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Reuven Blau

@reuvenblau.bsky.social

2.5K followers 740 following 390 posts

Senior Reporter @ THE CITY. Co-author: "Rikers: An Oral History." Denver native.

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Reuven Blau @reuvenblau.bsky.social · 4d

In 2018, the state’s Commission of Correction — an agency overseen at the time by Cuomo — issued a scathing report about the conditions on Rikers, threatening to speed up the closure. Now, Cuomo wants to scrap the plan already in motion.
www.thecity.nyc/2025/10/09/c...

Cuomo’s Rikers Proposal Slammed as 'Political Scam' by Jail Advocates

With one new jail rising in Brooklyn and billions already spent, critics say Cuomo’s plan would waste money and keep New Yorkers stuck with Rikers’ abuses.

www.thecity.nyc

Reuven Blau @reuvenblau.bsky.social · 10d

Mr. Cravitz, one of the victims, “did not have a single bad bone in his body,” said Avrom Baker, 63, a care worker who used to look after Mr. Cravitz’s mother at a nursing home. Others said that Mr. Cravitz had worked as a delivery driver and at a local supermarket.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/03/w...

Shouts and Pounding at the Doors: How a U.K. Synagogue Came Under Attack

www.nytimes.com

Reuven Blau @reuvenblau.bsky.social · 12d

“How could we negotiate a bipartisan agreement and then have the president unilaterally through impoundment, or the Republican Party through rescissions and the president unilaterally through pocket rescissions, undo it all without any input.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/30/u...

Democrats See No Need to Capitulate, Nor Republicans to Cut a Deal

www.nytimes.com

Reuven Blau @reuvenblau.bsky.social · 13d

Others said they were concerned about the projected $1 billion savings, with David Nicholson of the Police Benevolent Association saying they are “not guaranteed,” according to audio from the meeting that was obtained by @thecity.nyc — via @clauirizarry.bsky.social
www.thecity.nyc/2025/09/30/m...

City Unions OK Cost-Saving Health Plan Switch Despite Foggy Details

While the Municipal Labor Committee approved the plans, part of a fraught effort to realize health care savings, some member unions said they weren’t given crucial information before the vote.

www.thecity.nyc

Reuven Blau @reuvenblau.bsky.social · 13d

"The cost of a single subway, bus or paratransit ride will hit $3 for the first time come January, after the MTA board on Tuesday approved the latest in a series of every-other-year increases." — @jmartineznyc.bsky.social reports
www.thecity.nyc/2025/09/30/m...

MTA Locks in $3 Subway Fare to Start in January

The 2% price hike stands in contrast to double-digit increases in other public transit systems.

www.thecity.nyc

Reuven Blau @reuvenblau.bsky.social · 13d

"Metropolitan Park, the casino slated to be built on Citi Field’s parking lot and backed by Mets owner Steve Cohen, got a critical approval that will bring it to a final round with the state as it decides on new gambling licenses." — @lauren-hartley.bsky.social
www.thecity.nyc/2025/09/30/c...

Steve Cohen’s Citi Field Casino Plan Passes to Final Step

The Queens proposal is now one of four that go to the state for a final license decision.

www.thecity.nyc

Reuven Blau @reuvenblau.bsky.social · 14d

“He’s facing a mountain of potential liability if the CFB determines that he must refund all the funds. And he does have the potential of being barred from the matching funds system. That would put a nearly complete stop to his future political career.”
www.thecity.nyc/2025/09/29/e...

Eric Adams Grinds on in Quest for Public Campaign Dollars

The mayor's lawyers demand millions in matching funds to cover outlays for in his now-ended bid for reelection — while the Campaign Finance Board has warned it could still claw back $10 million it gav...

www.thecity.nyc

Reuven Blau @reuvenblau.bsky.social · 15d

Adams had repeatedly and vehemently denied he was contemplating quitting his reelection bid until now, despite multiple news reports that he was contemplating a job in President Donald Trump’s administration or in the private sector. That speculation had hindered his fundraising, he claimed earlier.

THE CITY @thecity.nyc · 15d

NEW: After weeks of fervent denials, Mayor Eric Adams announced Sunday that he's dropping out of the mayoral race.

Eric Adams Drops Out of Race for Mayor, Refuses to Endorse Other Candidates

Lagging badly in polls, the mayor confirmed in a video that he's suspending his campaign after weeks of denying he was considering an exit.

www.thecity.nyc

Reuven Blau @reuvenblau.bsky.social · 18d

New: While a 29-year-old detainee with severe mental illness was on the brink of death in his Rikers Island cell last month, a medical staffer stood outside his cell door spraying air freshener, according to a Board of Correction report obtained by @thecity.nyc
www.thecity.nyc/2025/09/25/r...

Rikers Health Worker Sprayed Air Freshener While Feces-Smeared Man Neared Death in His Cell

A Board of Correction review into the death of 29-year-old Ardit Billa reveals lapses by correction officers, falsified log entries, and missed safety checks — failures that advocates say are routine ...

www.thecity.nyc

Reposted by Reuven Blau

Rachel Holliday Smith @rachelholliday.bsky.social · 18d

Yonkers got a thumbs up. Next vote: this afternoon for Resorts World in Queens.

@lauren-hartley.bsky.social will be covering for us, stay tuned.

Yonkers Casino Plan Moves Forward to Next Round of License Race

The proposal from MGM Empire City would turn the long-running gambling facility into a fully fledged casino.

www.thecity.nyc

Reposted by Reuven Blau

THE CITY @thecity.nyc · 20d

Woah!!! Thanks to all our followers! Crazy to think we’re so close to reaching 50,000!!

If you have a friend or neighbor who’s looking to read more local reporting, pass our handle along ♥️

Reuven Blau @reuvenblau.bsky.social · 21d

Lede of the day: “Viva no Vegas! A key committee has voted down the third and final casino proposed in Manhattan.”
www.thecity.nyc/2025/09/22/f...

Third Manhattan Casino Proposal Shot Down in Key Vote

A committee voted 4-2 to nix Freedom Plaza, proposed for the Murray Hill waterfront near the United Nations.

www.thecity.nyc

Reuven Blau @reuvenblau.bsky.social · 22d

Coney Island casino would be great for the area says former elected official who is being paid by the casino w/o disclosing that in this DN editorial.

Reuven Blau @reuvenblau.bsky.social · 24d

“My wife is mad at me because I don’t want to go for the infusions, and I’m like, ‘We can’t afford it,’” Danahy said. “All this money that we thought we saved over the past couple of years could be out the window.”

New York Focus @nysfocus.bsky.social · 24d

New York Focus has extensively reported on the Leading Edge’s history of unpaid bills, lawsuits, and shoddy coverage. In May, it became the insurer for thousands of low-wage home health aides in NY.

One Massachusetts retiree’s battle with the health insurance company highlights the risks they face.

Insurance Said He Was Covered. Then They Sent a $17,000 Bill

Thousands of New Yorkers have new health insurance from the company Leading Edge Administrators. One Massachusetts retiree’s battle with the company…

Reuven Blau @reuvenblau.bsky.social · 24d

“Back in 2003, some lawyers came by here to say the train was coming this way,” said Hector Quiroz, an owner of the restaurant since 1999. “So, I guess it’s finally getting here.” — via @jmartineznyc.bsky.social
www.thecity.nyc/2025/09/19/s...

MTA Moves to Seize More Property for New Subway Tunnels in East Harlem

The agency aims to use eminent domain to ensure it can proceed with the $7 billion extension of the Second Avenue Subway.

www.thecity.nyc

Reuven Blau @reuvenblau.bsky.social · 26d

With a pivotal deadline looming next Friday, elected officials and family members of Win Rozario are urging NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch to quickly level disciplinary charges against the officers involved in the killing of the 19-year-old at his home last year.
www.thecity.nyc/2025/09/18/n...

NYPD Urged to Level Disciplinary Charges Against Officers in Fatal Shooting as Crucial Deadline Looms

Elected officials are calling on Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch to act before a statute of limitation expires next Friday on serving misconduct charges in the killing of 19-year-old Win Rozario.

www.thecity.nyc

Reuven Blau @reuvenblau.bsky.social · 26d

For years, Republicans cast themselves as the party of free speech, railing against what they derided as “cancel culture” from the left. Yet what we are witnessing now is a full-scale cancel campaign led from the right, with the force of federal government power behind it.— @oliverdarcy.bsky.social

Reuven Blau @reuvenblau.bsky.social · 26d

Tokyo adds roughly 80,000 homes a year — two to three times New  York’s pace — and rents there stay moderate even as its population rockets past 14M. Houston allows townhomes and small apartment buildings on most blocks, virtually ending chronic homelessness.
www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/new...

Vital City | New York’s Housing Crisis: Self-Inflicted and Solvable

The fate of New York is riding on whether the city can increase the supply of housing.

www.vitalcitynyc.org

Reuven Blau @reuvenblau.bsky.social · 26d

"The cards are down, and two proposed casinos in Manhattan are out of the running in the first votes on projects across the region vying for up to three new state licenses."
www.thecity.nyc/2025/09/17/m...

Casi-No: Times Square and Hudson Yards Boards Defeat Gaming Proposals

Both of the first votes for proposed casino sites in New York City go against developers despite promises for jobs and community benefits.

www.thecity.nyc

Reuven Blau @reuvenblau.bsky.social · 26d

Despite being able to point out some policy successes as an administration — including a 3% drop in so-called major felonies, Adams’ tenure has been tainted by multiple corruption allegations against former top aides. It wasn’t all positive: reported rapes spiked 62%.
www.thecity.nyc/2025/09/17/m...

Crime and Rats Down, But City Jails and Services Struggle, New Report Shows

The annual Mayor’s Management Report highlights falling shootings, robberies, and rat sightings — even as violence rises in city jails, response times lag, and budget cuts hit cleanliness and tree pla...

www.thecity.nyc

Reuven Blau @reuvenblau.bsky.social · 26d

“When they called to tell me she had died, my first thought was that the gang had killed her. I said, ‘They killed her, they killed her.’ But it wasn’t that. It was stress, it was sadness. Deportation killed her.”
www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/d...

The death of Estela Ramos Baten

Nory Sontay Ramos and her mother Estela were deported after a routine check-in. Two months later, Estela was buried with Guatemalan and U.S. flags draped over her coffin.

Reposted by Reuven Blau

Rachel Holliday Smith @rachelholliday.bsky.social · 27d

good one to read as more and more polls come out this fall

Polls Didn’t Expect Mamdani’s Win. Will They Be Right in the General?

Recent polls have the Democratic nominee way up over his competitors. Here’s how to smartly read local polling.

www.thecity.nyc

Reuven Blau @reuvenblau.bsky.social · 27d

“Deaths in NYPD custody have surged to levels not seen in at least a decade, with 40 people dying in 2023 and 2024 combined — roughly double the toll of any two-year period since at least 2016.”
www.thecity.nyc/2025/09/17/d...

Deaths in NYPD Custody Nearly Doubled in Recent Years

Forty people died while in police custody in 2023 and 2024 — the highest two-year toll in nearly a decade. With at least nine more deaths this year, though a downward trend, advocates are calling for ...

www.thecity.nyc

Reuven Blau @reuvenblau.bsky.social · Sep 12

The Civilian Complaint Review Board concluded Officers Salvatore Alongi and Matthew Cianfrocco committed multiple acts of misconduct — including excessive force and abuse of authority — when they tased and shot Win Rozario in March 2024.
www.thecity.nyc/2025/09/12/c...

Police Oversight Agency Cites Excessive Force in Killing of Queens Teen

The Civilian Complaint Review Board has found Officers Salvatore Alongi and Matthew Cianfrocco committed misconduct when they shot 19-year-old Win Rozario inside his home during a mental health crisis...

www.thecity.nyc

Reuven Blau @reuvenblau.bsky.social · Sep 10

Mayor Eric Adams’ parks department is moving ahead to let the Related Companies continue running the city-owned Wollman Rink — ending the Trump Organization’s quest to reclaim control of the popular sports facility in Central Park. — via @gregbsmithnyc.bsky.social
www.thecity.nyc/2025/09/10/p...

Parks Passes on Trump Organization Bid to Run Wollman Rink

Donald Trump’s family business appears to have lost out in the competition to run the Central Park skating attraction that helped promote the future president, after Mayor Eric Adams sought a new oper...

www.thecity.nyc