question who would take over when Schneier, 91, was no longer able to lead.

In October, Schneier abruptly fired Goldschmidt, and those long-simmering tensions publicly exploded in a way rabbinic rivalries rarely do. One New York tabloid called the conflict “The Rabbi War,” and it has captivated much of the Jewish world for its acrimony, its allegations of unlawful behavior, and the generational questions it raises about the leadership of a prominent synagogue and the future of Modern Orthodox Judaism, which is increasingly shaped by the influence of ultra-Orthodox Jews and Russian speakers.

The accusations of betrayal and lawbreaking are extraordinary public attacks between influential rabbis that led Park East to decry its former employee’s actions as “a disgrace of the Rabbinate and Torah values” and have drawn the attention of an Israeli government minister who called for the younger rabbi to be rehired.

The conflict has split the synagogue: Schneier supporters remain there, while hundreds of other Park East members have joined the younger rabbi as he leads a rival Shabbat service down the street.

“I think Rabbi Goldschmidt is an up-and-coming figure in the Orthodox world,” said David Lobl, 37, a Goldschmidt supporter. “And there is an old saying, ‘There is only room for one rabbi in a shul.’”

That rabbi is and should be Schneier, said Hank Sheinkopf, a political strategist and spokesperson for the Schneier family.

“He and the institution are identified together,” he said. “If you attack one, you attack the other.”

Both rabbis have obtained public relations representatives and legal teams. Schneier and members of the board of Park East Synagogue declined to be interviewed for this article. Goldschmidt agreed to be interviewed in the presence of a public relations adviser but declined to address the allegations he made through his lawyer that Schneier has run Park East and his foundation in ways that violate state law.

Richard Emery, a lawyer for the Schneier family and the rabbi’s foundation, blamed the younger rabbi for a conflict that he described as “internecine pettiness.”

“Goldschmidt’s manipulations to try to control PES must not be permitted to tarnish Rabbi Schneier’s 60 years of accomplishments,” Emery said in a statement.

Born in Vienna, Schneier survived the Holocaust and emigrated in 1947 to the United States. He attended New York’s Yeshiva University, which would later name its international affairs program after him. In 1962, he began working at Park East, located in one of the city’s most exclusive neighborhoods, and built it from a small, 40-person congregation into a community of 750 members today.

He founded the Appeal of Conscience Foundation in 1965 to campaign for human rights behind the Iron Curtain. The foundation’s board of trustees boasts members such as George Pataki, the former governor of New York, and executives from Deutsche Bank, Johnson &amp;amp; Johnson and Bank of America. He remains president of the charitable organization.

He also founded the Rabbi Arthur Schneier Park East Day School in 1976 and remains dean of the school, which became eponymous in 1990.

Schneier’s tenure has combined the daily spiritual work of a rabbi and the advocacy and institution building of a public figure. During the Cold War, he held rallies in support of Soviet Jews in front of Park East, which sat across the street from a Soviet diplomatic mission, and was awarded a Presidential Citizens Medal in 2001.

As news of the discord at Park East spread, the public profiles of both rabbis led the Israeli government to weigh in.

In a letter to the synagogue, Yoel Razvozov, Israel’s tourism minister and former head of its parliamentary diaspora committee, called for Goldschmidt to be rehired. He said the “crisis” at Park East “definitely puts a shadow over the integration of the Russian-speaking Jews in the greater Jewish community of New York.”

From the beginning, Goldschmidt was an unconventional fit for an Upper East Side Modern Orthodox synagogue like Park East.

Goldschmidt was born in Israel and raised in Russia, and a representative for Park East said it hired him in 2011 as a favor to his father, Pinchas Goldschmidt, chief rabbi of Moscow and president of the Conference of European Rabbis.

Unlike many Modern Orthodox leaders, Goldschmidt does not have a college degree and was educated at religiously conservative Haredi, or ultra-Orthodox, schools in Israel and New Jersey.

In 2014, he married journalist Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt in a wedding ceremony featured in The New York Times “Vows” section and attended by 1,000 guests, including renowned sex therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer.

Chizhik-Goldschmidt’s social media presence has helped boost their image as emerging leaders and includes photos of her husband and children and links to her journalistic work on Jewish issues. (She has also contributed two pieces to the Times opinion section, one about her husband and a second about their courtship.)

In his years at Park East, Goldschmidt concentrated on attracting young families like his own to the synagogue.

“What I feel like is my greatest responsibility is how to engage the next generation,” Goldschmidt said in an interview. “For me, that is the number one, two, three most important thing.”

As Goldschmidt’s influence grew, Park East members said, Schneier began to reduce his visibility and authority: His seat on the dais was replaced with a rickety folding chair. He was stripped of responsibility for a prayer group he started. Chizhik-Goldschmidt was forbidden from mentoring bat mitzvah students.

In October, a group of congregants supportive of Goldschmidt sent an email to all the members of the synagogue and parents of children who attend the day school expressing concern about the future of Park East and criticizing the synagogue’s poor appeal to young families.

In interviews, supporters of Goldschmidt described Schneier as a self-aggrandizing nonagenarian who is unwilling to cede the spotlight or to allow Park East members to participate in the governance of the synagogue.

The email angered Schneier, who saw it as disapproving of his leadership. He soon learned that Goldschmidt gave the contact list to the group that distributed the email and quickly fired him for what he called a violation of members’ privacy.

Three days later, Schneier announced the termination in his own email to the congregation. In that email, he accused the members who wrote the previous email of having “no real ideas” for the future and being driven by “other motives” that he declined to “dignify in this letter to you, my beloved congregation.” Park East later said in a statement that it had been unhappy with the younger rabbi’s job performance.

Goldschmidt could never take over Park East because his education at a Haredi yeshiva, which do not grant bachelor’s degrees, did not meet the synagogue’s “minimum education standards” and was culturally out of step with its peer institutions, said Sheinkopf.

“Look at the other synagogues in the Modern Orthodox vein,” he said. “It is unlikely that someone from a Haredi background would in fact wind up as the rabbi of that institution.”

After he was fired, Goldschmidt decided to tell the news media about what he described as the inappropriate operations of Park East, although he did not take his concerns to law enforcement.

He hired Daniel L. Kurtz, a lawyer who led the Charities Bureau at the New York state Attorney General’s Office from 1979 to 1985, and accused Schneier of concentrating power at Park East and the foundation in ways that violated state law.

The foundation paid Schneier $200,000 and his daughter, Karen Dresbach, $225,000, according to its 2020 tax filings, which also note that the rabbi had an estimated income of $400,000 from other unnamed sources. The filings said the foundation rents space in a building owned by Schneier. Kurtz described that arrangement as “self-dealing.”

Lawyers for Schneier said the rental agreement had been fully approved by the foundation’s board and that the rent amount — under $200,000 per year for most of a four-story building on East 71st Street — was far below market rate.

The rabbi also worked for the foundation without pay for the first 47 years of its operation until the board decided to begin paying him in 2012. His daughter was hired in 2017 after an 18-year career as a nonprofit executive in Florida, and both were paid less than the leaders of many comparable nonprofits, his lawyers said.

Some Park East members worry that Schneier aspires to hand the reins to his son, Marc Schneier, founder of the upscale Hampton Synagogue in Westhampton Beach, and say that they disapprove. But the rabbi’s son has no interest in inheriting his father’s operation, Sheinkopf said.

Still, Goldschmidt called the Schneiers’ various arrangements a demonstration that the rabbi has been using his foundation to financially benefit himself and his family, allegations that Emery said were “categorically false.”

In addition to questioning the foundation’s financial practices, Kurtz said his client believed Park East was being governed in a way that violated state law.

The law governing religious groups requires synagogues to hold regular membership meetings so congregants can elect a board of trustees and obtain information about the synagogue’s finances, Kurtz said.

Four Park East members who Kurtz also represents have requested the synagogue’s bylaws and financial information. None of their requests have been fulfilled, he said.

In an interview, Goldschmidt said there had been no membership meetings during his decade at Park East. His lawyer said the synagogue’s board of trustees was appointed by Schneier, not elected, which Kurtz said was “blatantly illegal.”

Schneier’s lawyer said that his client was not involved in Park East’s operations and bears no responsibility for any unlawful actions that may have been taken by its leadership, although he “occasionally makes suggestions of possible new board members.”

In a statement, Park East declined to say how board members obtain their seats. Schneier’s lawyer also declined to provide that information.

The synagogue said the accusations are aimed at “intentionally defaming” the synagogue and its senior rabbi. It also criticized Goldschmidt for not expressing concern about its operations while on staff and accused him of going to the news media in “a coordinated effort to spread rumors, lies and distrust” that violated “the tenets of the Jewish faith.”

Goldschmidt said his loyalty is to the people of Park East, not its administrators.

“The way I see it, my ultimate responsibility is to members of the congregation,” he said.

Last month, Goldschmidt supporters of all ages gathered for Shabbat at an Upper East Side event space down the street from Park East. They packed the room and poured into the hallway to hear the rabbi speak. In his sermon, Goldschmidt alluded to the conflict.

“I have mixed feelings today,” he said. “This is not an ideal situation. When there is a family feud, there are no victors. And we are a family, a community, one people.”

Down the street on another Saturday, people gathered for Schneier’s service. Standing before the crowd, most of them older adults, he reflected on the way that “Jewish leaders have transformed the skyline here in our great city.”

When taking stock of your life, he told them, it is important to embrace a “spirit of thanksgiving.”

“We thank you, God,” Schneier said. “Be grateful for every day of your life.”

Rabbi Arthur Schneier has spent decades shaping Park East Synagogue into one of the most prominent synagogues in New York, a public showcase for Modern Orthodox Judaism that has drawn visiting world leaders, including Pope Benedict XVI.

Rabbi Arthur Schneier has spent decades shaping Park East Synagogue into one of the most prominent synagogues in New York, a public showcase for Modern Orthodox Judaism that has drawn visiting world leaders, including Pope Benedict XVI. He became synonymous with the synagogue and grew in stature by founding a school renamed in his honor and a nonprofit focused on human rights. Ten years ago, he hired Benjamin Goldschmidt to be assistant rabbi, a dutiful job that has never been a steppingstone to the synagogue’s senior position. But Goldschmidt, young and charismatic, quickly began to develop his own following by focusing on the spiritual needs of what he calls “the next generation of Jews.” The relationship between the leaders grew strained as Goldschmidt, 34, rose in popularity at a time when Park East members began to question who would take over when Schneier, 91, was no longer able to lead. In October, Schneier abruptly fired Goldschmidt, and those long-simmering tensions publicly exploded in a way rabbinic rivalries rarely do. One New York tabloid called the conflict “The Rabbi War,” and it has captivated much of the Jewish world for its acrimony, its allegations of unlawful behavior, and the generational questions it raises about the leadership of a prominent synagogue and the future of Modern Orthodox Judaism, which is increasingly shaped by the influence of ultra-Orthodox Jews and Russian speakers. The accusations of betrayal and lawbreaking are extraordinary public attacks between influential rabbis that led Park East to decry its former employee’s actions as “a disgrace of the Rabbinate and Torah values” and have drawn the attention of an Israeli government minister who called for the younger rabbi to be rehired. The conflict has split the synagogue: Schneier supporters remain there, while hundreds of other Park East members have joined the younger rabbi as he leads a rival Shabbat service down the street. “I think Rabbi Goldschmidt is an up-and-coming figure in the Orthodox world,” said David Lobl, 37, a Goldschmidt supporter. “And there is an old saying, ‘There is only room for one rabbi in a shul.’” That rabbi is and should be Schneier, said Hank Sheinkopf, a political strategist and spokesperson for the Schneier family. “He and the institution are identified together,” he said. “If you attack one, you attack the other.” Both rabbis have obtained public relations representatives and legal teams. Schneier and members of the board of Park East Synagogue declined to be interviewed for this article. Goldschmidt agreed to be interviewed in the presence of a public relations adviser but declined to address the allegations he made through his lawyer that Schneier has run Park East and his foundation in ways that violate state law. Richard Emery, a lawyer for the Schneier family and the rabbi’s foundation, blamed the younger rabbi for a conflict that he described as “internecine pettiness.” “Goldschmidt’s manipulations to try to control PES must not be permitted to tarnish Rabbi Schneier’s 60 years of accomplishments,” Emery said in a statement. Born in Vienna, Schneier survived the Holocaust and emigrated in 1947 to the United States. He attended New York’s Yeshiva University, which would later name its international affairs program after him. In 1962, he began working at Park East, located in one of the city’s most exclusive neighborhoods, and built it from a small, 40-person congregation into a community of 750 members today. He founded the Appeal of Conscience Foundation in 1965 to campaign for human rights behind the Iron Curtain. The foundation’s board of trustees boasts members such as George Pataki, the former governor of New York, and executives from Deutsche Bank, Johnson &amp; Johnson and Bank of America. He remains president of the charitable organization. He also founded the Rabbi Arthur Schneier Park East Day School in 1976 and remains dean of the school, which became eponymous in 1990. Schneier’s tenure has combined the daily spiritual work of a rabbi and the advocacy and institution building of a public figure. During the Cold War, he held rallies in support of Soviet Jews in front of Park East, which sat across the street from a Soviet diplomatic mission, and was awarded a Presidential Citizens Medal in 2001. As news of the discord at Park East spread, the public profiles of both rabbis led the Israeli government to weigh in. In a letter to the synagogue, Yoel Razvozov, Israel’s tourism minister and former head of its parliamentary diaspora committee, called for Goldschmidt to be rehired. He said the “crisis” at Park East “definitely puts a shadow over the integration of the Russian-speaking Jews in the greater Jewish community of New York.” From the beginning, Goldschmidt was an unconventional fit for an Upper East Side Modern Orthodox synagogue like Park East. Goldschmidt was born in Israel and raised in Russia, and a representative for Park East said it hired him in 2011 as a favor to his father, Pinchas Goldschmidt, chief rabbi of Moscow and president of the Conference of European Rabbis. Unlike many Modern Orthodox leaders, Goldschmidt does not have a college degree and was educated at religiously conservative Haredi, or ultra-Orthodox, schools in Israel and New Jersey. In 2014, he married journalist Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt in a wedding ceremony featured in The New York Times “Vows” section and attended by 1,000 guests, including renowned sex therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer. Chizhik-Goldschmidt’s social media presence has helped boost their image as emerging leaders and includes photos of her husband and children and links to her journalistic work on Jewish issues. (She has also contributed two pieces to the Times opinion section, one about her husband and a second about their courtship.) In his years at Park East, Goldschmidt concentrated on attracting young families like his own to the synagogue. “What I feel like is my greatest responsibility is how to engage the next generation,” Goldschmidt said in an interview. “For me, that is the number one, two, three most important thing.” As Goldschmidt’s influence grew, Park East members said, Schneier began to reduce his visibility and authority: His seat on the dais was replaced with a rickety folding chair. He was stripped of responsibility for a prayer group he started. Chizhik-Goldschmidt was forbidden from mentoring bat mitzvah students. In October, a group of congregants supportive of Goldschmidt sent an email to all the members of the synagogue and parents of children who attend the day school expressing concern about the future of Park East and criticizing the synagogue’s poor appeal to young families. In interviews, supporters of Goldschmidt described Schneier as a self-aggrandizing nonagenarian who is unwilling to cede the spotlight or to allow Park East members to participate in the governance of the synagogue. The email angered Schneier, who saw it as disapproving of his leadership. He soon learned that Goldschmidt gave the contact list to the group that distributed the email and quickly fired him for what he called a violation of members’ privacy. Three days later, Schneier announced the termination in his own email to the congregation. In that email, he accused the members who wrote the previous email of having “no real ideas” for the future and being driven by “other motives” that he declined to “dignify in this letter to you, my beloved congregation.” Park East later said in a statement that it had been unhappy with the younger rabbi’s job performance. Goldschmidt could never take over Park East because his education at a Haredi yeshiva, which do not grant bachelor’s degrees, did not meet the synagogue’s “minimum education standards” and was culturally out of step with its peer institutions, said Sheinkopf. “Look at the other synagogues in the Modern Orthodox vein,” he said. “It is unlikely that someone from a Haredi background would in fact wind up as the rabbi of that institution.” After he was fired, Goldschmidt decided to tell the news media about what he described as the inappropriate operations of Park East, although he did not take his concerns to law enforcement. He hired Daniel L. Kurtz, a lawyer who led the Charities Bureau at the New York state Attorney General’s Office from 1979 to 1985, and accused Schneier of concentrating power at Park East and the foundation in ways that violated state law. The foundation paid Schneier $200,000 and his daughter, Karen Dresbach, $225,000, according to its 2020 tax filings, which also note that the rabbi had an estimated income of $400,000 from other unnamed sources. The filings said the foundation rents space in a building owned by Schneier. Kurtz described that arrangement as “self-dealing.” Lawyers for Schneier said the rental agreement had been fully approved by the foundation’s board and that the rent amount — under $200,000 per year for most of a four-story building on East 71st Street — was far below market rate. The rabbi also worked for the foundation without pay for the first 47 years of its operation until the board decided to begin paying him in 2012. His daughter was hired in 2017 after an 18-year career as a nonprofit executive in Florida, and both were paid less than the leaders of many comparable nonprofits, his lawyers said. Some Park East members worry that Schneier aspires to hand the reins to his son, Marc Schneier, founder of the upscale Hampton Synagogue in Westhampton Beach, and say that they disapprove. But the rabbi’s son has no interest in inheriting his father’s operation, Sheinkopf said. Still, Goldschmidt called the Schneiers’ various arrangements a demonstration that the rabbi has been using his foundation to financially benefit himself and his family, allegations that Emery said were “categorically false.” In addition to questioning the foundation’s financial practices, Kurtz said his client believed Park East was being governed in a way that violated state law. The law governing religious groups requires synagogues to hold regular membership meetings so congregants can elect a board of trustees and obtain information about the synagogue’s finances, Kurtz said. Four Park East members who Kurtz also represents have requested the synagogue’s bylaws and financial information. None of their requests have been fulfilled, he said. In an interview, Goldschmidt said there had been no membership meetings during his decade at Park East. His lawyer said the synagogue’s board of trustees was appointed by Schneier, not elected, which Kurtz said was “blatantly illegal.” Schneier’s lawyer said that his client was not involved in Park East’s operations and bears no responsibility for any unlawful actions that may have been taken by its leadership, although he “occasionally makes suggestions of possible new board members.” In a statement, Park East declined to say how board members obtain their seats. Schneier’s lawyer also declined to provide that information. The synagogue said the accusations are aimed at “intentionally defaming” the synagogue and its senior rabbi. It also criticized Goldschmidt for not expressing concern about its operations while on staff and accused him of going to the news media in “a coordinated effort to spread rumors, lies and distrust” that violated “the tenets of the Jewish faith.” Goldschmidt said his loyalty is to the people of Park East, not its administrators. “The way I see it, my ultimate responsibility is to members of the congregation,” he said. Last month, Goldschmidt supporters of all ages gathered for Shabbat at an Upper East Side event space down the street from Park East. They packed the room and poured into the hallway to hear the rabbi speak. In his sermon, Goldschmidt alluded to the conflict. “I have mixed feelings today,” he said. “This is not an ideal situation. When there is a family feud, there are no victors. And we are a family, a community, one people.” Down the street on another Saturday, people gathered for Schneier’s service. Standing before the crowd, most of them older adults, he reflected on the way that “Jewish leaders have transformed the skyline here in our great city.” When taking stock of your life, he told them, it is important to embrace a “spirit of thanksgiving.” “We thank you, God,” Schneier said. “Be grateful for every day of your life.”

A synagogue feud spills into public view: ‘Only room for one rabbi’

New York police have arrested a man holding a shotgun outside the United Nations headquarter. According to officials, the man had threatened to kill himself in front of one of the building's main entrances.

Police arrests armed man outside UN, says he wanted to get some papers delivered

New York City police officers have finally arrested an armed man outside the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan. The police had already cordoned off the premises and surrounded the man.

This came after a two hours standoff with the man who was holding a shotgun loaded with one buckshot round pointed under his neck. According to reports, the man was a middle-aged white male with grey hair wearing a red sweater and tan jacket.

Harry Wedin, NYPD chief of special operations said, "We knew early on that this did not appear to be terror related."

He further highlighted that the man had some papers he wanted to deliver to the UN. "The dialogue went back and forth about how we might be able to accommodate his request and bring the incident to a peaceful conclusion," he said.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/watch-new-york-police-in-standoff-with-gun-wielding-man-outside-un-headquarters-433628">Also read |&nbsp;Watch | New York Police in standoff with gun-wielding man outside UN headquarters</a>

The members of the Emergency Service Unit took possession of the papers and managed to deliver them to the UN. After this, the individual immediately put down the shotgun and was taken into custody.&nbsp;

The lone man was transported to a nearby hospital for evaluation.

NYPD First Deputy Commissioner Benjamin Tucker said the man, who he declined to identify, had "some issues."&nbsp;

"Essentially, he wanted the UN to receive his documents, which is ultimately what we agreed to do, is provide those documents to the UN&nbsp;and he said if we could do that, he would put the gun down and end it, which is exactly what happened," Tucker said.

Images and videos went viral on social media which showed armed police surrounding the man standing on a sidewalk.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/man-with-gun-seen-outside-un-headquarter-threatened-to-kill-himself-433662/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

(With inputs from agencies)

New York City police officers have finally arrested an armed man outside the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan. The police had already cordoned off the premises and surrounded the man.

New York City police officers have finally arrested an armed man outside the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan. The police had already cordoned off the premises and surrounded the man. This came after a two hours standoff with the man who was holding a shotgun loaded with one buckshot round pointed under his neck. According to reports, the man was a middle-aged white male with grey hair wearing a red sweater and tan jacket. Harry Wedin, NYPD chief of special operations said, "We knew early on that this did not appear to be terror related." He further highlighted that the man had some papers he wanted to deliver to the UN. "The dialogue went back and forth about how we might be able to accommodate his request and bring the incident to a peaceful conclusion," he said. Also read | Watch | New York Police in standoff with gun-wielding man outside UN headquarters The members of the Emergency Service Unit took possession of the papers and managed to deliver them to the UN. After this, the individual immediately put down the shotgun and was taken into custody. The lone man was transported to a nearby hospital for evaluation. NYPD First Deputy Commissioner Benjamin Tucker said the man, who he declined to identify, had "some issues." "Essentially, he wanted the UN to receive his documents, which is ultimately what we agreed to do, is provide those documents to the UN and he said if we could do that, he would put the gun down and end it, which is exactly what happened," Tucker said. Images and videos went viral on social media which showed armed police surrounding the man standing on a sidewalk. (With inputs from agencies)

New York police officers are in a stand-off after a lone man believed to be holding a gun was spotted outside the United Nations headquarters in New York on Thursday.The police have cordoned off the premises and surrounded the man.

According to an official speaking on condition of anonymity, the man threatened to kill himself in front of one of the building's entrances, reports AFP

“The UN headquarters is closed, there is police activity,” a UN spokesman told AFP.

Images and videos went viral on social media which showed armed police surrounding the man standing on a sidewalk.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Stand-off --Man with gun pacing in front of the United Nations. Police saying "put down the guy. There are better ways to get your message out." White male. Grey hair. Red sweater tan jacket. <a href="https://t.co/qOB5NACBne">pic.twitter.com/qOB5NACBne</a>
— Greg Kelly-Ripped in 2022. (@gregkellyusa) <a href="https://twitter.com/gregkellyusa/status/1466437329506217992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2021</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Man appears to be holding a long gun pointed at his chin. NYPD appears to be trying to defuse situation. <a href="https://t.co/6vibIy1v0D">pic.twitter.com/6vibIy1v0D</a>
— Sherwin Bryce-Pease (@sherwiebp) <a href="https://twitter.com/sherwiebp/status/1466449956525547523?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2021</a></blockquote>
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“Put down the gun. There are better ways to get your message out,” a police officer was heard was saying to the unidentified man.

So far, the identity and the motive behind such an extreme move has not been ascertained.

According to reports, the man is a middle-aged white male with grey hair wearing a red sweater and tan jacket.

The avenue along the UN headquarters was closed to traffic, but meetings inside were not immediately affected.

“Due to a police investigation, avoid the area of 42 Street and 1st Avenue. Expect emergency vehicles in the surrounding area,” the New York police department said on Twitter.

(With inputs from agencies)

New York police officers are in a stand-off after a lone man believed to be holding a gun was spotted outside the United Nations headquarters in New York on Thursday.

New York police officers are in a stand-off after a lone man believed to be holding a gun was spotted outside the United Nations headquarters in New York on Thursday.The police have cordoned off the premises and surrounded the man. According to an official speaking on condition of anonymity, the man threatened to kill himself in front of one of the building's entrances, reports AFP “The UN headquarters is closed, there is police activity,” a UN spokesman told AFP. Images and videos went viral on social media which showed armed police surrounding the man standing on a sidewalk. Stand-off --Man with gun pacing in front of the United Nations. Police saying "put down the guy. There are better ways to get your message out." White male. Grey hair. Red sweater tan jacket. pic.twitter.com/qOB5NACBne — Greg Kelly-Ripped in 2022. (@gregkellyusa) December 2, 2021 × Man appears to be holding a long gun pointed at his chin. NYPD appears to be trying to defuse situation. pic.twitter.com/6vibIy1v0D — Sherwin Bryce-Pease (@sherwiebp) December 2, 2021 × “Put down the gun. There are better ways to get your message out,” a police officer was heard was saying to the unidentified man. So far, the identity and the motive behind such an extreme move has not been ascertained. According to reports, the man is a middle-aged white male with grey hair wearing a red sweater and tan jacket. The avenue along the UN headquarters was closed to traffic, but meetings inside were not immediately affected. “Due to a police investigation, avoid the area of 42 Street and 1st Avenue. Expect emergency vehicles in the surrounding area,” the New York police department said on Twitter. (With inputs from agencies)

Watch | New York Police in standoff with gun-wielding man outside UN headquarters

CNN has suspended Chris Cuomo indefinitely after details emerged about how he helped his brother, the former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, as he faced accusations of sexual harassment.

CNN suspends Chris Cuomo for helping his brother amid sexual harassment reports

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has issued a Covid-19 "disaster emergency" declaration on Friday amid a surge in cases and hospitalisations. Earlier, the governor had warned that several options, including a state emergency declaration and calling in health care workers from the National Guard, are on the table to address hospital staffing shortages.&nbsp;

In a statement, Hochul said, "I am monitoring the staffing situation closely and we have a plan to increase our health care workforce and help alleviate the burdens on our hospitals and other health care facilities."

"I commend all of the health care workers who have stepped up to get themselves vaccinated, and I urge all remaining health care workers who are unvaccinated to do so now so they can continue providing care." 
This comes at a time when a new variant of Covid-19, Omicron, has raised concerns.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/who-classifies-new-covid-19-strain-as-variant-of-concern-names-it-omicron-432234">Also read |&nbsp;WHO classifies new COVID-19 strain as 'variant of concern'; names it Omicron</a>

Global authorities are taking precautions for curbing the spread of this new variant. As a 'precautionary measure', the US will be restricting travel from South Africa and seven other southern African countries, including, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi. Starting from Monday, only US citizens and residents will be allowed to travel from the region.

US President Joe Biden, in a statement, deemed it as a "precautionary measure." He further said that moving forward he will be “guided by what the science and my medical team advises.”

The World Health Organisation classified the new coronavirus strain detected in South Africa as a "variant of concern."

(With inputs from agencies)

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has issued a Covid-19 "disaster emergency" declaration on Friday amid a surge in cases and hospitalisations. Earlier, the governor had warned that several options, including a state emergency declaration and calling in health care workers from the National Guard, are on the table to address hospital staffing shortages.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has issued a Covid-19 "disaster emergency" declaration on Friday amid a surge in cases and hospitalisations. Earlier, the governor had warned that several options, including a state emergency declaration and calling in health care workers from the National Guard, are on the table to address hospital staffing shortages. In a statement, Hochul said, "I am monitoring the staffing situation closely and we have a plan to increase our health care workforce and help alleviate the burdens on our hospitals and other health care facilities." "I commend all of the health care workers who have stepped up to get themselves vaccinated, and I urge all remaining health care workers who are unvaccinated to do so now so they can continue providing care." This comes at a time when a new variant of Covid-19, Omicron, has raised concerns. Also read | WHO classifies new COVID-19 strain as 'variant of concern'; names it Omicron Global authorities are taking precautions for curbing the spread of this new variant. As a 'precautionary measure', the US will be restricting travel from South Africa and seven other southern African countries, including, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi. Starting from Monday, only US citizens and residents will be allowed to travel from the region. US President Joe Biden, in a statement, deemed it as a "precautionary measure." He further said that moving forward he will be “guided by what the science and my medical team advises.” The World Health Organisation classified the new coronavirus strain detected in South Africa as a "variant of concern." (With inputs from agencies)

New York: 'Disaster emergency' declared as Covid cases and hospitalisations see a surge

From giant floats to marching bands, Macy's Thanksgiving day parade returns to New York

Julien's auctions is hosting its annual icons and idols: rock and roll auction in New York. This time - with 900 pieces from some of the world's biggest music stars on the block from Eric Clapton's guitar from the 1970s to dresses worn Amy Winehouse. Take a look.

Julien's auctions hosts  its annual icons and idols: rock and roll auction in New York

After leaving the royal family and relinquishing titles, Japanese former princess Mako Komuro has arrived in the United States with her husband, Kei Komuro.&nbsp; &nbsp;

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Following years of public attention over a financial scandal, the pair had tied the knot in Tokyo last month in muted fashion. The scandal involved Kei Komuro’s mother, which Mako Komuro said had caused her “sadness and pain”.&nbsp;

The couple could be seen flanked by security officials on Japanese TV channels as they made their way through New York’s John F Kennedy airport and into a vehicle, which was waiting for them.&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/majority-of-americans-are-cutting-ties-with-anti-vaxxer-family-members-survey-429470" hreflang="en">Majority of Americans are cutting ties with anti-vaxxer family members: Survey</a>

They were due to move to the US, where Kei Komuro attended law school and now works. The couple finally boarded a commercial flight on Sunday from Tokyo to New York. &nbsp;

The niece of Emperor Naruhito, Mako lost her royal title when she married a “commoner”. It is due to the post-war succession laws that allow only male members of the imperial family to ascend to the throne.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies) &nbsp;

After leaving the royal family and relinquishing titles, Japanese former princess Mako Komuro has arrived in the United States with her husband, Kei Komuro. Also Read: Ultra-rare cotton candy-coloured lobster found in Casco Bay, US Following years of public attention over a financial scandal, the pair had tied the knot in Tokyo last month in muted fashion.

After leaving the royal family and relinquishing titles, Japanese former princess Mako Komuro has arrived in the United States with her husband, Kei Komuro. Also Read: Ultra-rare cotton candy-coloured lobster found in Casco Bay, US Following years of public attention over a financial scandal, the pair had tied the knot in Tokyo last month in muted fashion. The scandal involved Kei Komuro’s mother, which Mako Komuro said had caused her “sadness and pain”. The couple could be seen flanked by security officials on Japanese TV channels as they made their way through New York’s John F Kennedy airport and into a vehicle, which was waiting for them. Also Read: Majority of Americans are cutting ties with anti-vaxxer family members: Survey They were due to move to the US, where Kei Komuro attended law school and now works. The couple finally boarded a commercial flight on Sunday from Tokyo to New York. The niece of Emperor Naruhito, Mako lost her royal title when she married a “commoner”. It is due to the post-war succession laws that allow only male members of the imperial family to ascend to the throne. (With inputs from agencies)

Japan’s princess to commoner: Mako begins new life in New York with husband 

Japan's ex-princess Mako has arrived in the US with her husband, Kei Komuro, the pair tied the knot in Tokyo last month. Following years of media scrutiny and controversies, footage aired on Japanese media channels on Sunday showed the pair guided with security personnel.

Japan's former princess Mako gives up royal title, arrives with husband in New York

New York officials on Monday announced plans to close six state prisons early next year, one of the largest such closings by the state as its prisoner population continues to decline.

With the closings, Gov. Kathy Hochul is following the lead of her predecessor, Andrew Cuomo, who shut 18 prisons during his nearly 11 years in office amid a series of criminal justice reforms that reduced New York’s prison population to its lowest level since 1984.

Prison closings have typically been contentious in New York because the facilities are major employers in the upstate communities where many of them have shut down, even as criminal justice reform advocates view the moves as the fruits of long-running efforts to end mass incarceration.

But the closings announced Monday coincide with a heated political debate over the effect of left-leaning measures on public safety, with New York’s Democrats still reeling from their losses in elections across the state last week.

Republicans were quick to attack Hochul, a Democrat from the Buffalo area, over the decision, portraying it as an affront to prison officers, and seeking to tie the closings to measures like changes to the state’s bail laws that have been used as a cudgel against Democrats.

“Closing prisons is an idea that might appeal to liberal voters in a primary, but it’s of no benefit to upstate communities and represents yet another step backward on public safety,” said Will Barclay, the Republican minority leader in the state Assembly.

The closings announced Monday were tied to this year’s state budget, which was negotiated in March between Cuomo and the Democrats who control the state Legislature.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/orchestrated-influx-poland-blocks-migrants-at-belarus-border-as-it-warns-of-an-armed-escalation-427860">Also read |&nbsp;'Orchestrated influx': Poland blocks migrants at Belarus border as it warns of an 'armed' escalation</a>

It was unclear whether Hochul would follow through with the moves when she took office in August, but she hinted last month that she was exploring the possibility of using some of the facilities for other purposes.

“I want to get creative with this,” Hochul said then. “I don’t know if something can be used as a substance abuse treatment center. We don’t need as many prisons.”

State officials said Monday that the state would work to “reuse” the closed prisons, but did not offer details.

The closings come as the state’s prison population has dropped to 31,469, a 56% decline from a peak of 72,773 in 1999. The sharp decrease is partly a result of the dismantling of the state’s strict 1970s-era drug law and laws that allow early release for nonviolent offenders.

The six prisons that will close are well under capacity: Taken together, they can fit up to 3,253 people, but now house just 1,420, all of whom will be transferred to other facilities before closing in March 2022.

The move is expected to save taxpayers $142 million, officials said, adding that the closings would not result in layoffs. Instead, the state will work to shift the roughly 1,700 workers who are employed at the six prisons to other facilities or agencies.

Michael Powers, the president of the New York State Correctional Officers Police Benevolent Association, said the union opposed the closings, adding that the state was saving money while doing little to protect correction officers who, he said, had suffered an increase in violent attacks.

“Where is the reinvestment in the facilities to make these prisons safer working environments?” Powers said. “At some point, the state needs to realise that these choices are more than just buildings and tax-saving measures, these are life-altering decisions that upend lives and destroy communities.”

State officials picked the six prisons, most of which are upstate, after analysing factors that included their proximity to other facilities where staff members could be moved and whether they were in parts of the state where previous closings had already affected the local economy. Also taken into account was recent state legislation passed by Democrats that is meant to curb the use of solitary confinement and limit the number of people who are sent back to prison for technical parole violations.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/capitol-hill-violence-investigation-committee-issues-subpoenas-to-top-trump-lieutenants-427861">Also read |&nbsp;Capitol Hill violence: Investigation committee issues subpoenas to top Trump lieutenants</a>

The largest of the six prisons being closed is Downstate Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison in Dutchess County in the Hudson Valley, which can fit up to 1,221 people, but is operating at 56% capacity. The smallest is the Rochester Correctional Facility, which holds up to 70 individuals.

State Sen. Peter Harckham, a Westchester County Democrat, said he hoped the money saved through the closings would be reinvested in drug-treatment options for prisoners, one driver of reincarceration.

“If we want to end the revolving door of people going in and out of prisons and end recidivism, we have to seriously address substance-use disorder and mental health issues, while folks are incarcerated,” Harckham said.

Two prisons are to be closed in the North Country region, where six other prisons have closed since 2019, including two earlier this year, resulting in the loss of hundreds of jobs.

On Monday, Rep. Elise Stefanik, a Republican who represents most of the area, urged Hochul to “reverse course,” saying that the closings would “devastate our region.”

“Targeting multiple North Country prisons is an attack on the hardworking residents of the North Country,” Stefanik said.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/as-covid-19-cases-surge-in-europe-who-top-official-urges-us-to-pay-attention-427863">Also read |&nbsp;As COVID-19 cases surge in Europe, WHO top official urges US to pay attention</a>

Criminal justice activists welcomed the closings, but nonetheless said Hochul should use her clemency powers to release more individuals, and urged the Legislature to pass legislation that would lead to additional releases.

“Without these measures, and despite these closures, thousands will continue to needlessly languish behind bars,” said Jose Saldana, the director of the Release Aging People in Prison Campaign. “Tens of thousands of Black and Latinx families are counting on New York’s leaders to bring their loved ones home.”

New York will have 44 state prisons after the closings announced Monday take effect in March.

When he became governor in 2011, Cuomo closed seven prisons, including two in New York City, calling it a priority for a state traversing a fiscal crisis and declaring that “an incarceration program is not an employment program.”

New York officials on Monday announced plans to close six state prisons early next year, one of the largest such closings by the state as its prisoner population continues to decline.

New York officials on Monday announced plans to close six state prisons early next year, one of the largest such closings by the state as its prisoner population continues to decline. With the closings, Gov. Kathy Hochul is following the lead of her predecessor, Andrew Cuomo, who shut 18 prisons during his nearly 11 years in office amid a series of criminal justice reforms that reduced New York’s prison population to its lowest level since 1984. Prison closings have typically been contentious in New York because the facilities are major employers in the upstate communities where many of them have shut down, even as criminal justice reform advocates view the moves as the fruits of long-running efforts to end mass incarceration. But the closings announced Monday coincide with a heated political debate over the effect of left-leaning measures on public safety, with New York’s Democrats still reeling from their losses in elections across the state last week. Republicans were quick to attack Hochul, a Democrat from the Buffalo area, over the decision, portraying it as an affront to prison officers, and seeking to tie the closings to measures like changes to the state’s bail laws that have been used as a cudgel against Democrats. “Closing prisons is an idea that might appeal to liberal voters in a primary, but it’s of no benefit to upstate communities and represents yet another step backward on public safety,” said Will Barclay, the Republican minority leader in the state Assembly. The closings announced Monday were tied to this year’s state budget, which was negotiated in March between Cuomo and the Democrats who control the state Legislature. Also read | 'Orchestrated influx': Poland blocks migrants at Belarus border as it warns of an 'armed' escalation It was unclear whether Hochul would follow through with the moves when she took office in August, but she hinted last month that she was exploring the possibility of using some of the facilities for other purposes. “I want to get creative with this,” Hochul said then. “I don’t know if something can be used as a substance abuse treatment center. We don’t need as many prisons.” State officials said Monday that the state would work to “reuse” the closed prisons, but did not offer details. The closings come as the state’s prison population has dropped to 31,469, a 56% decline from a peak of 72,773 in 1999. The sharp decrease is partly a result of the dismantling of the state’s strict 1970s-era drug law and laws that allow early release for nonviolent offenders. The six prisons that will close are well under capacity: Taken together, they can fit up to 3,253 people, but now house just 1,420, all of whom will be transferred to other facilities before closing in March 2022. The move is expected to save taxpayers $142 million, officials said, adding that the closings would not result in layoffs. Instead, the state will work to shift the roughly 1,700 workers who are employed at the six prisons to other facilities or agencies. Michael Powers, the president of the New York State Correctional Officers Police Benevolent Association, said the union opposed the closings, adding that the state was saving money while doing little to protect correction officers who, he said, had suffered an increase in violent attacks. “Where is the reinvestment in the facilities to make these prisons safer working environments?” Powers said. “At some point, the state needs to realise that these choices are more than just buildings and tax-saving measures, these are life-altering decisions that upend lives and destroy communities.” State officials picked the six prisons, most of which are upstate, after analysing factors that included their proximity to other facilities where staff members could be moved and whether they were in parts of the state where previous closings had already affected the local economy. Also taken into account was recent state legislation passed by Democrats that is meant to curb the use of solitary confinement and limit the number of people who are sent back to prison for technical parole violations. Also read | Capitol Hill violence: Investigation committee issues subpoenas to top Trump lieutenants The largest of the six prisons being closed is Downstate Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison in Dutchess County in the Hudson Valley, which can fit up to 1,221 people, but is operating at 56% capacity. The smallest is the Rochester Correctional Facility, which holds up to 70 individuals. State Sen. Peter Harckham, a Westchester County Democrat, said he hoped the money saved through the closings would be reinvested in drug-treatment options for prisoners, one driver of reincarceration. “If we want to end the revolving door of people going in and out of prisons and end recidivism, we have to seriously address substance-use disorder and mental health issues, while folks are incarcerated,” Harckham said. Two prisons are to be closed in the North Country region, where six other prisons have closed since 2019, including two earlier this year, resulting in the loss of hundreds of jobs. On Monday, Rep. Elise Stefanik, a Republican who represents most of the area, urged Hochul to “reverse course,” saying that the closings would “devastate our region.” “Targeting multiple North Country prisons is an attack on the hardworking residents of the North Country,” Stefanik said. Also read | As COVID-19 cases surge in Europe, WHO top official urges US to pay attention Criminal justice activists welcomed the closings, but nonetheless said Hochul should use her clemency powers to release more individuals, and urged the Legislature to pass legislation that would lead to additional releases. “Without these measures, and despite these closures, thousands will continue to needlessly languish behind bars,” said Jose Saldana, the director of the Release Aging People in Prison Campaign. “Tens of thousands of Black and Latinx families are counting on New York’s leaders to bring their loved ones home.” New York will have 44 state prisons after the closings announced Monday take effect in March. When he became governor in 2011, Cuomo closed seven prisons, including two in New York City, calling it a priority for a state traversing a fiscal crisis and declaring that “an incarceration program is not an employment program.”

Why New York is closing 6 prisons?

Not very long ago, there was a pretty strong case to be made that New York Road Runners, the organization that owns and stages the New York City Marathon, was the de facto leader of running in the United States.

The organization helped establish and fund a group of runners who led the revival of elite American long distance running. It hosted the Olympic Trials marathon before the 2008 Olympics. It established a groundbreaking anti-doping and testing policy. It expanded the New York City Marathon to allow for more than 50,000 finishers, making it the world’s largest. Its annual revenues surpassed $110 million, roughly triple the amount that USA Track &amp;amp; Field, the national governing body for running, collects most years.

That primacy hit the wall during the last year and a half. The pandemic caused the cancellation of five of the organization’s most profitable events, leading to an 80% drop in racing revenue. Roughly half of the 260 staff members lost their jobs. On Instagram, a group of employees anonymously accused senior management of behaving insensitively on issues of racism and diversity, and of prioritizing profits over the needs of junior employees and the local community. The complaints were part of an internal investigation that led to sweeping changes, including the ouster of the club’s CEO, Michael Capiraso.

Now the far smaller organization is preparing to hold a far smaller version of the marathon, conducting the race for the first time in two years as its board continues to search for a permanent CEO. That person will have to continue the work that began in recent months to reestablish what originally enabled the organization to become a dominant force in its sport — the fervent support of its members, its small but loyal workforce and the trust of runners of all backgrounds throughout the city.

“For a long time there was a real focus on growth,” said Kerin Hempel, a former McKinsey &amp;amp; Co. management consultant whom the board brought in to replace Capiraso temporarily in November 2020. “COVID forced us to pause and assess and reconnect with our mission and make sure everything we are doing is aligned.”

A New Yorker for the past two decades, Hempel led strategy and planning for the Road Runners from 2010 to 2014, but was not there in recent years, when critics say the organization lost its way despite financial success.

She’s also very fast. Last month she won the Baystate Marathon in Lowell, Massachusetts, finishing the 26.2-mile race in 2:52:23.

Hempel, 42, seems like a perfect fit to take over the organization, but she has told the club she does not want the job. She has agreed to remain through next year but plans to return to her boutique consulting business.

She hopes by then to have put the organization back on sound footing, “to make it the best version of itself” so her successor has the best chance of success, she said during a recent interview on a bench in Central Park near the marathon finish line. She said that she had email contact with the anonymous employee group that led last year’s rebellion and that she offered to meet with its members but was rebuffed. Members of the employee group could not be reached for comment.

Righting the ship is no small task. New York Road Runners had insurance to cover some of the losses it incurred from having to cancel its most profitable events during the pandemic, but even as races have returned the past five months, the pain has not let up.

Under the deferred racing program, the organization will manage with decreased revenues from registrations through 2023. To mitigate the danger of COVID, this year’s marathon is likely to have about half as many participants as usual. Also, U.S. borders remain largely closed to foreign tourists, limiting international runners, who pay a premium to participate.

Sponsors also had to be made whole from the missed races. The organization has about $70 million in reserves and investments to cover losses if necessary, but money can’t solve all the problems.

Alison Désir, a co-chair of the Running Industry Diversity Coalition and a founder of Harlem Run, a Manhattan running club, said the organization had “lost its way over the years.”

The organization and its signature event trace their roots to the Black runners who founded the New York Pioneer Running Club. Ted Corbitt, an Olympic marathoner in 1952, was one of them. He became the first president of the New York Road Runners when it was formed in 1958.

However, Désir said, for years inclusiveness did not appear to be a priority for the Road Runners. The organization held running panels with no Black participants. Participation at many races was overwhelmingly white. Outreach to minority communities took a back seat to holding major events, she said.

“They started with an inclusive culture and deep values and along the way got lost in commercial success and operating like a for-profit rather than a not-for-profit,” Désir said. She credited the organization for changing during the past year, but added, “For people who have been wronged, it is too slow.”

Last year, Ted Metellus became the race director for the marathon, making him the first Black race director of a major marathon.

Coffey, a resident of the Fort Greene neighborhood in Brooklyn, oversees two running organizations that combine running with educational and racial justice programs. He said executives with the Road Runners have been helpful to him in recent months, but he has heard stories of others who had struggled to work with the organization.

“It’s just about being fair regardless of what color you are,” said Coffey, who goes by a single name. “Don’t be showing sides or favoritism.”

The organization continues to search for the right balance — and a clear relationship — between everything it does, from staging mass events that attract tens of millions of dollars and professional runners, and being a community-based organization that can help fund facilities and clubs throughout the city.

Rich Kenah, an increasingly influential figure in running who leads the Atlanta Track Club, said big city running organizations must keep evolving from competitive running clubs to groups that “provide a solution for everyone in the runner life cycle.” The Atlanta Track Club hosted the Olympic trials marathon last year, supports a professional team and holds some of the country’s most diverse running events, including the Peachtree Road Race, the world’s largest 10-kilometer competition.

New York Road Runners plans to cull races from its calendar next year if sponsors do not align with its stated values. Road Runners recently decided not to hold the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K next year, a race sponsored by the United Arab Emirates, a country ruled by a royal family with a spotty record on human rights. It will probably hold about 40 races in 2022, down from about 50 in recent years.

“It’s a community-based organization that has built some of the biggest events in the world,” said Mary Wittenberg, another extremely fast woman and marathon champion (1987 Marine Corps Marathon) who led the organization from 2005 to 2015.

Wittenberg, who is still close to the organization’s leaders, said keeping the major events successful would be essential for financial stability and to help inspire people. In the ideal world, a couch potato watches the marathon on Sunday, then decides to try to run a mile with Harlem Run or another running club on Monday. Road Runners can be there to help facilitate the connection.

“We do think,” Hempel said, “we are an important piece of the overall running system.”

Not very long ago, there was a pretty strong case to be made that New York Road Runners, the organization that owns and stages the New York City Marathon, was the de facto leader of running in the United States.

Not very long ago, there was a pretty strong case to be made that New York Road Runners, the organization that owns and stages the New York City Marathon, was the de facto leader of running in the United States. The organization helped establish and fund a group of runners who led the revival of elite American long distance running. It hosted the Olympic Trials marathon before the 2008 Olympics. It established a groundbreaking anti-doping and testing policy. It expanded the New York City Marathon to allow for more than 50,000 finishers, making it the world’s largest. Its annual revenues surpassed $110 million, roughly triple the amount that USA Track &amp; Field, the national governing body for running, collects most years. That primacy hit the wall during the last year and a half. The pandemic caused the cancellation of five of the organization’s most profitable events, leading to an 80% drop in racing revenue. Roughly half of the 260 staff members lost their jobs. On Instagram, a group of employees anonymously accused senior management of behaving insensitively on issues of racism and diversity, and of prioritizing profits over the needs of junior employees and the local community. The complaints were part of an internal investigation that led to sweeping changes, including the ouster of the club’s CEO, Michael Capiraso. Now the far smaller organization is preparing to hold a far smaller version of the marathon, conducting the race for the first time in two years as its board continues to search for a permanent CEO. That person will have to continue the work that began in recent months to reestablish what originally enabled the organization to become a dominant force in its sport — the fervent support of its members, its small but loyal workforce and the trust of runners of all backgrounds throughout the city. “For a long time there was a real focus on growth,” said Kerin Hempel, a former McKinsey &amp; Co. management consultant whom the board brought in to replace Capiraso temporarily in November 2020. “COVID forced us to pause and assess and reconnect with our mission and make sure everything we are doing is aligned.” A New Yorker for the past two decades, Hempel led strategy and planning for the Road Runners from 2010 to 2014, but was not there in recent years, when critics say the organization lost its way despite financial success. She’s also very fast. Last month she won the Baystate Marathon in Lowell, Massachusetts, finishing the 26.2-mile race in 2:52:23. Hempel, 42, seems like a perfect fit to take over the organization, but she has told the club she does not want the job. She has agreed to remain through next year but plans to return to her boutique consulting business. She hopes by then to have put the organization back on sound footing, “to make it the best version of itself” so her successor has the best chance of success, she said during a recent interview on a bench in Central Park near the marathon finish line. She said that she had email contact with the anonymous employee group that led last year’s rebellion and that she offered to meet with its members but was rebuffed. Members of the employee group could not be reached for comment. Righting the ship is no small task. New York Road Runners had insurance to cover some of the losses it incurred from having to cancel its most profitable events during the pandemic, but even as races have returned the past five months, the pain has not let up. Under the deferred racing program, the organization will manage with decreased revenues from registrations through 2023. To mitigate the danger of COVID, this year’s marathon is likely to have about half as many participants as usual. Also, U.S. borders remain largely closed to foreign tourists, limiting international runners, who pay a premium to participate. Sponsors also had to be made whole from the missed races. The organization has about $70 million in reserves and investments to cover losses if necessary, but money can’t solve all the problems. Alison Désir, a co-chair of the Running Industry Diversity Coalition and a founder of Harlem Run, a Manhattan running club, said the organization had “lost its way over the years.” The organization and its signature event trace their roots to the Black runners who founded the New York Pioneer Running Club. Ted Corbitt, an Olympic marathoner in 1952, was one of them. He became the first president of the New York Road Runners when it was formed in 1958. However, Désir said, for years inclusiveness did not appear to be a priority for the Road Runners. The organization held running panels with no Black participants. Participation at many races was overwhelmingly white. Outreach to minority communities took a back seat to holding major events, she said. “They started with an inclusive culture and deep values and along the way got lost in commercial success and operating like a for-profit rather than a not-for-profit,” Désir said. She credited the organization for changing during the past year, but added, “For people who have been wronged, it is too slow.” Last year, Ted Metellus became the race director for the marathon, making him the first Black race director of a major marathon. Coffey, a resident of the Fort Greene neighborhood in Brooklyn, oversees two running organizations that combine running with educational and racial justice programs. He said executives with the Road Runners have been helpful to him in recent months, but he has heard stories of others who had struggled to work with the organization. “It’s just about being fair regardless of what color you are,” said Coffey, who goes by a single name. “Don’t be showing sides or favoritism.” The organization continues to search for the right balance — and a clear relationship — between everything it does, from staging mass events that attract tens of millions of dollars and professional runners, and being a community-based organization that can help fund facilities and clubs throughout the city. Rich Kenah, an increasingly influential figure in running who leads the Atlanta Track Club, said big city running organizations must keep evolving from competitive running clubs to groups that “provide a solution for everyone in the runner life cycle.” The Atlanta Track Club hosted the Olympic trials marathon last year, supports a professional team and holds some of the country’s most diverse running events, including the Peachtree Road Race, the world’s largest 10-kilometer competition. New York Road Runners plans to cull races from its calendar next year if sponsors do not align with its stated values. Road Runners recently decided not to hold the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K next year, a race sponsored by the United Arab Emirates, a country ruled by a royal family with a spotty record on human rights. It will probably hold about 40 races in 2022, down from about 50 in recent years. “It’s a community-based organization that has built some of the biggest events in the world,” said Mary Wittenberg, another extremely fast woman and marathon champion (1987 Marine Corps Marathon) who led the organization from 2005 to 2015. Wittenberg, who is still close to the organization’s leaders, said keeping the major events successful would be essential for financial stability and to help inspire people. In the ideal world, a couch potato watches the marathon on Sunday, then decides to try to run a mile with Harlem Run or another running club on Monday. Road Runners can be there to help facilitate the connection. “We do think,” Hempel said, “we are an important piece of the overall running system.”

After a rough year, New York Road Runners searches for a leader and mission

A naked man has been rescued&nbsp;after he had got trapped inside the walls of a theatre&nbsp;in Syracuse, New York state, US.

At about 7:30 local time (11:30 GMT), firefighters were called after someone was heard banging on the wall and pleading for help. &nbsp;

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The man seems to have somehow got stuck inside a crawlspace for two days. &nbsp;

The rescuers had to cut through the theatre's walls to get him out. He was found naked, said local media. The man is being treated at a local hospital. &nbsp;

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On Facebook, Syracuse fire department, in a statement, said that it was not clear how the man gained access to the crawlspace behind the wall. &nbsp;

Landmark Theatre director Mike Intaglietta, while speaking to Syracuse.com, a local news outlet, said that the man was seen wandering around the building earlier in the week. &nbsp;

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Employees, who saw him, lost track of his location and assumed that he had left, recalled Intaglietta. &nbsp;

"I don't know if he was entering to keep warm or to use the bathroom. I don't know," Intaglietta added. &nbsp;

John Kane, deputy chief, Syracuse fire department, told local media in US that the man hid in a crawlspace for two days and got trapped after he fell inside the wall of the theatre's male bathrooms. &nbsp;

The man appeared to be suffering from a mental illness and would not be charged or identified, said the police. &nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

A naked man has been rescued after he had got trapped inside the walls of a theatre in Syracuse, New York state, US. At about 7:30 local time (11:30 GMT), firefighters were called after someone was heard banging on the wall and pleading for help.

A naked man has been rescued after he had got trapped inside the walls of a theatre in Syracuse, New York state, US. At about 7:30 local time (11:30 GMT), firefighters were called after someone was heard banging on the wall and pleading for help. × The man seems to have somehow got stuck inside a crawlspace for two days. The rescuers had to cut through the theatre's walls to get him out. He was found naked, said local media. The man is being treated at a local hospital. Also Read | Watch: Scott performs at Astroworld festival as crowds chant 'stop the show' On Facebook, Syracuse fire department, in a statement, said that it was not clear how the man gained access to the crawlspace behind the wall. Landmark Theatre director Mike Intaglietta, while speaking to Syracuse.com, a local news outlet, said that the man was seen wandering around the building earlier in the week. Also Read: US federal court temporarily halts President Biden's vaccine mandate Employees, who saw him, lost track of his location and assumed that he had left, recalled Intaglietta. "I don't know if he was entering to keep warm or to use the bathroom. I don't know," Intaglietta added. John Kane, deputy chief, Syracuse fire department, told local media in US that the man hid in a crawlspace for two days and got trapped after he fell inside the wall of the theatre's male bathrooms. The man appeared to be suffering from a mental illness and would not be charged or identified, said the police. (With inputs from agencies)

Naked man found inside New York state theatre’s wall in US

A New York county prosecutor on Friday asked a judge to delay for two months the arraignment of former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on a misdemeanor sex offense charge, saying a local sheriff may have botched the case by rushing to file the complaint.

Cuomo resigned in August in the middle of his third term as governor after a five-month official inquiry found that he had sexually harassed 11 women.

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Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple filed a "forcible touching" charge against Cuomo last month based on one woman's accusation that Cuomo groped her under her blouse at the Executive Mansion in the New York state capital of Albany.

But the charge against Cuomo was "potentially defective," Albany County District Attorney David Soares wrote in a letter to the judge dated Thursday because it failed to include a sworn statement from the accuser.

Soares asked Albany City Court Judge Holly Trexler to delay Cuomo's arraignment, which had been scheduled for Nov. 17, for 60 days to give his office more time to review the case and possibly avoid a procedural dismissal. Cuomo's attorney supported the request, and the judge granted the delay, scheduling Cuomo's arraignment for January&nbsp;7, a spokesperson for Soares said.

Soares said in his letter that his office had been investigating Cuomo for months when the sheriff surprised him with a criminal filing.

"We were in the middle of that investigation when the Sheriff unilaterally and inexplicably filed a complaint in this Court. Unfortunately the filings is this matter are potentially defective in that the police-officer-complainant failed to include a sworn statement by the victim such that the (state) could proceed with a prosecution," the Soares letter said.

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Soares also said his office was still reviewing hundreds of hours of videotaped testimony and volumes of documents produced by the five-month probe that was conducted by independent lawyers under the direction of state Attorney General Tish James.

Sheriff Apple did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. In comments to the Albany Times Union, he said his office followed proper procedures.

"There was sworn testimony included, and we followed the policies and protocols set to interview victims of sex crimes," Apple said.

Apple previously regretted that Soares and others were surprised by his charge, saying his office filed the paperwork for review and intended to meet with prosecutors to determine whether a criminal arrest warrant or a criminal summons would be issued.

The process, however, moved much more quickly than planned, and the information was leaked to the news media, he said.

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Apple also rejected Cuomo's accusations of political motivations, saying his office had conducted a "comprehensive and methodical" investigation.

Cuomo, who has maintained his innocence, said he only resigned in order to avoid putting the state through the turmoil that would follow his efforts to fight the charges.

If convicted on the misdemeanor charge, he would face a possible sentence of up to a year in jail.

A New York county prosecutor on Friday asked a judge to delay for two months the arraignment of former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on a misdemeanor sex offense charge, saying a local sheriff may have botched the case by rushing to file the complaint.

A New York county prosecutor on Friday asked a judge to delay for two months the arraignment of former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on a misdemeanor sex offense charge, saying a local sheriff may have botched the case by rushing to file the complaint. Cuomo resigned in August in the middle of his third term as governor after a five-month official inquiry found that he had sexually harassed 11 women. Also Read | At least 8 dead, many hurt at Travis Scott’s Astroworld music festival in US Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple filed a "forcible touching" charge against Cuomo last month based on one woman's accusation that Cuomo groped her under her blouse at the Executive Mansion in the New York state capital of Albany. But the charge against Cuomo was "potentially defective," Albany County District Attorney David Soares wrote in a letter to the judge dated Thursday because it failed to include a sworn statement from the accuser. Soares asked Albany City Court Judge Holly Trexler to delay Cuomo's arraignment, which had been scheduled for Nov. 17, for 60 days to give his office more time to review the case and possibly avoid a procedural dismissal. Cuomo's attorney supported the request, and the judge granted the delay, scheduling Cuomo's arraignment for January 7, a spokesperson for Soares said. Soares said in his letter that his office had been investigating Cuomo for months when the sheriff surprised him with a criminal filing. "We were in the middle of that investigation when the Sheriff unilaterally and inexplicably filed a complaint in this Court. Unfortunately the filings is this matter are potentially defective in that the police-officer-complainant failed to include a sworn statement by the victim such that the (state) could proceed with a prosecution," the Soares letter said. Also Read | Chinese spy convicted of trying to steal US aviation trade secrets Soares also said his office was still reviewing hundreds of hours of videotaped testimony and volumes of documents produced by the five-month probe that was conducted by independent lawyers under the direction of state Attorney General Tish James. Sheriff Apple did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. In comments to the Albany Times Union, he said his office followed proper procedures. "There was sworn testimony included, and we followed the policies and protocols set to interview victims of sex crimes," Apple said. Apple previously regretted that Soares and others were surprised by his charge, saying his office filed the paperwork for review and intended to meet with prosecutors to determine whether a criminal arrest warrant or a criminal summons would be issued. The process, however, moved much more quickly than planned, and the information was leaked to the news media, he said. Also Read | Eight camels, a llama on loose: Spanish cops end circus animals’ night out Apple also rejected Cuomo's accusations of political motivations, saying his office had conducted a "comprehensive and methodical" investigation. Cuomo, who has maintained his innocence, said he only resigned in order to avoid putting the state through the turmoil that would follow his efforts to fight the charges. If convicted on the misdemeanor charge, he would face a possible sentence of up to a year in jail.

New York county prosecutor casts doubt on sex offense charge against Cuomo

New York city's iconic World Trade Center has been lit up to showcase a pretty spectacular digital mural to celebrate the festival of lights, Deepavali.

New York: Spectacular digital mural on World Trade center podium for Diwali

The New York&nbsp;state&nbsp;constitution will be amended to say people have the&nbsp;right&nbsp;to&nbsp;clean&nbsp;air and water and a healthy&nbsp;environment, after voters said yes to the measure in a referendum that was part of local elections on Tuesday.

A total of 60.8 percent of voters approved the referendum question, compared to 27 percent against and 11.7 casting blank ballots, with 99 percent of&nbsp;state&nbsp;districts reporting. Supporters of the "yes" option are claiming victory.

Even though turnout was low,&nbsp;3.1 million people voted out of 12.3 million who were registered, environmental activists said the&nbsp;constitutional&nbsp;amendment is an important step. It came as the COP26 climate summit was underway in Glasgow, Scotland.&nbsp;

"We cannot take&nbsp;clean&nbsp;water and air for granted. For too long, our most vulnerable communities have been harmed by high levels of air pollution and water contamination," said Julie Tighe, president of the New York League of Conservation Voters.

Questions remain on whether this environmental&nbsp;right&nbsp;will be truly binding and opponents are already warning that it would create a legal quagmire that could slow down economic development.

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"The courts are going to have a big job ahead of them to sort out what exactly this means," said Peter Bauer, the director of environmental advocacy group Protect the Adirondacks, whose name refers to a vast mountain and lake area in upstate New York, although he did say the vote is a success for people who care about the&nbsp;environment.&nbsp;

Including rights linked to the&nbsp;environment&nbsp;in the constitution has become an issue in many countries.

In France, for instance, the government abandoned in July a bill that sought to guarantee protection of the&nbsp;environment&nbsp;and biodiversity and to fight climate change in a clause in the constitution, after it failed to win support in parliament.

The website Ballotpedia lists Pennsylvania as the first US&nbsp;state&nbsp;to include the&nbsp;environment&nbsp;in its constitution, in 1971. Five others followed Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Montana and Rhode Island.

The New York state constitution will be amended to say people have the right to clean air and water and a healthy environment, after voters said yes to the measure in a referendum that was part of local elections on Tuesday.

The New York state constitution will be amended to say people have the right to clean air and water and a healthy environment, after voters said yes to the measure in a referendum that was part of local elections on Tuesday. A total of 60.8 percent of voters approved the referendum question, compared to 27 percent against and 11.7 casting blank ballots, with 99 percent of state districts reporting. Supporters of the "yes" option are claiming victory. Even though turnout was low, 3.1 million people voted out of 12.3 million who were registered, environmental activists said the constitutional amendment is an important step. It came as the COP26 climate summit was underway in Glasgow, Scotland. "We cannot take clean water and air for granted. For too long, our most vulnerable communities have been harmed by high levels of air pollution and water contamination," said Julie Tighe, president of the New York League of Conservation Voters. Questions remain on whether this environmental right will be truly binding and opponents are already warning that it would create a legal quagmire that could slow down economic development. Also read | US: People at risk of developing harmful diseases due to contaminated tap water "The courts are going to have a big job ahead of them to sort out what exactly this means," said Peter Bauer, the director of environmental advocacy group Protect the Adirondacks, whose name refers to a vast mountain and lake area in upstate New York, although he did say the vote is a success for people who care about the environment. Including rights linked to the environment in the constitution has become an issue in many countries. In France, for instance, the government abandoned in July a bill that sought to guarantee protection of the environment and biodiversity and to fight climate change in a clause in the constitution, after it failed to win support in parliament. The website Ballotpedia lists Pennsylvania as the first US state to include the environment in its constitution, in 1971. Five others followed Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Montana and Rhode Island.

New York state approves constitutional right to clean environment

A Diwali-themed animation has been lit upon the One World Trade Center, firework planned on the Hudson river.

'All American Diwali' being celebrated at the World Trade Center

New Yorkers chose Democrat Eric Adams, a former New York Police Department captain, to become the city's second Black Mayor in a landslide election.

Eric Adams elected as New York City's African-American mayor

Eric Adams, a Democrat, won the race to become New York's mayor on Tuesday (November 2). The former police officer made a promise to boost public safety and give voice to working-class residents. He will be city's second African-American mayor. Adams experienced police brutality as a youth.

Adams has been the Brooklyn borough president since 2014. On his way to become the mayor, he defeated Republican Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels civilian patrol.

In January, the 61-year-old Adams will take over from Democrat Bill de Blasio, who was term-limited after eight years in office.

Adams will face the task of overseeing the largest U.S. city's nascent recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, as well as confronting wealth inequality, the lack of affordable housing and struggling public schools.

He had been expected to win handily in the overwhelmingly Democratic city.

Adams' victory could give President Joe Biden's Democrats some signs of where voters stand as the party strives to maintain a fragile alliance between progressives and centrists in Washington.

Adams prevailed in the party's primary election with a coalition that resembled, in some ways, the voters who helped elevate Biden to the Democratic nomination in 2020, especially his support among more moderate Black voters.

(With inputs from agencies)

Eric Adams, a Democrat, won the race to become New York's mayor on Tuesday (November 2). The former police officer made a promise to boost public safety and give voice to working-class residents.

Eric Adams, a Democrat, won the race to become New York's mayor on Tuesday (November 2). The former police officer made a promise to boost public safety and give voice to working-class residents. He will be city's second African-American mayor. Adams experienced police brutality as a youth. Adams has been the Brooklyn borough president since 2014. On his way to become the mayor, he defeated Republican Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels civilian patrol. In January, the 61-year-old Adams will take over from Democrat Bill de Blasio, who was term-limited after eight years in office. Adams will face the task of overseeing the largest U.S. city's nascent recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, as well as confronting wealth inequality, the lack of affordable housing and struggling public schools. He had been expected to win handily in the overwhelmingly Democratic city. Adams' victory could give President Joe Biden's Democrats some signs of where voters stand as the party strives to maintain a fragile alliance between progressives and centrists in Washington. Adams prevailed in the party's primary election with a coalition that resembled, in some ways, the voters who helped elevate Biden to the Democratic nomination in 2020, especially his support among more moderate Black voters. (With inputs from agencies)

Eric Adams becomes second African-American to become New York mayor

In Pics : New York’s annual village Halloween parade returns

New Yorkers head to the polls Tuesday in a mayoral election that is virtually guaranteed to elect Black former policeman Eric Adams as the next leader of America's biggest city.

The centrist Democrat is expected to trounce Republican candidate and volunteer crime fighter Curtis Sliwa in the liberal-voting bastion to become just the second African American to lead the Big Apple.

New York mayor is often described as the most difficult job in the United States after president.

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If the 61-year-old Adams wins, he will succeed unpopular progressive Bill de Blasio, whose two-term limit ends December 31.

Adams will be tasked with leading the city's recovery after the pandemic, which has killed more than 34,000 residents and closed hundreds of thousands of businesses.

As mayor for more than eight million people, he will oversee America's largest municipal budget, crippled by the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus">COVID-19 crisis</a>, and its biggest police force and public school system.&nbsp;

The moderate candidate defeated progressive rivals in June's Democratic primary by mainly pledging to crack down on violent crime that soared during the pandemic.

He promised to tackle wealth inequalities and reform the education system, as well.

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Adams will also have to grapple with a severe lack of affordable housing, violent chaos at the notorious Rikers Island prison and the effects of more extreme weather events on New York City's creaking infrastructure.

One of his trickiest balancing acts will be trying to reform police practices while keeping onside a heavily unionized force that feels it has been underappreciated during the de Blasio era.

Adams opposes defunding the police, a policy that is a rallying cry for many on the American left. He is also seen as being friendly towards the business community and has not called for higher taxes for wealthy residents.

Reforming the police&nbsp;

He was born into poverty in Brooklyn in 1960, and was raised in a large family living in a working-class neighborhood of Queens. His mother was a cleaner, and his father was a butcher.

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&nbsp;

Adams briefly ran errands for a gang as a teenager. When he was 15, he was beaten by two NYPD officers after they arrested him for criminal trespassing.

That sparked his determination to join the NYPD so he could reform it from the inside. Adams entered the force in the mid-1980s, serving 22 years and rising to become a captain.

In 1995, he co-founded "100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care," an advocacy group designed to fight against racism in the police and that still exists today.

Adams retired in 2006, winning election to the New York State Senate that year. He served until 2013, when he was elected Brooklyn borough president, providing a springboard for his mayoral ambitions.

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Adams credits veganism with reversing his 2016 diabetes diagnosis and released a book last year that aims to turn African Americans to a plant-based diet.

Polls open at 6:00 am and close at 9:00 pm. Almost 170,000 people out of some five million registered voters have already cast ballots in early voting.

New Yorkers head to the polls Tuesday in a mayoral election that is virtually guaranteed to elect Black former policeman Eric Adams as the next leader of America's biggest city.

New Yorkers head to the polls Tuesday in a mayoral election that is virtually guaranteed to elect Black former policeman Eric Adams as the next leader of America's biggest city. The centrist Democrat is expected to trounce Republican candidate and volunteer crime fighter Curtis Sliwa in the liberal-voting bastion to become just the second African American to lead the Big Apple. New York mayor is often described as the most difficult job in the United States after president. Also Read | Virginia goes to polls in too-close-to call bellwether election If the 61-year-old Adams wins, he will succeed unpopular progressive Bill de Blasio, whose two-term limit ends December 31. Adams will be tasked with leading the city's recovery after the pandemic, which has killed more than 34,000 residents and closed hundreds of thousands of businesses. As mayor for more than eight million people, he will oversee America's largest municipal budget, crippled by the COVID-19 crisis, and its biggest police force and public school system. The moderate candidate defeated progressive rivals in June's Democratic primary by mainly pledging to crack down on violent crime that soared during the pandemic. He promised to tackle wealth inequalities and reform the education system, as well. Also Read | New York mayor’s race in chaos after elections board counts 135,000 test ballots Adams will also have to grapple with a severe lack of affordable housing, violent chaos at the notorious Rikers Island prison and the effects of more extreme weather events on New York City's creaking infrastructure. One of his trickiest balancing acts will be trying to reform police practices while keeping onside a heavily unionized force that feels it has been underappreciated during the de Blasio era. Adams opposes defunding the police, a policy that is a rallying cry for many on the American left. He is also seen as being friendly towards the business community and has not called for higher taxes for wealthy residents. Reforming the police He was born into poverty in Brooklyn in 1960, and was raised in a large family living in a working-class neighborhood of Queens. His mother was a cleaner, and his father was a butcher. Also Read | As Trump thunders about last election, Republicans worry about the next one Adams briefly ran errands for a gang as a teenager. When he was 15, he was beaten by two NYPD officers after they arrested him for criminal trespassing. That sparked his determination to join the NYPD so he could reform it from the inside. Adams entered the force in the mid-1980s, serving 22 years and rising to become a captain. In 1995, he co-founded "100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care," an advocacy group designed to fight against racism in the police and that still exists today. Adams retired in 2006, winning election to the New York State Senate that year. He served until 2013, when he was elected Brooklyn borough president, providing a springboard for his mayoral ambitions. Also Read | Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida declares victory after 'very tough' election Adams credits veganism with reversing his 2016 diabetes diagnosis and released a book last year that aims to turn African Americans to a plant-based diet. Polls open at 6:00 am and close at 9:00 pm. Almost 170,000 people out of some five million registered voters have already cast ballots in early voting.

New York poised to elect Black ex-cop Adams as mayor

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said that about 9,000 City municipal workers were put on unpaid leave for refusing to comply with a COVID-19 vaccine mandate that took effect on Monday.

New York: 9,000 city workers on unpaid leave as vaccine mandate takes effect

Hundreds of firefighters and city workers protested in New York against the covid-19 vaccine mandate that will come into effect from November 1 and will require all employees to show proof of covid-19 vaccination.

New York workers protest COVID-19 vaccine mandate

Former New York governor Andrew Cuomo was on Thursday charged with a misdemeanour sex crime for forcible touching, a court spokesperson said.

The charge is the first to be filed since the once-powerful politician was forced to resign this year following a slew of sexual harassment allegations.

Former New York governor Andrew Cuomo was on Thursday charged with a misdemeanour sex crime for forcible touching, a court spokesperson said.

The charge is the first to be filed since the once-powerful politician was forced to resign this year following a slew of sexual harassment allegations.

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"A misdemeanor complaint against former governor Andrew Cuomo has been filed in Albany City Court," said Lucian Chalfen, a spokesman for the New York state courts, describing it as a "sex crime."

The complaint accuses Cuomo of putting his hand down the victim's blouse and grabbing her left breast in December 2020.

It was filed by the Albany County sheriff's office on behalf of New York state.

Albany city court issued a summons ordering Cuomo, 63, to appear in court on November 17, 2021 at 2:30 pm (1830 GMT), according to a statement.

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He resigned in August after state Attorney General Letitia James issued a report, which was not criminal in nature, concluding that he sexually harassed 11 women, including former staffers.

"From the moment my office received the referral to investigate allegations that former governor Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women, we proceeded without fear or favor," James said in a statement.&nbsp;

"The criminal charges brought today against Mr Cuomo for forcible touching further validate the findings in our report," she added. 
Cuomo has strenuously denied the charges and claims he was the victim of a political vendetta.

He gained nationwide adoration last year for his straight-talking daily coronavirus briefings before his spectacular fall from grace.

Forcible touching is a class A misdemeanor that can carry a sentence of up to one year in prison.

Former New York governor Andrew Cuomo was on Thursday charged with a misdemeanour sex crime for forcible touching, a court spokesperson said. The charge is the first to be filed since the once-powerful politician was forced to resign this year following a slew of sexual harassment allegations.

Former New York governor Andrew Cuomo was on Thursday charged with a misdemeanour sex crime for forcible touching, a court spokesperson said. The charge is the first to be filed since the once-powerful politician was forced to resign this year following a slew of sexual harassment allegations. Former New York governor Andrew Cuomo was on Thursday charged with a misdemeanour sex crime for forcible touching, a court spokesperson said. The charge is the first to be filed since the once-powerful politician was forced to resign this year following a slew of sexual harassment allegations. ALSO READ | For first time in public, a detainee describes torture at CIA black sites "A misdemeanor complaint against former governor Andrew Cuomo has been filed in Albany City Court," said Lucian Chalfen, a spokesman for the New York state courts, describing it as a "sex crime." The complaint accuses Cuomo of putting his hand down the victim's blouse and grabbing her left breast in December 2020. It was filed by the Albany County sheriff's office on behalf of New York state. Albany city court issued a summons ordering Cuomo, 63, to appear in court on November 17, 2021 at 2:30 pm (1830 GMT), according to a statement. ALSO READ | Nuclear-powered submarines for Australia? Maybe not so fast He resigned in August after state Attorney General Letitia James issued a report, which was not criminal in nature, concluding that he sexually harassed 11 women, including former staffers. "From the moment my office received the referral to investigate allegations that former governor Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women, we proceeded without fear or favor," James said in a statement. "The criminal charges brought today against Mr Cuomo for forcible touching further validate the findings in our report," she added. Cuomo has strenuously denied the charges and claims he was the victim of a political vendetta. He gained nationwide adoration last year for his straight-talking daily coronavirus briefings before his spectacular fall from grace. Forcible touching is a class A misdemeanor that can carry a sentence of up to one year in prison.

Former New York governor Andrew Cuomo charged with misdemeanour sex crime for alleged groping incident

&nbsp;A menacing early season nor’easter battered the New York City area Tuesday, as heavy rains, strong winds and the threat of flash floods arrived in a region already scarred by deadly extreme weather this summer.

The storm dumped more than 3 inches of rain in parts of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut on Tuesday, with more expected through the night. But as of Tuesday evening, it had yet to match the intensity of the deluge brought by the remnants of Hurricane Ida last month.

After a lull Tuesday afternoon, rain began falling again in the evening, and the storm system was expected to linger through Wednesday morning. Meteorologists warned that the storm could still produce heavy winds, significant rainfall and flash flooding across the Northeast.

The sprawling nor’easter began to move up through eastern Massachusetts, including Boston and Cape Cod late Tuesday, dumping up to 4 inches in some areas. The state was reporting about 27,000 power outages just after midnight, with winds of up to 70 mph bringing down trees along the coast.

Around New York City, the storm’s resurgence Tuesday night threatened to snarl Wednesday morning’s commute, and officials warned that heavy winds, which began Tuesday afternoon and were expected to continue overnight and into Wednesday, could bring more power outages

The easternmost part of Long Island, the southeastern corner of Connecticut and parts of coastal Massachusetts and coastal Rhode Island were under a high wind warning until Wednesday afternoon, with the Weather Service cautioning that “widespread power outages are expected.”

Utilities in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut reported hundreds of outages throughout the day, and officials said that they expected to see increased power failures in all three states, particularly in coastal areas, as winds intensified.

“We almost certainly expect that number to go up, perhaps dramatically, with the higher winds that are coming later,” said Gov. Philip Murphy of New Jersey.

Roads flooded across the region, with flood warnings in effect through Wednesday on the Saddle River in Lodi, New Jersey, and the Ramapo River in northern New Jersey and Orange and Rockland counties in New York. The Weather Service extended a flood warning in Warren County and Sussex County through Wednesday morning after seeing “minor flooding” near streams and creeks.

The Weather Service also said there would most likely be minor flooding in southern Connecticut and on Long Island.

Nelson Vaz, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in New York, said that forecasters were concerned about flooding in northeastern New Jersey, where “some of the rivers are starting to come over their banks.”

Though New York City’s mass transit system experienced some interruptions, the storm had far less effect than the remnants of Ida. Some buses and commuter trains, including New Jersey Transit and the Metro-North Railroad, experienced scattered weather-related delays, but the subway was operating as expected.

As of Tuesday afternoon, intensive flash flooding had yet to materialize, though earlier in the day, parts of northeastern New Jersey that had been inundated last month — including the state’s largest cities, Newark, Jersey City and Paterson — were placed under a flash flood warning that coincided with the morning commute.

Several public school districts in those areas decided to close in anticipation of the storm. Rutgers University asked instructors to move all of their classes online Tuesday.

“In order to keep all students safe, all schools will be closed,” said Franklin Walker, the superintendent of Jersey City’s public school system, one of the largest in the state. Schools in nearby Bayonne and in Montclair were also closed.

Parts of central New Jersey were also under similar flood warnings early Tuesday, with meteorologists warning of “life-threatening flash flooding” in Monmouth County in particular. The Weather Service warned residents not to drive into flooded roads and cautioned that storm runoff would most likely cause flooding in urban areas and low-lying spots.

New Jersey state troopers had responded to 188 crashes by 10 a.m. Tuesday, the state’s police superintendent, Col. Patrick Callahan, said.

By Tuesday night, more than 4.3 inches of rain had been recorded in Brooklyn, more than 5.3 inches in Suffolk County and more than 5.2 inches in northern New Jersey, according to the Weather Service. A flash flood watch was in effect for parts of Long Island and Connecticut into Tuesday.

The rain started falling again Tuesday evening and was expected to continue through the night across much of the region.

Some storm drains in Midtown Manhattan were straining to keep up with the heavy rains filling the streets, backing up at the corners and creating large puddles for pedestrians to navigate. The Police Department reported flooding that in some cases blocked traffic during rush hour on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, a key traffic artery.

Winds of up to 35 mph, with gusts reaching 60 mph, were expected across coastal areas, including New York City, into Wednesday morning, raising the prospect of downed trees and power failures. Vaz said that parts of Long Island were particularly likely to experience very strong gusts.

Officials moved quickly to prepare for the nor’easter, in part scarred by the intensity of several storms this summer that exposed the region’s vulnerability to the extreme weather events made more frequent and intense by climate change.

“We’re not looking outside and seeing Ida today; however, every storm has to be taken seriously,” Joseph Fiordaliso, who leads New Jersey’s utility board, said at a news conference.

“Someday maybe we’ll just have a regular rainstorm. We don’t seem to get those much anymore,” he said, adding, “Climate change is real, and we have to work to mitigate as much of it as we possibly can.”

The threats were brought into stark relief last month, when torrential rain brought by Ida unleashed rushing waters that killed 11 people, including a toddler and his parents, in basement apartments in New York City. At least 43 people died across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut amid the hurricane’s watery remnants.

Both Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York and Murphy declared states of emergency Monday evening, directing agencies under their command to be ready to act on emergency response plans.

In New York City, officials advised residents of basement apartments like those that flooded last month to be ready “to move to a higher floor during periods of heavy rain,” and urged anyone living in flood-prone areas to “keep materials such as sandbags, plywood, plastic sheeting, and lumber on hand” to protect their homes.

A menacing early season nor’easter battered the New York City area Tuesday, as heavy rains, strong winds and the threat of flash floods arrived in a region already scarred by deadly extreme weather this summer.

A menacing early season nor’easter battered the New York City area Tuesday, as heavy rains, strong winds and the threat of flash floods arrived in a region already scarred by deadly extreme weather this summer. The storm dumped more than 3 inches of rain in parts of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut on Tuesday, with more expected through the night. But as of Tuesday evening, it had yet to match the intensity of the deluge brought by the remnants of Hurricane Ida last month. After a lull Tuesday afternoon, rain began falling again in the evening, and the storm system was expected to linger through Wednesday morning. Meteorologists warned that the storm could still produce heavy winds, significant rainfall and flash flooding across the Northeast. The sprawling nor’easter began to move up through eastern Massachusetts, including Boston and Cape Cod late Tuesday, dumping up to 4 inches in some areas. The state was reporting about 27,000 power outages just after midnight, with winds of up to 70 mph bringing down trees along the coast. Around New York City, the storm’s resurgence Tuesday night threatened to snarl Wednesday morning’s commute, and officials warned that heavy winds, which began Tuesday afternoon and were expected to continue overnight and into Wednesday, could bring more power outages The easternmost part of Long Island, the southeastern corner of Connecticut and parts of coastal Massachusetts and coastal Rhode Island were under a high wind warning until Wednesday afternoon, with the Weather Service cautioning that “widespread power outages are expected.” Utilities in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut reported hundreds of outages throughout the day, and officials said that they expected to see increased power failures in all three states, particularly in coastal areas, as winds intensified. “We almost certainly expect that number to go up, perhaps dramatically, with the higher winds that are coming later,” said Gov. Philip Murphy of New Jersey. Roads flooded across the region, with flood warnings in effect through Wednesday on the Saddle River in Lodi, New Jersey, and the Ramapo River in northern New Jersey and Orange and Rockland counties in New York. The Weather Service extended a flood warning in Warren County and Sussex County through Wednesday morning after seeing “minor flooding” near streams and creeks. The Weather Service also said there would most likely be minor flooding in southern Connecticut and on Long Island. Nelson Vaz, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in New York, said that forecasters were concerned about flooding in northeastern New Jersey, where “some of the rivers are starting to come over their banks.” Though New York City’s mass transit system experienced some interruptions, the storm had far less effect than the remnants of Ida. Some buses and commuter trains, including New Jersey Transit and the Metro-North Railroad, experienced scattered weather-related delays, but the subway was operating as expected. As of Tuesday afternoon, intensive flash flooding had yet to materialize, though earlier in the day, parts of northeastern New Jersey that had been inundated last month — including the state’s largest cities, Newark, Jersey City and Paterson — were placed under a flash flood warning that coincided with the morning commute. Several public school districts in those areas decided to close in anticipation of the storm. Rutgers University asked instructors to move all of their classes online Tuesday. “In order to keep all students safe, all schools will be closed,” said Franklin Walker, the superintendent of Jersey City’s public school system, one of the largest in the state. Schools in nearby Bayonne and in Montclair were also closed. Parts of central New Jersey were also under similar flood warnings early Tuesday, with meteorologists warning of “life-threatening flash flooding” in Monmouth County in particular. The Weather Service warned residents not to drive into flooded roads and cautioned that storm runoff would most likely cause flooding in urban areas and low-lying spots. New Jersey state troopers had responded to 188 crashes by 10 a.m. Tuesday, the state’s police superintendent, Col. Patrick Callahan, said. By Tuesday night, more than 4.3 inches of rain had been recorded in Brooklyn, more than 5.3 inches in Suffolk County and more than 5.2 inches in northern New Jersey, according to the Weather Service. A flash flood watch was in effect for parts of Long Island and Connecticut into Tuesday. The rain started falling again Tuesday evening and was expected to continue through the night across much of the region. Some storm drains in Midtown Manhattan were straining to keep up with the heavy rains filling the streets, backing up at the corners and creating large puddles for pedestrians to navigate. The Police Department reported flooding that in some cases blocked traffic during rush hour on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, a key traffic artery. Winds of up to 35 mph, with gusts reaching 60 mph, were expected across coastal areas, including New York City, into Wednesday morning, raising the prospect of downed trees and power failures. Vaz said that parts of Long Island were particularly likely to experience very strong gusts. Officials moved quickly to prepare for the nor’easter, in part scarred by the intensity of several storms this summer that exposed the region’s vulnerability to the extreme weather events made more frequent and intense by climate change. “We’re not looking outside and seeing Ida today; however, every storm has to be taken seriously,” Joseph Fiordaliso, who leads New Jersey’s utility board, said at a news conference. “Someday maybe we’ll just have a regular rainstorm. We don’t seem to get those much anymore,” he said, adding, “Climate change is real, and we have to work to mitigate as much of it as we possibly can.” The threats were brought into stark relief last month, when torrential rain brought by Ida unleashed rushing waters that killed 11 people, including a toddler and his parents, in basement apartments in New York City. At least 43 people died across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut amid the hurricane’s watery remnants. Both Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York and Murphy declared states of emergency Monday evening, directing agencies under their command to be ready to act on emergency response plans. In New York City, officials advised residents of basement apartments like those that flooded last month to be ready “to move to a higher floor during periods of heavy rain,” and urged anyone living in flood-prone areas to “keep materials such as sandbags, plywood, plastic sheeting, and lumber on hand” to protect their homes.

Heavy rain soaks New York as nor’easter pounds the region

New York City municipal employees marched across the Brooklyn Bridge against the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The demonstrators included city workers with the Fire Department of New York (FDNY), Emergency Medical Services (EMS), the Sanitation Department of New York (SDNY) and the New York Police Department (NYPD).

Most of the&nbsp;workers have less than a week to get their COVID-19 vaccines or go on unpaid leave. The protests turned violent when some demonstrators tried to break into the arena as they clashed with security and police.

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Protests along the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WestSideHighway?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WestSideHighway</a> this morning as <a href="https://twitter.com/sunrisemvmtnyc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@sunrisemvmtnyc</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ExtinctionR?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ExtinctionR</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/FFF_NYC_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FFF_NYC_</a> &amp; others block the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NYC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NYC</a> streets to draw attention to Biden's failure to pass sufficient climate legislation<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NoClimateNoDeal?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NoClimateNoDeal</a> <a href="https://t.co/mevsiq846h">pic.twitter.com/mevsiq846h</a> <a href="https://t.co/cUVNtyTuse">pic.twitter.com/cUVNtyTuse</a>
— Amini Fonua (@AminiFonua) <a href="https://twitter.com/AminiFonua/status/1452647733647618050?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 25, 2021</a></blockquote>
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NYC workers (fire, police, teachers) march in protest. Which city is next?? <a href="https://t.co/o2zsiGjNnm">pic.twitter.com/o2zsiGjNnm</a>
— Chris Hill (@leftychill) <a href="https://twitter.com/leftychill/status/1452679506553196552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 25, 2021</a></blockquote>
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This comes in as last week, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that regular COVID-19 testing would no longer be an option instead of vaccinations. he further said that the city employees, including first responders, would have until October 29 to get at least one dose of the vaccine.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/with-a-heavy-heart-amnesty-to-shut-hong-kong-offices-due-to-security-law-423965">Also read |&nbsp;'With a heavy heart': Amnesty to shut Hong Kong offices due to security law</a>

"It's time now. If you don't want to get vaccinated, you'll be put on unpaid leave. Well, the vast majority of human beings go to work to get paid. And also, I think for a lot of our first responders, there's a calling. They believe in the work, they care about the work. Those two factors I think are going to cause the vast majority to get vaccinated," Mayor de Blasio said.

He also offered a $500 incentive for city workers to get vaccinated. As a result of this, several unions are now demanding back pay for workers who already got vaccinated without a bonus.

The PBA has filed a lawsuit in Staten Island state Supreme Court seeking to overturn the vaccine mandate.

PBA President Pat Lynch said they are looking forward to filing a request for a temporary restraining order asking the court to bar the city and the NYPD from implementing the mandate, reports AP.

New York City municipal employees marched across the Brooklyn Bridge against the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The demonstrators included city workers with the Fire Department of New York (FDNY), Emergency Medical Services (EMS), the Sanitation Department of New York (SDNY) and the New York Police Department (NYPD).

New York City municipal employees marched across the Brooklyn Bridge against the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The demonstrators included city workers with the Fire Department of New York (FDNY), Emergency Medical Services (EMS), the Sanitation Department of New York (SDNY) and the New York Police Department (NYPD). Most of the workers have less than a week to get their COVID-19 vaccines or go on unpaid leave. The protests turned violent when some demonstrators tried to break into the arena as they clashed with security and police. Protests along the #WestSideHighway this morning as @sunrisemvmtnyc @ExtinctionR @FFF_NYC_ & others block the #NYC streets to draw attention to Biden's failure to pass sufficient climate legislation#NoClimateNoDeal pic.twitter.com/mevsiq846h pic.twitter.com/cUVNtyTuse — Amini Fonua (@AminiFonua) October 25, 2021 × NYC workers (fire, police, teachers) march in protest. Which city is next?? pic.twitter.com/o2zsiGjNnm — Chris Hill (@leftychill) October 25, 2021 × This comes in as last week, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that regular COVID-19 testing would no longer be an option instead of vaccinations. he further said that the city employees, including first responders, would have until October 29 to get at least one dose of the vaccine. Also read | 'With a heavy heart': Amnesty to shut Hong Kong offices due to security law "It's time now. If you don't want to get vaccinated, you'll be put on unpaid leave. Well, the vast majority of human beings go to work to get paid. And also, I think for a lot of our first responders, there's a calling. They believe in the work, they care about the work. Those two factors I think are going to cause the vast majority to get vaccinated," Mayor de Blasio said. He also offered a $500 incentive for city workers to get vaccinated. As a result of this, several unions are now demanding back pay for workers who already got vaccinated without a bonus. The PBA has filed a lawsuit in Staten Island state Supreme Court seeking to overturn the vaccine mandate. PBA President Pat Lynch said they are looking forward to filing a request for a temporary restraining order asking the court to bar the city and the NYPD from implementing the mandate, reports AP.

Emergency workers protest against vaccine mandate in New York

Earlier this year, New York created a $2.1 billion fund to help immigrants living in the country without legal permission and others who weathered the pandemic without access to government relief. The Excluded Workers Fund, by far the biggest of its kind in the country, was intended to provide eligible workers with one-time payments to help cover costs associated with joblessness, such as back rent and medical bills.

But just a few months after the state began accepting applications, the fund is about to run out of money, following a blitz in claims and a speedy distribution of aid. State authorities announced they would stop accepting new applications as of Oct. 8, adding that even those who had applied in the two weeks before that deadline might not be approved.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/biden-faces-challenge-as-us-congress-drops-state-aid-to-secure-stimulus-350713">Biden faces challenge as US Congress drops state aid to secure stimulus</a>

The fund’s rapid depletion could mean that tens of thousands of applicants might miss out on payments, according to organizers and state lawmakers who championed the fund.

It could also mean that thousands more may never get an opportunity to apply at all, including upstate workers or other immigrants in more isolated areas who do not have transportation or ready access to the community-based organizations that have been instrumental in helping people assemble their applications.

Soaring demand for the fund has placed pressure on Gov. Kathy Hochul to add more money to the pot in what could be an early test of her progressive bona fides as she campaigns next year. Hochul, a Democrat, had made it a priority to fast-track the disbursement of the original $2.1 billion when she ascended to the state’s top job after Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned in August.

The fund, which awards grants of up to $15,600, was one of the most contentious points of debate during negotiations over the state budget and had faced some resistance from Cuomo, who said he was concerned about the risk of fraud.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/a-covid-19-relief-fund-was-only-for-black-residents-then-came-the-lawsuits-354254">A COVID-19 relief fund was only for black residents. Then came the lawsuits</a>

Republicans, who are in the minority in the Legislature, have pushed back on the idea of diverting additional taxpayer dollars to the fund.

“It’s not surprising that there’s no amount of money that will ever be enough for these advocates,” said Sen. Rob Ortt, the Republican minority leader in the state Senate. “They want to make this a permanent thing.”

To date, the state has distributed just over two-thirds of the fund to about 128,000 people, a fraction of the nearly 351,000 claims that were received.

Hochul said last week that “$2.1 billion was an extraordinary amount of money, and we don’t have that level of money available just to deploy for something like this.”

She added that her administration was instead looking at “short-term” solutions while suggesting that the discussion of additional money might be taken up again early next year when the state Legislature returns to session to pass the next budget.

It is unclear how much support expanding the fund has in the Legislature. While a group of 15 lawmakers, including Sen. Jessica Ramos, a Queens Democrat who sponsored the legislation that created the fund, sent a letter this month to Hochul asking for additional money, Democratic leaders have stayed quiet. Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the majority leader in the Senate, declined to comment, while Carl E. Heastie, the speaker of the Assembly, did not reply to requests for comment.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/democrats-move-to-avert-shutdown-but-divisions-imperil-bidens-agenda-417166">Democrats move to avert shutdown, but divisions imperil Biden's agenda</a>

At dozens of community organizations, employees helped workers pull together the materials required to apply as more and more people arrived in September, inspired by the stories of friends and neighbours who had received payment, said Angel Reyes, the Long Island regional coordinator for the Rural and Migrant Ministry.

Reyes said he and his colleagues knew of many more people in the area who were not coming in, whether because of fear their information would be shared with authorities or a lack of transportation options. On Eastern Long Island, home to large numbers of Latin American immigrants who work in landscaping, farming and nurseries, “public transit is virtually nonexistent,” said Reyes, a situation also common in the Hudson Valley and farther upstate.

Many workers work long hours, some of them seven days a week, he added, creating another obstacle.

Abraham de la Cruz, 43, who lives in Hudson, New York, lost most of his restaurant and construction work when the pandemic hit and got by on about $100 a week, he said. He moved in with a relative, sleeping on her couch.

De la Cruz, who attended school only through the second grade in Oaxaca, Mexico, said he did not know about the fund until it was too late to apply, in part because he cannot speak English or read very well. Last week, a friend told him about it.

“I still don’t have stable work,” he said in Spanish. “She asked me how I was doing, and I said, ‘The truth is, not so great.”

Even in New York City, many eligible applicants faced administrative hurdles that they said they did not have time to resolve before the application period ended.

Applicants had to submit proof of identity, residency and income history, such as letters from employers. Many cash earners faced reluctance from employers, who did not want to disclose that they had been paying workers under the table. Others had difficulty providing proof of residency because they live in illegally subdivided apartments or basements or their names are not on a lease.

Earlier this year, New York created a $2.1 billion fund to help immigrants living in the country without legal permission and others who weathered the pandemic without access to government relief.

Earlier this year, New York created a $2.1 billion fund to help immigrants living in the country without legal permission and others who weathered the pandemic without access to government relief. The Excluded Workers Fund, by far the biggest of its kind in the country, was intended to provide eligible workers with one-time payments to help cover costs associated with joblessness, such as back rent and medical bills. But just a few months after the state began accepting applications, the fund is about to run out of money, following a blitz in claims and a speedy distribution of aid. State authorities announced they would stop accepting new applications as of Oct. 8, adding that even those who had applied in the two weeks before that deadline might not be approved. Also read | Biden faces challenge as US Congress drops state aid to secure stimulus The fund’s rapid depletion could mean that tens of thousands of applicants might miss out on payments, according to organizers and state lawmakers who championed the fund. It could also mean that thousands more may never get an opportunity to apply at all, including upstate workers or other immigrants in more isolated areas who do not have transportation or ready access to the community-based organizations that have been instrumental in helping people assemble their applications. Soaring demand for the fund has placed pressure on Gov. Kathy Hochul to add more money to the pot in what could be an early test of her progressive bona fides as she campaigns next year. Hochul, a Democrat, had made it a priority to fast-track the disbursement of the original $2.1 billion when she ascended to the state’s top job after Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned in August. The fund, which awards grants of up to $15,600, was one of the most contentious points of debate during negotiations over the state budget and had faced some resistance from Cuomo, who said he was concerned about the risk of fraud. Also read | A COVID-19 relief fund was only for black residents. Then came the lawsuits Republicans, who are in the minority in the Legislature, have pushed back on the idea of diverting additional taxpayer dollars to the fund. “It’s not surprising that there’s no amount of money that will ever be enough for these advocates,” said Sen. Rob Ortt, the Republican minority leader in the state Senate. “They want to make this a permanent thing.” To date, the state has distributed just over two-thirds of the fund to about 128,000 people, a fraction of the nearly 351,000 claims that were received. Hochul said last week that “$2.1 billion was an extraordinary amount of money, and we don’t have that level of money available just to deploy for something like this.” She added that her administration was instead looking at “short-term” solutions while suggesting that the discussion of additional money might be taken up again early next year when the state Legislature returns to session to pass the next budget. It is unclear how much support expanding the fund has in the Legislature. While a group of 15 lawmakers, including Sen. Jessica Ramos, a Queens Democrat who sponsored the legislation that created the fund, sent a letter this month to Hochul asking for additional money, Democratic leaders have stayed quiet. Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the majority leader in the Senate, declined to comment, while Carl E. Heastie, the speaker of the Assembly, did not reply to requests for comment. Also read | Democrats move to avert shutdown, but divisions imperil Biden's agenda At dozens of community organizations, employees helped workers pull together the materials required to apply as more and more people arrived in September, inspired by the stories of friends and neighbours who had received payment, said Angel Reyes, the Long Island regional coordinator for the Rural and Migrant Ministry. Reyes said he and his colleagues knew of many more people in the area who were not coming in, whether because of fear their information would be shared with authorities or a lack of transportation options. On Eastern Long Island, home to large numbers of Latin American immigrants who work in landscaping, farming and nurseries, “public transit is virtually nonexistent,” said Reyes, a situation also common in the Hudson Valley and farther upstate. Many workers work long hours, some of them seven days a week, he added, creating another obstacle. Abraham de la Cruz, 43, who lives in Hudson, New York, lost most of his restaurant and construction work when the pandemic hit and got by on about $100 a week, he said. He moved in with a relative, sleeping on her couch. De la Cruz, who attended school only through the second grade in Oaxaca, Mexico, said he did not know about the fund until it was too late to apply, in part because he cannot speak English or read very well. Last week, a friend told him about it. “I still don’t have stable work,” he said in Spanish. “She asked me how I was doing, and I said, ‘The truth is, not so great.” Even in New York City, many eligible applicants faced administrative hurdles that they said they did not have time to resolve before the application period ended. Applicants had to submit proof of identity, residency and income history, such as letters from employers. Many cash earners faced reluctance from employers, who did not want to disclose that they had been paying workers under the table. Others had difficulty providing proof of residency because they live in illegally subdivided apartments or basements or their names are not on a lease.

A $2.1 billion pandemic lifeline for undocumented workers runs out

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