NY Weekly — New York News & Stories
Be Free Craft Ice Cream Ranked #1 in Virginia Beach for 2026
Be Free Craft Ice Cream ranks first among ice cream shops in Virginia Beach. The café holds the number one spot on Yelp’s September 2026 list of the best ice cream in the city. On Google, customers give the shop an average of 4.9 stars across more than 400 reviews. A
Business
Entrepreneur
Jacob Cohën Opens First US Flagship at 790 Madison Avenue
Italian luxury denim label Jacob Cohën opened its first store in the United States on October 27, 2026, at 790 Madison Avenue on the corner of East 67th Street. The two-floor Upper East Side boutique carries the brand’s men’s and women’s collections and opens the first chapter of a planned American
New York App Week Puts Shippies Winners On Times Square Billboards Ahead Of Free Public Demo Day
New York App Week 2026 named seven Shippies winners on October 20 at the Intrepid Museum, sending each winning app to a Times Square billboard. The week closes Thursday, October 22, with Shipaton Demo Day in Times Square, a free event open to the public with no registration required. Key Takeaways
Jobs NYC Center Opens at 2 Lafayette Street as City Agencies Work to Fill 14,000 Vacancies
New York City opened the Jobs NYC Center at 2 Lafayette Street in Lower Manhattan on September 28, 2026, giving the city a permanent walk-in hub for public service hiring. The center arrives as city agencies carry more than 14,000 vacant authorized positions, and regular walk-in hours begin Monday, October 5.
New York City Converts Queens Road Medians Into Green Stormwater Infrastructure With $8.4 Million Investment
New York City and New York State are spending $8.4 million to replace concrete roadway medians in three Queens neighborhoods with landscaped green corridors engineered to absorb stormwater, part of a broader push to reduce flooding across a borough that has faced repeated damage from extreme rain events. The project, announced
Jacob Cohën Opens First US Flagship at 790 Madison Avenue
Italian luxury denim label Jacob Cohën opened its first store in the United States on October 27, 2026, at 790 Madison Avenue on the corner of East 67th Street. The
New York App Week Puts Shippies Winners On Times Square Billboards Ahead Of Free Public Demo Day
New York App Week 2026 named seven Shippies winners on October 20 at the Intrepid Museum, sending each winning app to a Times Square billboard. The week closes Thursday, October
Jobs NYC Center Opens at 2 Lafayette Street as City Agencies Work to Fill 14,000 Vacancies
New York City opened the Jobs NYC Center at 2 Lafayette Street in Lower Manhattan on September 28, 2026, giving the city a permanent walk-in hub for public service hiring.
New York City Converts Queens Road Medians Into Green Stormwater Infrastructure With $8.4 Million Investment
New York City and New York State are spending $8.4 million to replace concrete roadway medians in three Queens neighborhoods with landscaped green corridors engineered to absorb stormwater, part of
Technology
New AI Jobs Institute in Long Island City Aims to Give 40,000 New Yorkers AI Workforce Training by 2032
The AI Jobs Institute, a new AI workforce training hub run by the nonprofit Pursuit in Long Island City, Queens, aims to train up to 40,000 New Yorkers for AI-related careers by 2032. Announced October 22, 2026, the project carries $10 million in public
NYU Launches NYC Center for Healthier Plastic Solutions to Design Safer Materials With AI and Automation
NYU Tandon School of Engineering and NYU Grossman School of Medicine have launched the NYC Center for Healthier Plastic Solutions, a joint research center that uses AI and high-throughput labs to test hundreds of new plastic formulations at once. The goal is to find
MTA Touch-Free Fare Gates Cut Subway Fare Evasion 35% as Three Vendors Bid on 20 More Stations
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s touch-free fare gate pilot cut fare evasion by an average of 35 percent at 20 New York City subway stations. Three qualified vendors are now bidding to install the gates at 20 more stations across four boroughs, and installation is
Entry-Level Tech Job Postings in New York City Fell 49% in Three Years as AI Reshapes the Hiring Ladder
Entry-level job postings for computer and mathematical occupations in New York City fell 49% between 2022 and 2025, the steepest drop of any occupational field tracked by the nonprofit Center for an Urban Future. The findings, published in a September 2026 policy report titled
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Lifestyle
NYC Marathon 2026 Route Marks 50 Years Across Five Boroughs With First Bronx Change Since 2011
The New York City Marathon runs Sunday, November 1, 2026, marking 50 years since the race first crossed all five
How the NYC Housing Lottery Works on Housing Connect, From Log Numbers to 2026 Income Limits
The NYC housing lottery runs through Housing Connect, the city’s online application system for affordable homes assisted by HPD and HDC. Applicants build one household
NYC Middle School Applications Open October 14 for Fall 2027 Admissions
NYC Public Schools opens its middle school application for fall 2027 on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, through the MySchools portal. Families of current 5th graders
More Than 21,000 New York Households Apply for Utility Bill Relief in Two-Week Energy Affordability Push
New York’s Energy Affordability Program received 21,586 new household applications between September 15 and September 28, 2026, the first two weeks of a statewide enrollment
Governor Hochul Awards $67.5 Million in Playground Grants to 89 Communities Across New York State
Governor Kathy Hochul on September 22 announced $67.5 million in capital grants for 89 playground projects statewide, distributing the full allocation of the NY PLAYS
World
Entertainment
Joey Arias Named Grand Marshal of the 2026 Village Halloween Parade as Body and Soul Theme Takes Shape
Downtown performance artist Joey Arias will serve as Grand Marshal of the 53rd Village Halloween Parade, which steps off Saturday, October 31, 2026, at 7 p.m. on Sixth Avenue. The
Met Opera Opens 2026-27 Season With Louisa Proske’s New “Macbeth” Starring Lise Davidsen and Quinn Kelsey
The Metropolitan Opera opened its 2026-27 season on September 22 with a new production of Verdi’s Macbeth, directed by Heartbeat Opera co-founder Louisa Proske and conducted by Music Director Yannick
Wanted Begins Broadway Previews at the James Earl Jones Theatre With Ledisi in Her First Principal Role
Wanted, a new musical about twin sisters Mary and Martha Clarke, began Broadway previews on Thursday, October 15, 2026, at the James Earl Jones Theatre on West 48th Street. Grammy winner Ledisi plays the sisters’ mother in her first Broadway principal role, and official opening night is set for Sunday, November
NYC Halloween Parade 2026 Steps Off October 31 on Sixth Avenue With Joey Arias as Grand Marshal
The NYC Halloween Parade, officially New York’s 53rd annual Village Halloween Parade, takes place Saturday, October 31, 2026, at 7 p.m. It runs north on Sixth Avenue from Canal Street
NYC Parks Hosts Free Fall Festivals and Haunted Houses in All Five Boroughs This October
NYC Parks is hosting free fall festivals and haunted houses in all five boroughs this October, starting with Hallowscream in Manhattan on October 16 and ending with Halloween eve events
Education
NYC 2-K Program Expands to 12,000 Seats in Fall 2027, Reaching Every Bronx District and All of Staten Island
New York City’s free 2-K program will grow from 2,000 to more than 12,000 seats in fall 2027, adding 10,000 spots for two-year-olds across 17 new school districts. The expansion,
New York City Moves More Than 10,000 Children Off Child Care Voucher Waitlist
New York City will provide free child care to more than 10,000 children currently on the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) waitlist. The Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) will invite
New York City Opens The Little Apple, a Free Childcare Center for Municipal Workers
New York City opened The Little Apple on September 8, 2026, a free, year-round childcare center for municipal employees located inside the David N. Dinkins Municipal Building in Lower Manhattan.
New York City Public Schools Ban Generative AI for 600,000 Students Through Eighth Grade
New York City Public Schools will prohibit generative artificial intelligence tools for all students from pre-K through eighth grade starting with the 2026–2027 school year, Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Schools
