Local Politics · Queens County
Queens residents vote in the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 3, with polls open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. The ballot includes the governor's race between incumbent Kathy Hochul and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, 11 state and five congressional contests, judicial races, and five charter amendment proposals from the Commission on Government Efficiency. Early voting saw 95,982 Queens residents cast ballots in the first six days, roughly 4,500 more than the same period in the last general election. Voters can find their polling sites at findmypollsite.vote.nyc.
Local Politics · New York, NY
Mayor Zohran Mamdani sent a letter Monday to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and ICE officials demanding federal agents stop using city-owned parking lots in the Bronx and Queens for immigration enforcement staging without authorization. Reports identified agent activity at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx and along 111th Street near Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, where lots sit adjacent to a city-run preschool and cultural institutions. Mamdani cited a February executive order barring non-city law enforcement from using municipal parking lots as staging grounds without a judicial warrant. The administration also announced new Parks Department protocols requiring workers to verify federal agents' credentials, contact agency attorneys, and refrain from granting access to restricted areas absent proper authorization.
Education · New York, NY
In a column published Monday, CUNY Chancellor Matos Rodríguez reported fourth consecutive enrollment growth of 3.2% this fall, adding nearly 27,000 students over four years. The university extended its fee-free application period for nearly 70,000 NYC Public Schools high school seniors until Nov. 16. Governor Hochul's CUNY Reconnect program is serving nearly 10,000 adults ages 25-55 with tuition, fees, and books covered for associate degrees in high-demand fields, now expanded to three additional colleges beyond the seven community colleges. Rodríguez also announced $4 million in new grants from Ascendium Education Group and ECMC Foundation to expand career-preparation work through CUNY Beyond.
