New York
Is a Gas Tax Holiday on the Agenda in Albany?
![Is a Gas Tax Holiday on the Agenda in Albany? Is a Gas Tax Holiday on the Agenda in Albany?](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/31nytoday-gas-facebookJumbo.jpg)
Gasoline costs have been on lots of people’s minds in the previous few weeks — even those that don’t drive have watched the figures on service station indicators climb within the weeks since Russia invaded Ukraine. In the present day we’ll have a look at the prospects for a fuel tax vacation in New York and at a quick however intense push in New Jersey to let drivers pump their very own gas at fuel stations.
And whereas my colleague Grace Ashford says that everybody desires to share in a feel-good tax reduce, some fear that gas firms may increase the bottom worth for a gallon of fuel, fattening their backside strains. There may be additionally concern that the fiscal penalties of dropping the fuel tax — which brings in about $2.2 billion a 12 months in mixed state and native income — may undercut different priorities, together with roads, bridges and mass transit.
“Most economists suppose it’s a nasty concept,” mentioned Jason Furman, a professor of economics at Harvard, including that the talk was much less about whether or not a tax vacation was dangerous than about how dangerous it could be. “Is it, you already know, a horrible factor you must by no means do? Or is it a minor dangerous factor, and why not simply go forward and do it as a result of it’s good politics?”
Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat from Buffalo, didn’t embody a fuel tax suspension in her govt funds plan. However she indicated final week that she was open to together with one within the state funds, which is due Friday.
A Siena ballot launched on Monday confirmed that 70 % of voters throughout social gathering strains had been in favor of some kind of tax aid. Democrats, notably these from upstate and Lengthy Island, the place Republicans have made vital inroads, have taken word with a watch to this 12 months’s election.
No full-service fuel in New Jersey? No method.
New Jersey is the one state within the nation that requires attendants to pump fuel for each buyer, a service {that a} majority of residents have repeatedly instructed pollsters they help. The idiosyncrasy is commonly worn as a badge of honor on T-shirts and bumper stickers that say “Jersey Women Don’t Pump Gasoline.”
Earlier this month, proponents of self-service fuel reintroduced a invoice that will allow self-service fuel. The hassle was backed by a fuel station trade group. Proponents mentioned it was a problem of driver selection in a world the place most main drug and grocery shops supply self-service checkouts.
Extra on Gasoline Costs in New York and New Jersey
However Nicholas Scutari, the Democratic president of the State Senate, put an finish to hypothesis earlier this month when he mentioned he didn’t help altering issues. “The individuals of New Jersey are very clear in wanting to maintain the system we now have now,” Scutari mentioned in a coverage place first reported by the New Jersey Monitor. Scutari, whose help could be important to revamping the way in which New Jerseyans have gotten their fuel since 1949, additionally mentioned he was not satisfied that having self-service lanes would result in decrease fuel costs.
Climate
Count on an opportunity of sunshine rain within the morning and an opportunity of showers within the later afternoon, with temps within the excessive 60s. At night time, temps will drop to the low 50s. Put together for showers and thunderstorms.
alternate-side parking
In impact till April 14 (Holy Thursday).
The newest New York information
A wave of overdue books and DVDs got here crashing in after New York Metropolis’s three public library methods did away with overdue fines final 12 months. A number of the returned gadgets had been accompanied by apologetic notes.
“Enclosed are books I’ve borrowed and saved in my home for 28-50 years!” one reader wrote earlier than dropping of a field of books on the New York Public Library’s predominant department. “I’m 75 years previous now and these books have helped me by means of motherhood and my instructing profession. I’m sorry for dwelling with these books so lengthy. They grew to become household.”
When somebody checked out a replica of the novella “Goodbye, Mr. Chips” in July 1970, the Flushing Library in Queens occupied a chunky constructing at Primary Avenue and Kissena Boulevard. When the e book was returned in December, it got here again to a curving metal-and-glass construction that was accomplished in 1998 on the identical triangular website.
And what was it about “The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day,” a 2009 motion movie that has a 23 % ranking on Rotten Tomatoes? Three DVD copies got here again to 3 totally different libraries in three totally different boroughs.
The libraries’ determination to drop fines utterly adopted the lead of libraries in Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia and San Francisco, amongst different locations. The New York methods collected between $3 million and $4 million in fines within the 2019 fiscal 12 months, the final earlier than the coronavirus pandemic, and stopped gathering them in March 2020.
“We realized that we may regulate our funds to do all the pieces we wanted to do and canopy the misplaced income,” Anthony Marx, the president of the New York Public Library, instructed our author Gina Cherelus. He mentioned that libraries are “not within the revenue-generating enterprise. We’re within the encouraging-to-read-and-learn enterprise, and we had been getting in our personal method” by gathering fines.
These fines had accrued for years. “I can’t inform you how stressed these fines made our clients,” mentioned Tienya Smith, a librarian who runs the department in Lengthy Island Metropolis, Queens.
Greater than 21,000 overdue or misplaced gadgets have been returned in Manhattan, some so previous that they had been not within the library’s system. About 51,000 gadgets had been returned in Brooklyn by means of the tip of February. And greater than 16,000 had been returned in Queens. (The libraries nonetheless cost substitute charges for misplaced books.) Fortunately for the libraries, the announcement that fines had been being eradicated introduced in additional than books and DVDs. One lady despatched the Queens Public Library a $1,000 donation on behalf of her 93-year-old mom.
Billy Parrott, who runs the Stavros Niarchos Basis Library in Midtown, the town’s largest circulating department, mentioned that almost all overdue gadgets had been returned by mail or e book drop, reasonably than in particular person. This is sensible: Late books could be a supply of disgrace. However librarians insist they aren’t judging.
“We simply care concerning the books,” mentioned Parrott.
What we’re studying
METROPOLITAN diary
Nook cupboard
Expensive Diary:
I dwell in Astoria. At some point, whereas I used to be out strolling and speaking on the cellphone with my mother, I noticed a porter put a ravishing nook cupboard subsequent to a pile of trash exterior the church a couple of doorways down from my constructing.
It was a top quality piece that I knew would look nice in my house, so I ran house to seize a measuring tape after which returned to see whether or not it was the suitable measurement.
As I used to be measuring, I heard a mild voice from behind me.
“Will it match?”
I circled to see a younger man standing there.
I mentioned goodbye to my mother and turned again to the younger man.
“I feel so,” I mentioned.
“I’ll carry it for you, in case you’d like,” he mentioned.
How may I refuse?
With out saying a phrase, he lifted the cupboard up simply and hoisted it over his shoulder. We set off down the road after which up the steps once we obtained to my constructing.
As soon as we had gotten inside and the cupboard was in place, I wasn’t positive how one can thank him.
He observed my piano.
“Will you play me a track?”
— Katie Coleman
Illustrated by Agnes Lee. Ship submissions right here and learn extra Metropolitan Diary right here.
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New York
Senator Menendez’s Resignation Letter
![Senator Menendez’s Resignation Letter Senator Menendez’s Resignation Letter](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/07/23/doc-4ddf28bf-7055-4adb-bc76-b-promo/doc-4ddf28bf-7055-4adb-bc76-b-promo-facebookJumbo.png)
ROBERT MENENDEZ
NEW JERSEY
COMMITTEES:
BANKING, HOUSING, AND URBAN
AFFAIRS
FINANCE
FOREIGN RELATIONS
The Honorable Phil Murphy
Governor of New Jersey
Office of the Governor
Trenton, N.J. 08625
Dear Governor Murphy,
United States Senate
WASHINGTON, DC 20510-3005
July 23, 2024
528 SENATE HART OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON, DC 20510
(202) 224-4744
210 HUDSON STREET
HARBORSIDE 3, SUITE #1000
JERSEY CITY, NJ 07311
(973) 645-3030
208 WHITE HORSE PIKE
SUITE 18-19
BARRINGTON, NJ 08007
(856) 757-5353
This is to advise you that I will be resigning from my office as the United States Senator from
New Jersey, effective on the close of business on August 20, 2024.
This will give time for my staff to transition to other possibilities, transfer constituent files that
are pending, allow for an orderly process to choose an interim replacement, and for me to close
out my Senate affairs.
While I fully intend to appeal the jury’s verdict, all the way and including to the Supreme Court,
I do not want the Senate to be involved in a lengthy process that will detract from its important
work. Furthermore, I cannot preserve my rights upon a successful appeal, because factual matters
before the ethics committee are not privileged. This is evidenced by the Committee’s Staff
Director and Chief Counsel being called to testify at my trial.
I am proud of the many accomplishments I’ve had on behalf of New Jersey, such as leading the
federal effort for Superstorm Sandy recovery, preserving and funding Gateway and leading the
federal efforts to help save our hospitals, State and municipalities, as well as New Jersey families
through a once in a century COVID pandemic. These successes led you, Governor, to call me the
“Indispensable Senator.”
I thank the citizens of New Jersey for the extraordinary privilege of representing them in the
United States Senate.
Sincerely,
Pabet Menang.
Robert Menendez
United States Senator
New Jersey
cc: The Honorable Kamala Harris, President of the Senate
The Honorable Ann Berry, Secretary of the Senate
New York
How Well Do You Know Literary Brooklyn?
![How Well Do You Know Literary Brooklyn? How Well Do You Know Literary Brooklyn?](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/07/22/books/review/22Quiz-Brooklyn/22Quiz-Brooklyn-facebookJumbo.jpg)
A strong sense of place can deeply influence a story, and in some cases, the setting can even feel like a character itself. This week’s literary geography quiz celebrates Brooklyn and novels set around the bustling borough. To play, just make your selection in the multiple-choice list and the correct answer will be revealed. Links to the books will be listed at the end of the quiz if you’d like to do further reading.
New York
See How Your Subway Service May Suffer Without Congestion Pricing
![See How Your Subway Service May Suffer Without Congestion Pricing See How Your Subway Service May Suffer Without Congestion Pricing](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/07/10/multimedia/2024-06-28-subway-projects-index/2024-06-28-subway-projects-index-facebookJumbo-v4.png)
After Gov. Kathy Hochul halted New York City’s congestion pricing program last month, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority cut $16.5 billion worth of planned upgrades to the city’s vast transit network, mostly to account for the loss of funding that was tied to revenue from the toll.
Source: Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Notes: The chart shows the $28.5 billion in uncommitted funds in the M.T.A.’s 2020-24 capital program; an additional $27 billion had already been committed.
The impact of the congestion pricing suspension on the M.T.A.’s funds for capital projects
Projects were cut from each part of New York City’s transit system, which is the largest in North America and is used by millions of people every day. The projects included elevator and ramp installations that would make subway stations accessible for people with disabilities, structural repairs to aging infrastructure and upgrades to 1930s-era signals that regularly cause delays.
Here are some of the subway projects the authority says it has shelved:
The cuts announced by the M.T.A. — the state agency that runs the subway, bus and commuter rail lines — will also affect transit outside the subway system. The authority has postponed the purchase of more than 250 electric buses and charging infrastructure at bus depots, as well as upgrades to regional rails and a ramp reconstruction on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.
The $12 billion remaining in the M.T.A.’s capital funds will be spent on projects the authority considers the most urgent, like track replacements and repairs to power substations. It will also replace some of the “least reliable” subway and railway cars, the authority said in a report.
All told, there are 92 subway stations that will not get planned improvements, including 22 stations that will not get new elevators or ramps; 10 that will not get upgrades like structural repairs, platform replacements and new barriers between platforms and tracks; and 71 that will not get upgrades to their public announcement systems.
Below is a list of the subway stations where upgrades have been put on hold, based on what the M.T.A. has detailed so far:
Projects on hold at 41 stations in Brooklyn:
Union St R
- upgrade to public announcement system
4 Av-9 St R
- upgrade to public announcement system
36 St D N R
- upgrade to public announcement system
59 St N R
- upgrade to public announcement system
Bergen St F G
- upgrade to public announcement system
15 St-Prospect Park F G
- upgrade to public announcement system
Church Av F G
- upgrade to public announcement system
Avenue X F
- upgrade to public announcement system
Neptune Av F
- upgrade to public announcement system
- elevator or ramp installation
- platform or waiting area replacement
Jay St-MetroTech A C F
- upgrade to public announcement system
Hoyt-Schermerhorn Sts A C G
- upgrade to public announcement system
- elevator or ramp installation
Franklin Av C
- upgrade to public announcement system
Nostrand Av A C
- upgrade to public announcement system
- elevator or ramp installation
Utica Av A C
- upgrade to public announcement system
Euclid Av A C
- upgrade to public announcement system
7 Av B Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
Kings Hwy B Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
Avenue U Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
Neck Rd Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
Sheepshead Bay B Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
Brighton Beach B Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
Ocean Pkwy Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
W 8 St-NY Aquarium F Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
Jefferson St L
- elevator or ramp installation
Nevins St 2 3 4 5
- platform or waiting area replacement
Crescent St J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Norwood Av J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Cleveland St J
- upgrade to public announcement system
Van Siclen Av J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Alabama Av J
- upgrade to public announcement system
Chauncey St J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Halsey St J
- upgrade to public announcement system
Gates Av J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Kosciuszko St J
- upgrade to public announcement system
Myrtle Av J M Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Flushing Av J M
- upgrade to public announcement system
Lorimer St J M
- upgrade to public announcement system
Hewes St J M
- upgrade to public announcement system
Marcy Av J M Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Kings Hwy N
- elevator or ramp installation
18 Av D
- elevator or ramp installation
Projects on hold at 9 stations in the Bronx:
Norwood-205 St D
- upgrade to public announcement system
Bedford Park Blvd B D
- upgrade to public announcement system
Kingsbridge Rd B D
- upgrade to public announcement system
Fordham Rd B D
- upgrade to public announcement system
Tremont Av B D
- upgrade to public announcement system
161 St-Yankee Stadium B D
- upgrade to public announcement system
Wakefield-241 St 2
- elevator or ramp installation
Brook Av 6
- elevator or ramp installation
- repairs for structural or aesthetic issues
3 Av-138 St 6
- elevator or ramp installation
- repairs for structural or aesthetic issues
Projects on hold at 27 stations in Manhattan:
Roosevelt Island F
- upgrade to public announcement system
Lexington Av/63 St F Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
47-50 Sts-Rockefeller Ctr B D F M
- upgrade to public announcement system
42 St-Bryant Pk B D F M
- upgrade to public announcement system
- elevator or ramp installation
34 St-Herald Sq B D F M
- upgrade to public announcement system
Broadway-Lafayette St B D F M
- upgrade to public announcement system
2 Av F
- upgrade to public announcement system
Delancey St-Essex St F
- upgrade to public announcement system
- elevator or ramp installation
East Broadway F
- upgrade to public announcement system
190 St A
- repairs for structural or aesthetic issues
145 St A C B D
- elevator or ramp installation
W 4 St-Wash Sq A C E
- upgrade to public announcement system
Canal St A C E
- upgrade to public announcement system
Chambers St A C
- upgrade to public announcement system
World Trade Center E
- upgrade to public announcement system
Lexington Av/59 St N R W
- elevator or ramp installation
168 St 1
- elevator or ramp installation
3 Av L
- new fencing between platform and track
5 Av 7
- elevator or ramp installation
Times Sq-42 St 7
- new fencing between platform and track
Delancey St-Essex St J M Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
- elevator or ramp installation
Canal St J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Chambers St J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
- repairs for structural or aesthetic issues
Broad St J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
110 St 6
- elevator or ramp installation
59 St 4 5 6
- elevator or ramp installation
7 Av B D E
- elevator or ramp installation
Projects on hold at 14 stations in Queens:
21 St-Queensbridge F
- upgrade to public announcement system
111 St J
- upgrade to public announcement system
75 St-Elderts Ln J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Ozone Park-Lefferts Blvd A
- upgrade to public announcement system
Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer E J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Sutphin Blvd-Archer Av-JFK Airport E J Z
- new fencing between platform and track
Jamaica-Van Wyck E
- upgrade to public announcement system
Parsons Blvd F
- elevator or ramp installation
Sutphin Blvd F
- upgrade to public announcement system
Briarwood E F
- elevator or ramp installation
- repairs for structural or aesthetic issues
Howard Beach-JFK Airport A
- upgrade to public announcement system
Broad Channel A S
- upgrade to public announcement system
Far Rockaway-Mott Av A
- upgrade to public announcement system
Rockaway Park-Beach 116 St A S
- upgrade to public announcement system
Projects on hold at 1 station in Staten Island:
Clifton SIR
- elevator or ramp installation
-
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