Lawmakers Aim to Stop COVID-19 Apartment Vacancies From Upending Rent Regulation

BY RACHEL HOLLIDAY SMITH

Lawmakers Aim to Stop COVID-19 Apartment Vacancies From Upending Rent Regulation

There’s an outside chance rising apartment vacancies due to COVID-19 could trigger an end to rent regulation in New York City — but two local lawmakers are looking to pandemic-proof tenant rights. Twin bills were introduced in the State Senate and Assembly on Tuesday that would seek to protect regulated apartments by taking the vacancy rate out of the […]

They Warned OSHA They Were in “Imminent Danger” at the Meat Plant. Now They’re Suing the Agency.

They Warned OSHA They Were in “Imminent Danger” at the Meat Plant. Now They’re Suing the Agency.

By Bernice Yeung and Michael Grabell, ProPublica Frustrated by the lack of response to their complaint of the “imminent danger” posed by COVID-19, three meatpacking workers at the Maid-Rite Specialty Foods plant outside of Scranton, Pennsylvania, took the unusual step Wednesday of filing a lawsuit against the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia. […]

How the Postal Service helped stamp identity on America – and continues to deliver a common bond today

How the Postal Service helped stamp identity on America – and continues to deliver a common bond today

By Amy Werbel, The Conversation Americans overwhelmingly support a federal bailout for the cash-starved United States Postal Service. They view the USPS as a vital civic institution – one that despite a crisis brought on by massive debts and falling revenue continues to reliably deliver medicine, communications and absentee ballots that allow Americans to vote safely during the […]

Here’s what COVID-19 does to a child’s body

Here’s what COVID-19 does to a child’s body

By Sarah Gibbens, National Geographic SINCE THE BEGINNING of the coronavirus pandemic, children have been largely spared the worst health impacts of COVID-19. The same SARS-CoV-2 virus capable of killing a 50-year-old might leave a four-year-old unscathed. Now, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending K-12 schools reopen this fall, saying the health risks should […]

Black or Blue? Protest Movements Take Center Stage in Races for NYC’s Swing Seats

Black or Blue? Protest Movements Take Center Stage in Races for NYC’s Swing Seats

Black Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter demonstrators clash in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, July 12, 2020. Courtesy of Jordan Rathkopf/www.rathkopf.com By Clifford Michel, THE CITY Where candidates stand on Black Lives Matter is quickly becoming a key campaign issue in New York City’s swing districts. Andrew Gounardes, who helped Democrats gain a majority in the […]

NYC School Reopening on Course for Delay, Union Leader Says

NYC School Reopening on Course for Delay, Union Leader Says

By Alex Zimmerman, Chalkbeat, THE CITY Citing an “alarming lack of direction” in the city’s plans for reopening school buildings, a Sept. 10 start date seems increasingly difficult to achieve, according to a letter sent this week by the head of the union that represents school administrators. “It is abundantly clear that the [Department of […]

John Lewis traded the typical college experience for activism, arrests and jail cells

John Lewis traded the typical college experience for activism, arrests and jail cells

Georgia Congressman John Lewis speaks at the Lincoln Memorial August 28, 2013 in Washington, DC, commemorating the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech. (Shutterstock) By Jelani M. Favors, The Conversation As an 18-year-old student attending a training session for activists at the Highlander Folk School in Monteagle, Tennessee, […]

HCR – NYS Covid Rent Relief Program

HCR – NYS Covid Rent Relief Program

The NYS Home and Community Renewals COVID Rent Relief Program will provide eligible households with a one-time rental subsidy that will be sent directly to the household’s landlord. Applicants will not need to repay this assistance. The Covid Rent Relief Program is not first come, first served. Applications will be accepted throughout the two-week application period. HCR will prioritize […]

Five Skills Expected from All Home Inspectors

Five Skills Expected from All Home Inspectors

By Doug Hastings, Kapre When thinking about becoming a home inspector, you should consider the industry expectations. The days of the contractor walk-thru inspection are over. In all communities, large and small, the expectation of the home inspector’s ability is higher than ever. When you hang a sign calling yourself a home inspector, you better be […]