President Trump stirred controversy this week when he posted “CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!” on Truth Social, as well as the official White House X account and Instagram, using a mock Time magazine depicting him wearing a golden crown. ( Photo: White House X) Federalism in Manhattan: What Does It Mean? It is unlikely that James Madison, when he was writing the Federalist Papers for publication in New York in 1788, contemplated... Voices 21 Feb 2025 | 12:26
City Council member Erik Bottcher, seen in a press conference last year, is urging the City Council to alert the public to the existence of test strips that can detect the presence of deadly fenatanyl in drugs. ( Photo: Keith J. Kelly) Bottcher Urges Health Dept. to Publicize Fentanyl Test Strips In a city as dynamic and resilient as New York, the safety of our residents must always remain our top priority. The opioid... Voices 14 Feb 2025 | 01:43
News vendor Sadik Topia in a photo last year with the front-page story in The Spirit detailing his plight. At the time, the city had shut him out of the newsstand he had operated for 23 years and he was temporarily selling his papers from the steps of a church across the street. ( Photo: Michael Oreskes) Letters to the Editor I just sent [a message] to [City Council member] Gale Brewer, thanking her for all she did to secure justice for our UWS... Voices 10 Feb 2025 | 12:35
NYU student Emma (center) came to an anti-Trump rally at City Hall Park on Feb. 5 to support transgender rights and immigrant rights. ( Photo: Keith J. Kelly ) Several Hundred Protestors at Peaceful but Boisterous Anti-Trump Rally at City Hall Park On Feb. 5, the day after President Donald Trump called for the United States to take long-term ownership of Gaza and possibly... Voices 07 Feb 2025 | 05:22
After three days with no public appearances for undisclosed health reason, Mayor Eric Adams returned to the spotlight on Jan. 30 and delivered a defiant speech in which he shot down rumors he was about to resign and accept a plea deal in his federal corruption case. ( Photo: Mayor’s Photography Office) It’s Bizarro World for Mayor Eric Adams in Recent Days The laws of justice and politics have been swirling like a tornado recently in Washington, D.C., and the winds from this... Voices 03 Feb 2025 | 02:27
Bishop Matthew Heyd, head of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, bemoans the aggressive crackdown on immigration that the Trump Administration is pushing. Permitting ICE agents to ente churches to seize migrants “curtails our religious freedom, disregards our long civic traditions, and jeopardizes the future of New York.” ( Photo: Courtesy Episcopal Diocese of New York) We Provide Sanctuary: Standing Together with the Migrants of New York Today across Manhattan, Episcopal churches are serving hot lunches, offering bag lunches, and sharing warm coats to wear... Voices 24 Jan 2025 | 04:03
Bikers this summer were caught going every which way in a one-way bike lane that crosses a pedestrian crosswalk on Ninth Avenue. The disregard of traffic laws is dangerous, says the writer, who was knocked down by a biker going through a light. ( Photo: Brian Berger) City Is Ignoring Bike, Scooter and Moped Problems One recent evening, a friend and I left a Village theater, zipped up our coats against the cold and set off for the subway—never... Voices 24 Jan 2025 | 04:52
Bob Dylan, following a performance in Kilkenny in 2019. ( Photo: Ralph PH/Wikimedia Commons) Enough about the Village! The UWS Has Bragging Rights to Bob Dylan Too! The world is sharply divided into two groups. The first hates the sound of Bob Dylan’s nasal voice, and the second reveres... Voices 20 Jan 2025 | 01:41
The view from Malibu Beach where the author spent happy days in her youth and now worries about her many friends as Los Angeles battles fires that have already consumed an area twice the size of Manhattan. ( Photo: Michele Willens) Reflecting on the LA Fires It’s difficult to ask for sympathy when one has a home in the Malibu Colony. But I am touched by all the concern my family... Voices 20 Jan 2025 | 04:12
Letters to the Editor Dear Letters Editor: I am in full agreement with Hank Sheinkopf’s argument [Joe Biden Just Plain Lied to Us by Pardoning Hunter... Voices 20 Jan 2025 | 12:39
Letitia James Releases Letter Calling on US Senate to Vote ‘No’ on the Laken Riley Act Dear Members of the U.S. Senate: As members of law enforcement, faith leaders, and elected officials, we write to express... Voices 16 Jan 2025 | 07:06
Mayor Eric Adams prepares to give his State of the City address at the Apollo Theater, Jan. 9, 2025. ( Photo: Ben Tractenberg/The CITY) Adams Touts Massive Housing Push in State of City Speech Aimed at Families Mayor Eric Adams presented his fourth and possibly final State of the City address Thursday in Harlem, sharing a vision—but... Voices 10 Jan 2025 | 05:09
SBA President Vincent Vallegong at the podium. ( Photo: Brian Berger) Sergeants’ Union Rallies in Harlem for “Fair Pay Now” Hundreds of NYPD sergeants and their supporters braved the frigid cold and came to Harlem on Thursday Jan. 9, to protest... Voices 10 Jan 2025 | 08:16
Signs highlighting the new congestion pricing zone. ( Photo: Alamy) Hochul Ignored Plea from 4 Council Members for Relief from Congest Toll for Residents Living Below 60th St. Dear Governor Hochul and Commissioner Dominguez: We write to you as New York City Council Members representing the Central... Voices 06 Jan 2025 | 06:42
The author first met Jimmy Carter while she was working for CBS in Los Angeles and ended up joining his presidential campaign. ( Photo: Jimmy Carter Library and Museum) Memories of Jimmy Carter This week, many of us are going back to our feelings about—and perhaps memories of—Jimmy Carter. Personally, I was working... Voices 06 Jan 2025 | 02:01
