New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday parents whose children are currently enrolled in all-remote classes will now have until Nov. 15 to opt back into in-person classes. Noliwe Rooks, an expert in cultural and racial implications for education, says it’s the responsibility of New York City officials to lead conversations with parents around safety concerns of in-person education, rather than making their anxieties a political issue.

New York City

Arts and Sciences

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On Monday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered new restrictions on COVID-19 hot spots in New York City, including the closure of all private and public schools in the nine city ZIP codes with upticks in coronavirus transmissions. Isaac Weisfuse, a medical epidemiologist at Cornell University says the restrictions are a wise decision to stop the spread of coronavirus but is concerned the interventions may be too late.

New York City

New York State

Health, Nutrition & Medicine

Life Sciences & Veterinary Medicine

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Cornell University experts are available to weigh in on New York City's proposed congestion pricing and its potential impacts on traffic congestion, public transit ridership, greenhouse gas emissions as well as equity implications and health benefits.

New York City

Energy, Environment & Sustainability

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Dr. Isaac Weisfuse, says "The Omicron variant hasn't gone away, and because of its high infectivity, will result in new infections for the foreseeable future.”  

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Angela Odoms-Young is the Director of the New York State Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program and was on the committee to develop the nutrition standards for the National School Lunch Program/School Breakfast Program. 

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Cornell University experts are available to interview on the benefits and risks associated any new tree planting initiative. New York City’s five borough presidents are calling on Mayor Eric Adams to plant a million new trees by 2030.

New York City

Energy, Environment & Sustainability

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The New York City Council is currently voting on a plan to close Rikers Island by 2026 and replace the complex with four new jails in Brooklyn, Manhattan, the Bronx, and Queens. Christopher Wildeman, policy analysis and management professor, studies the consequences of mass imprisonment for inequality, with an emphasis on families, health, and children. He says the the plan to close Rikers would be a major step forward in improving confinement conditions for those incarcerated in New York City.

Human Ecology

Law, Government & Public Policy

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Wegmans is set to open this Sunday at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York City. Edward McLaughlin, emeritus professor of food industry management, says given Wegmans’ supermarket innovation in service and products, New York City will now be able to relish in the legendary service, restaurant-quality prepared foods and wide selection of goods that are the envy of supermarket companies around the globe.

Food & Agriculture

New York City

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Rick Geddes, founding director of Cornell's Program in Infrastructure Policy, discussed the infrastructure bill and what it means for New York State. 

Law and Policy

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Enforcement of New York City’s vaccine mandate for uniformed service providers begins today. Lee Adler says the city’s uniformed service providers are potentially risking reputational damage and the high number of unvaccinated firefighters will likely result in service limitations.   

Industrial and Labor Relations

Health, Nutrition & Medicine

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