Filed under:The upstate firm responsible for sending mislabeled absentee ballot envelopes to thousands of Brooklyn voters notched a $4.6 million, no-bid contract after promising it would get the job done using a system dubbed “Electrack,” records show.“Electrack” apparently went off the rails with a computer glitch that shifted data — spurring a massive wave of complaints from voters who got return envelopes with the . Now the city Board of Elections is scrambling to resend ballots to 100,000 Brooklyn voters in time for the Nov. 3 presidential election.The company responsible, Phoenix...…Filed under:The upstate firm responsible for sending mislabeled absentee ballot envelopes to thousands of Brooklyn voters notched a $4.6 million, no-bid contract after promising it would get the job done using a system dubbed “Electrack,” records show.“Electrack” apparently went off the rails with a computer glitch that shifted data — spurring a massive wave of complaints from voters who got return envelopes with the . Now the city Board of Elections is scrambling to resend ballots to 100,000 Brooklyn voters in time for the Nov. 3 presidential election.The company responsible, Phoenix...WW…

SHARECity officials are looking to capitalize on a distressed tourism industry by converting commercial hotels into affordable housing — including creating single room occupancy units known as SROs.The exploration of cheaper alternatives for affordable housing and supportive housing — offering health care and social services for people with mental illness or substance abuse disorders — comes as the city prompted by the coronavirus pandemic. The effort, which also comes as thousands of homeless people are staying in hotels, highlights just how hard a near-halt in business travel and...…SHARECity officials are looking to capitalize on a distressed tourism industry by converting commercial hotels into affordable housing — including creating single room occupancy units known as SROs.The exploration of cheaper alternatives for affordable housing and supportive housing — offering health care and social services for people with mental illness or substance abuse disorders — comes as the city prompted by the coronavirus pandemic. The effort, which also comes as thousands of homeless people are staying in hotels, highlights just how hard a near-halt in business travel and...WW…

Additional Reporting by Rachel Holliday SmithSHARESHARENYCHA’s longstanding plan to tackle mold infestations by bringing fresher air to thousands of poorly ventilated public housing apartments could also help tamp down a potential second wave of COVID-19.But there’s a big problem: A major roof-fan replacement project is way behind schedule — and an internal Department of Investigation examination has found the main vendor hired to do the job has a history of alleged safety and financial issues, THE CITY has learned.Housing Authority officials have promised to replace 10,000 roof fans by...…Additional Reporting by Rachel Holliday SmithSHARESHARENYCHA’s longstanding plan to tackle mold infestations by bringing fresher air to thousands of poorly ventilated public housing apartments could also help tamp down a potential second wave of COVID-19.But there’s a big problem: A major roof-fan replacement project is way behind schedule — and an internal Department of Investigation examination has found the main vendor hired to do the job has a history of alleged safety and financial issues, THE CITY has learned.Housing Authority officials have promised to replace 10,000 roof fans by...WW…

SHAREFirst Lady Chirlane McCray is employing a shadow staff of at least six full-time workers who don’t appear on her official roster — with their salaries paid by other city agencies or their roles obscured within the wider office of her husband, Mayor Bill de Blasio, government sources say and records show.McCray, who is mulling a run for Brooklyn borough president, volunteers her time and is not employed by the city government. But she has built up a portfolio of work that includes a billion-dollar endeavor to improve the city’s mental health services, known as ThriveNYC. Her staff...…SHAREFirst Lady Chirlane McCray is employing a shadow staff of at least six full-time workers who don’t appear on her official roster — with their salaries paid by other city agencies or their roles obscured within the wider office of her husband, Mayor Bill de Blasio, government sources say and records show.McCray, who is mulling a run for Brooklyn borough president, volunteers her time and is not employed by the city government. But she has built up a portfolio of work that includes a billion-dollar endeavor to improve the city’s mental health services, known as ThriveNYC. Her staff...WW…

SHAREWith Congress essentially gone until Labor Day and a dire fiscal update from Albany, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio are running out of time to deal with budget crises that just took another $1 billion hit.In the short term, the state is withholding 20% of city aid and de Blasio says up to 22,000 municipal layoffs loom. In the long term, the city and state face extended problems from the pandemic-created recession that require permanent reductions in spending, fiscal experts say.“Little to no progress is being made in closing the gaps,” said Maria Doulis, vice president of...…SHAREWith Congress essentially gone until Labor Day and a dire fiscal update from Albany, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio are running out of time to deal with budget crises that just took another $1 billion hit.In the short term, the state is withholding 20% of city aid and de Blasio says up to 22,000 municipal layoffs loom. In the long term, the city and state face extended problems from the pandemic-created recession that require permanent reductions in spending, fiscal experts say.“Little to no progress is being made in closing the gaps,” said Maria Doulis, vice president of...WW…

SHARESHAREThis story is co-published with ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom that .ProPublica is working with , / and  to report on how allegations of misconduct by law enforcement officers in New York are investigated and to examine and analyze police disciplinary records that have recently been made public.Last summer, New York City police officers drove by two friends sitting on a bench outside a Brooklyn school. The officers stopped, later telling investigators that they suspected the two — a 16-year-old and 21-year-old, both male and Black — of carrying...…SHARESHAREThis story is co-published with ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom that .ProPublica is working with , / and  to report on how allegations of misconduct by law enforcement officers in New York are investigated and to examine and analyze police disciplinary records that have recently been made public.Last summer, New York City police officers drove by two friends sitting on a bench outside a Brooklyn school. The officers stopped, later telling investigators that they suspected the two — a 16-year-old and 21-year-old, both male and Black — of carrying...WW…

SHARESHARESteven Cabrera’s dream of opening a restaurant got the official green light from the city in March, a week before all eateries were shut down, save for take-out and delivery, due to the coronavirus crisis.  “I don’t think anybody decides to open up a restaurant during a pandemic,” said Cabrera, 30, owner of Km1 (Kilometro Uno) in the East Village. “It was either lose my initial investment or keep working it, so I decided to keep working it.”All told, more than 500 new restaurants have applied for permits to open since March, according to the city Health...…SHARESHARESteven Cabrera’s dream of opening a restaurant got the official green light from the city in March, a week before all eateries were shut down, save for take-out and delivery, due to the coronavirus crisis.  “I don’t think anybody decides to open up a restaurant during a pandemic,” said Cabrera, 30, owner of Km1 (Kilometro Uno) in the East Village. “It was either lose my initial investment or keep working it, so I decided to keep working it.”All told, more than 500 new restaurants have applied for permits to open since March, according to the city Health...WW…

SHAREExactly halfway through the state’s fiscal year, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has quietly amassed enough money to avoid major cuts to this year’s $177 billion spending plan. But even his budget director says using the funds would merely worsen the state’s financial crunch in coming years — including an unprecedented $16 billion hole in the next state budget.And with talks on another coronavirus aid package resuming in Washington, the governor has a new rationale for delaying decisions on a final plan to deal with the deficit in the current year’s plan until after the election.“Many people...…SHAREExactly halfway through the state’s fiscal year, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has quietly amassed enough money to avoid major cuts to this year’s $177 billion spending plan. But even his budget director says using the funds would merely worsen the state’s financial crunch in coming years — including an unprecedented $16 billion hole in the next state budget.And with talks on another coronavirus aid package resuming in Washington, the governor has a new rationale for delaying decisions on a final plan to deal with the deficit in the current year’s plan until after the election.“Many people...WW…

SHARESHAREpDexter Lendor and Delene Ahye sat on the basement stairs inside their Prospect Lefferts Garden apartment building, eyes fixed on an iPhone propped up on a railing, when the judge told them they won the first step of their case to sue their landlord.After a long few months, relief washed over the couple’s faces at the thought of finally getting needed repairs to the building at 22 Hawthorne St., with a court order to correct all housing code violations.Lendor and Ahye weren’t alone when they heard the news. Neighbors and members of the Crown Heights Tenant Union sat with them on...…SHARESHAREpDexter Lendor and Delene Ahye sat on the basement stairs inside their Prospect Lefferts Garden apartment building, eyes fixed on an iPhone propped up on a railing, when the judge told them they won the first step of their case to sue their landlord.After a long few months, relief washed over the couple’s faces at the thought of finally getting needed repairs to the building at 22 Hawthorne St., with a court order to correct all housing code violations.Lendor and Ahye weren’t alone when they heard the news. Neighbors and members of the Crown Heights Tenant Union sat with them on...WW…

SHARECops filmed boxing in and beating hundreds of demonstrators during a Bronx protest of police violence committed violations of international human rights laws, a new report charges.The nearly 100-page report by Human Rights Watch includes the accounts of more than 80 people, among them medics and legal observers, who attended the June 4 protest in Mott Haven at the height of the spring protests.Videos recorded at the protest — which ended after police encircled marchers, effectively trapping them — show officers beating some of those in the crowd with batons.Terence Monahan, NYPD chief...…SHARECops filmed boxing in and beating hundreds of demonstrators during a Bronx protest of police violence committed violations of international human rights laws, a new report charges.The nearly 100-page report by Human Rights Watch includes the accounts of more than 80 people, among them medics and legal observers, who attended the June 4 protest in Mott Haven at the height of the spring protests.Videos recorded at the protest — which ended after police encircled marchers, effectively trapping them — show officers beating some of those in the crowd with batons.Terence Monahan, NYPD chief...WW…