Amanda Salazar

New York City City Hall used “Nonprofit Week” to celebrate the organizations that keep the city running, such as by providing meals for the hungry, social care for the elderly and shelter for the homeless. Various agencies spent last week providing trainings, sharing information on municipal contracts and honoring human service organizations with awards.

New York City Public Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos will be giving one of the keynote speeches at City & State’s “Education in New York: Shaping Tomorrow’s Schools Through Innovation” summit next Thursday. With the event just a week away, Aviles-Ramos gave City & State a preview of what attendees can expect to hear about next week at the event, touching on various initiatives and goals the education system is prioritizing.

Everyday, professionals working within the social and human services field help New Yorkers live their safest, healthiest, happiest lives. Whether they’re providing fresh-cooked meals to a family that can’t afford dinner, or operating programs to help the recently incarcerated gently rejoin their communities, or are advocating for governmental funding that will support care for those struggling with mental health issues – social service workers do a lot for their communities and neighbors.

City & State’s second annual Above & Beyond: Social Services highlights notable figures in this critical sector: innovators tapping into groundbreaking research, identifying better practices and adopting technological innovations; strong, experienced leaders guiding their organizations through political winds; public officials in key oversight and policymaking roles; and advisers and consultants allowing nonprofits to focus on carrying out their core missions.

Early on Saturday, July 12th, a group of more than 40 birders, nature-lovers and locals gathered at the Salt Marsh Nature Center, at Avenue U and East 33rd Street, for a special Waterbird Walk in honor of City of Water Day.

A presentation from the nonprofit National Parks Conservation Association about local flooding was the key focus of the final joint meeting of the season between the Marine Park Community Association and the Madison-Marine-Homecrest Civic Association, held on Tuesday, June 17th, at the Carmine Carro Community Center, located at 3000 Fillmore Avenue.

Blue floodlights illuminate the façade of a Georgetown house. Red, white and blue stars snake up the railings of the front staircase. And a blow-up Uncle Sam presides over it all from behind a fireworks stand. This is the scene at Brooklyn’s Home for the Holidays, a private home in Georgetown that puts up elaborate displays for every holiday.

About 115 dogs were rescued from a private home in Mill Basin on Thursday, June 26th, after a call was placed to 911 that one of its residents, Eileen Horn, 73, was unconscious inside.

Public safety and land use were heavily discussed — as they often are at community meetings — at the Tuesday, June 10th meeting of the Mill Basin Civic Association (MBCA), held in the basement of Mary Queen of Heaven Church, at 1395 East 56th Street.

On June 27, bids for one of three downstate casino licenses in New York will be due. The possibility of siting casinos in the heavily populated, tourist-heavy New York City metropolitan region, which is largely an untapped market, drew the attention of many heavy hitters in the industry, and as many as a dozen bids were in the mix early on. City & State’s Casino & Sports Betting Trailblazers list recognizes the key players in this space.

City & State’s Albany Power 100, written and researched in partnership with journalist Aaron Short, recognizes dozens of key players in state politics and government – and ranks them based on their wins and losses over the past year.

Council Member Mercedes Narcisse of southeast Brooklyn was shocked to be awakened by NYPD officers knocking on the front door at around 1:30 a.m. early on June 7 while she and her family were sleeping.

City & State’s Bronx Power 100 tracks the latest exploits of these and many more public officials, along with the borough’s top real estate titans, health care executives, nonprofit leaders, college and university presidents, and an array of activists and advocates fighting for change. This list ranks these individuals, all of whom live or work in the Bronx, based on their wins and losses over the past 12 months. We’re pleased to introduce the 2025 Bronx Power 100.

Ten years ago, City & State published its inaugural 50 Over 50. The feature honored 50 exemplary individuals who were over the age of 50. As we wrote in introducing that first list, we recognized “the record of achievement of these outstanding figures, who have distinguished themselves in academia, advocacy, business, government, organized labor and other fields and professions.” This year, we’re looking back at these honorees from the past decade. For the 50 Over 50 Alumni, we reconnected with 50 past honorees to see what they’ve been doing since they first appeared on the list.

H. Carl McCall served as state comptroller from 1993 through 2002, making history as New York’s first Black comptroller. In 2002, McCall ran against Andrew Cuomo for governor, winning the Democratic primary to become the state’s first Black gubernatorial nominee of a major party, but ultimately losing the general election to Republican George Pataki. His career also included serving as a state senator, a board member of the New York Stock Exchange and chair of the SUNY board of trustees. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.