Good morning. Today is Thursday, the first day of school in New York City’s public schools. We’ll take a look at how subway commuters react to Governor Kathy Hochul’s decision to lift mask-wearing on public transit. Additionally, new charges against one-time Trump adviser Stephen Bannon are expected to be made public today.
Only once, Cecily Vlack, did not wear a mask in the subway. She hoped no one noticed. But of course as I walked by, a reporter was talking about the subway masking mandate that at the time was still in effect – even though Governor Kathy Hochul was about to lift it.
“Honestly, not that much, because people have really stopped wearing masks in many places,” said Vlack, above, 18 and on his way to a driving class to prepare for college in New York. Oregon doesn’t have a subway, tell me.
And the subway is one of those places. I’ve ridden a half-dozen subway trains, starting around the time Hochul announced masks are now “recommended, but not required” – and I’ve counted. On a C train from Jay Street station in Brooklyn, 14 of the 51 people in my car were wearing masks – 27%, the same as on a later A train and less than half the 64% rate Compliance is quoted by the Metropolitan Transport Authority for April, the most recent month for which statistics are available.
On a sparse E train I encountered on Spring Street, three of the six people in the carriage I entered were wearing masks. Then, on the upper C train from 59th Street, I counted six masked people out of 14 passengers.
Like Todd Hanshaw, a consultant for retailers and fashion designers, many passengers did not cover their faces on the platform but were covered when they entered the relatively confined space of the next train. Go with.
“Not out here,” Hanshaw said on the platform on West Fourth Street. But he said he was vaccinated and received two boosters. “It’s time to move on,” he said, “so I’m fine” with the removal of the mask requirement.
“But you have to take care of yourself,” he said as a train pulled up and he wore a mask.
That echoes Hochul’s point. “You’re going to do your own personal risk assessment of the people you’re dealing with, your own vulnerabilities, the place you work,” she says. “You are self-determined.” She also pleads for an approach to live and to live: “Don’t judge your passengers on their choices,” she says.
Continuing to require masks has become more difficult as so many passengers choose to wear masks. Janno Lieber, president and chief executive officer of the transit agency, says that justifying and enforcing it has become problematic, as “so many cities and so many other places are opening – bars, restaurants. , office.”
And taxis and carpools, like Uber and Lyft. The city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission relaxed mask requirements following Hochul’s announcement. Mask requirements in homeless shelters are also being phased out, but they will continue in healthcare settings such as hospitals and nursing homes.
“We have to restore normalcy to our lives,” Hochul said. But in the subway, some riders remain apprehensive – even if they’re not wearing masks.
Donna Johnson, a global logistics consultant, isolated herself on a train B downtown, placing a large handbag on the seat next to her. I felt that I was almost cramming her as I sat in the center-facing third chair.
Johnson, looking up from the brand new novel she was reading, admitted that she was not wearing a mask at the time. But she says everyone should. “That’s why I sit alone, away from people,” she said.
So where is her mask? In her handbag, she said. She slipped it off after having trouble breathing on the way down the platform steps. “Allergies,” she explained. “You take it off for a while and then put it back on. As soon as I cross the next train, I’ll book it back. “
Weather
A mostly sunny day is forecast, with highs near the 70s. For tonight, it’s mostly clear, with temperatures in the mid-60s.
PARKING OUTSIDE
Valid until September 26 (Rosh Hashana).
Latest New York News
Bannon surrenders to the New York government
New charges against Stephen Bannon, former President Donald Trump’s chief strategist, are expected to be announced today. My colleague Rebecca Davis O’Brien reports that Bannon is supposed to surrender faces state charges in New York related to a fundraising operation created to promote Trump’s promise of a border wall with Mexico.
The indictment against Bannon was sealed, making the exact charges unclear on Wednesday. But Bannon released a statement calling them “fakes”.
“This is nothing more than a partisan political weaponization of the criminal justice system,” he said in the statement. A spokesman for Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, declined to comment.
Bannon and three others were arrested in the summer of 2020 on federal charges related to allegations that they defrauded funders of the wall project, called We Build the Wall and advertised in posts on Instagram and Twitter mentioning the relationship with Trump. We Build the Wall has raised more than $25 million. Federal prosecutors said Bannon used nearly $1 million of the money for personal expenses.
Bannon has never been tried – Trump pardoned him hours before leaving office in January 2021. But the pardon only covers federal charges. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, led by Cyrus Vance Jr. at the top at the time, Start your own investigation. The new indictment is first reported by The Washington Post.
Two of the others arrested with him, Brian Kolfage and Andrew Badolato, pleaded guilty in April to expose the scam. Kolfage, an Air Force veteran who lost both his legs and part of his arm in Iraq, also pleaded guilty to tax-related charges.
A third person arrested with them, Timothy Shea, was put on trial in May on charges of wire fraud and money laundering, along with falsifying records. Judge Analisa Torres declared a mistake in Federal District Court in Manhattan in June after 11 jurors sent her a note saying the 12th juror refused to weigh in on the evidence and mentioned a “government witch hunt.”
Although Bannon was not on trial with Shea, he was vague about the case. Evidence suggests he contacted others as they worked to transfer money to Kolfage.
Dear Diary:
It was one of those June evenings when it was still light at almost 9pm
Back at my West Village apartment complex, I unlocked the front door and nearly bumped into a neighbor standing in the doorway with a package in hand.
We exchanged hellos, and he told me the package was delivered to our building by mistake. He brought it out, and I saw that the address was close to ours but with a few different numbers.
“I’ll go over there, ring the bell and let it go,” my neighbor said.
“Why not catch the delivery man next time they arrive and return them?” I ask.
My neighbor hesitated.
“Or do it tomorrow,” I suggested. “It’s late.”
He hesitated again.
“The outside is beautiful,” he said. “I can walk a little bit, and whoever this has to come can really appreciate.”
This time, I hesitated.
“Who knows,” my neighbor continued. “It can make their night. Or mine.”
– Doug Sylver
