Amanda Salazar

When Nora Kernisant’s 81-year-old father’s Kenmore refrigerator began having trouble in December 2024, he found a local business that sold replacement filters for the old appliance. What started as a routine purchase — albeit an upcharged one — has become a long, stressful ordeal where both customer and owner accuse the other of fraud, and other scorned customers are coming forward to share their stories.

New York City is infamously bad at paying contractors on time. The backlog of payments to nonprofits contracted with city government reached a high of $11 billion in 2022, but has since been reduced to under $3 billion by efforts from the mayor’s office, city agencies and the City Council. When the council announced its committee assignments for the new term last month, Lincoln Restler was named the chair of the Committee on Contracts.

Community members and park enthusiasts showed up to support the Marine Park Alliance (MPA) at its IHOP fundraiser, at 2951 Avenue U, on Tuesday, January 27th, fighting both the cold and difficult driving conditions from the snow leftover from the weekend’s storm.

The New York Working Families Party on Thursday endorsed community organizer Jibreel Jalloh, who is challenging southeast Brooklyn Assembly Member Jaime Williams in the June Democratic primary.

Experienced nonprofit leader Jeffrey Reynolds has been at the helm of Long Island’s Family & Children’s Association for over 11 years, leading the organization in providing a range of services for vulnerable residents. He was a speaker at New York Nonprofit Media’s BoardCon event on Jan. 20. Ahead of the conference, Reynolds spoke with NYN about the Family & Children’s Association, its board and how personal challenges changed his perspective on work.

A group of Young Republicans’ racist and antisemitic messages, uncovered by Politico, had vast repercussions for the party, its affiliated organizations and the group chat participants.

Spirits were high at the last Mill Basin Civic Association (MBCA) meeting of the year on Tuesday, December 9th, at the Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club, located at 5809 Avenue T, as the organization meshed its usual slate of community updates with an upbeat holiday party.

The New York City Mayor’s Office of Nonprofit Services hosted a meeting recently with City Hall leadership, department commissioners and nonprofit leaders to discuss the results of the office’s efforts to get nonprofit organizations contracting with the government paid on time. Mayor’s Office of Nonprofit Services Executive Director Michael Sedillo spoke with City & State about this improvement.

The Mill Basin Civic Association (MBCA) met for the first time at its new home, the recently relocated Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club — which now resides at 5809 Avenue T in a storefront that suffered a roof collapse two years ago — on Tuesday, November 18th.

City & State’s Women Power 100 puts a spotlight on these and many other influential women in the world of New York politics and policy. This year’s edition adds dozens of new names, including the incoming mayors of Syracuse and Albany, the leader of one of the state’s most powerful labor unions and key advisers to New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. This ranked list also features top government appointees, business executives, nonprofit heads, advocates, experts and many other movers and shakers.

When Valerie Woodford, of Canarsie, and her siblings were little, they didn’t fully understand the point of military service or what it meant to be a veteran. Her late father, William Vincent Woodford, served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, and he made sure to emphasize to his children the importance of serving and protecting one’s country. As she grew up, Valerie began to understand what her father meant by this, and what a sacrifice he made.

The Carmine Carro Community Center, at 3000 Fillmore Avenue, was awash in green and purple t-shirts as the Marine Park Alliance (MPA) held its fifth annual Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon on Saturday, November 8th, for its teen leaders, who wear green, and frequent volunteers, who wear purple.

New York leads the country in supporting and including Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises in governmental procurement and contracts. With around 11,000 MWBEs registered with New York City alone, city and state agencies have been working, separately and collaboratively, to improve certification procedures for diverse businesses, streamline contracting systems and educate business owners on governmental processes.

Michael Garner isn’t just New York City’s first-ever chief business diversity officer – he’s also a “change agent,” working to make the business, policy and culture of the city more inclusive. In the nearly three years he’s held the role, Garner oversees the city’s Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises program. He spoke to City & State ahead of its Diversity & Procurement Summit on Thursday, where he is to deliver keynote remarks.

Community organizer Jibreel Jalloh of Canarsie, Brooklyn, filed Wednesday to challenge Assembly Member Jaime Williams in the June 2026 Democratic primary for District 59.