The city council made history when it elected Queens Councilwoman Adrienne Adams its new Speaker. Adams is only the third woman — and the first African American one — ever to lead the city legislative body. For Councilwoman Carmen De La Rosa, this vote was a “momentous occasion.” more

Jessica Woolford grew up in Kingsbridge, alternating between her grandmother’s building at West 234th Street, and her mother’s building at West 238th Street. While walking around the neighborhood — whether it be to school at P.S. 7, or church at St. John’s — Woolford regularly passed by the two-story house on Kingsbridge Avenue where the local Assemblyman maintains his district office. more

Bring up the proposed homeless shelter at 6661 Broadway during a Community Board 8 meeting, and prepare for fireworks. But it was a much different tone during a recent town hall involving one of the shelter’s supporters, state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi. There was less focus on the complaints, and ultimately more of an opportunity to ask questions. more

For weeks, neighbors hoped to get answers from city officials about the proposed men’s shelter at 6661 Broadway. After deciding not to show up when they were first invited, a contingent of officials from the city’s social services department joined the recent Community Board 8 land use committee meeting. That’s where committee chair Charles Moerdler took the agency’s deputy commissioner, Erin Drinkwater, to task. more

A mystery pervades North Riverdale, not necessarily what’s planned at 6661 Broadway near West 252nd Street, but who’s actually planning it. more

When many communities hear city officials plan to develop a homeless shelter in their neighborhood, the pushback can be strong. And the opposition can be really loud. But for those who support such shelters in their communities, getting heard seems nearly impossible. At least at anywhere near the same volume. more

Ellen had just discovered her husband was a drug addict, draining their shared bank accounts, and leaving them impossibly behind on rent and other essential bills. If that wasn’t enough, the couple had a child — an infant, in fact — who needed formula and diapers. But she also needed somewhere safe to live. And on that night, her family’s apartment was not it. Especially if drugs could potentially be in reach. more

As the saga over the proposed homeless shelter at 6661 Broadway continues, neighbors both for and against the project were invited to sound off at a city contract hearing early last month, only to find out the $195 million proposition is almost certainly moving forward. more

Controversy continues to surround a proposed men’s homeless shelter in North Riverdale, not just by its residential and commercial neighbors around the site, but among local elected officials as well. more

Thanksgiving is a holiday known for its seemingly never-ending cornucopia of food. But for many families, the holiday is like any other day — very little to eat, if anything at all. more