Christopher Alvarez, Author at THE CITY

Schools

Adams Moves to Make Diwali a School Holiday, With Help From Albany

Oct. 20, 2022, 6:40 p.m.Oct. 21, 2022, 10:44 a.m.

The mayor is backing a bill that would replace ‘Brooklyn-Queens Day’ with Diwali on the school calendar.

Schools

Diwali School Holiday Hopes Dim as Adams Fails to Act on Day 1 Promise

Oct. 12, 2022, 5:00 a.m.Oct. 12, 2022, 1:02 p.m.

The mayor has vowed many times to Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh and Jain families that kids would get a day off from school to observe. So far, they’ve seen no light.

Queens

International Visitors Land Post-Pandemic Shutdown Reunions at JFK Airport

Nov. 8, 2021, 8:46 p.m.Oct. 12, 2023, 8:00 a.m.

Hugs and hopes for a tourism boom greet the arrival of the first flights following the reopening of U.S. airports to visitors from 33 countries, from China to Brazil to the U.K.

Schools

Push to Make Diwali a NYC Public School Holiday is Starting to See Some Light

Nov. 3, 2021, 8:04 p.m.March 14, 2024, 2:22 p.m.

Mayor-elect Eric Adams has vowed to give a public school day off for the festival of lights, and Rep. Carolyn Maloney is proposing a national holiday. But this year, Diwali falls on a parents-teacher conference day for hundreds of thousands of students.

Climate Change

City Eyes New Push to Buy Out Flood-Prone Houses as Climate Change Hits Home

Oct. 26, 2021, 9:06 p.m.June 10, 2024, 1:23 p.m.

The de Blasio istration wants Congress to fund a voluntary buyout program modeled on efforts launched after Superstorm Sandy, which hit nine years ago this week. The devastation wrought Sept. 1 by Ida has spurred calls to re-up the “managed retreat” strategy.

Climate Change

Ida Devastation Spurs Call for a New ‘Build it Back’ Program for Flooding Victims

Oct. 21, 2021, 7:17 p.m.Dec. 30, 2021, 11:32 a.m.

Queens BP Donovan Richards pleads with de Blasio to “step up” as swamped homeowners deal with slow and small aid. He’s pushing for a version of the Sandy-inspired program to repair — and possibly elevate — flooded homes.

Buses

Colombian ‘Chiva’ Bus Owners Hoping Pandemic Hasn’t Killed the Party

Oct. 14, 2021, 8:00 p.m.Oct. 15, 2021, 9:51 a.m.

New York City’s party bus owners are looking to get on their “discotheques on wheels” rolling again after a prolonged pandemic pit stop. But a comeback is far from assured.

Subway

No NYC Subway Riders Got Fined for Defying Mask Mandate in August

Sept. 6, 2021, 8:05 p.m.Sept. 6, 2021, 11:34 p.m.

Police booted engers 21 times from trains and stations for refusing to mask up, the lowest level in nearly a year. Meanwhile, the number of riders who complied with warnings jumped — even amid complaints that some cops are going maskless.

Transit

MTA Looks to Ramp Up Subway Accessibility With Fewer Costly Elevators

Aug. 17, 2021, 8:25 p.m.Aug. 18, 2021, 8:13 a.m.

“Ramps are failproof,” declared Quemuel Arroyo, the MTA’s chief accessibility officer. But installing the slopes isn’t as easy as it might look, and in some cases elevators better fit the bill, some advocates say.

Immigration

National Battle for Citizenship Path Marches Through New York City

Aug. 9, 2021, 10:53 p.m.Oct. 12, 2023, 7:58 a.m.

A national alliance of Temporary Protected Status holders sees New York and its politicians as a pressure-point in the fight for citizenship for immigrants temporarily allowed to live and work here due to turmoil in their home countries.

Christopher Alvarez

Adams Moves to Make Diwali a School Holiday, With Help From Albany

Diwali School Holiday Hopes Dim as Adams Fails to Act on Day 1 Promise

International Visitors Land Post-Pandemic Shutdown Reunions at JFK Airport

Push to Make Diwali a NYC Public School Holiday is Starting to See Some Light

City Eyes New Push to Buy Out Flood-Prone Houses as Climate Change Hits Home

Ida Devastation Spurs Call for a New ‘Build it Back’ Program for Flooding Victims

Colombian ‘Chiva’ Bus Owners Hoping Pandemic Hasn’t Killed the Party

No NYC Subway Riders Got Fined for Defying Mask Mandate in August

MTA Looks to Ramp Up Subway Accessibility With Fewer Costly Elevators

National Battle for Citizenship Path Marches Through New York City

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