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This Saturday, July 19 from 10 AM to 2 PM the Wig Outlet at 194 S Central Ave Hartsdale is having an open house.  They also donate wigs for children with hair loss at no cost to the family.

The hair needs to be at least 8″ long and it can be colored, permed or grey etc. so anyone can donate.

It needs to be tied into a ponytail to cut it off and keep it neat.

They accept donations all year round if they drop it off in a pony tail in a plastic bag.

This is a worthy cause and a fantastic initiative. Appreciate that the Wig Outlet is working hard to make the lives of children better.  Hope residents will donate.

PAUL FEINER

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Governor Directs State Agencies To Prepare Strategies for Limiting Long-Term Damage to Vital Programs Facing Federal Cuts

Republican Cuts Threaten To Rip Away Health Care Coverage for More Than 1.5 Million New Yorkers and Jeopardize SNAP Benefits for Nearly 3 Million New Yorkers

All New York’s GOP Congressional Representatives Voted for These Cuts

In the face of detrimental federal funding cuts, Governor Kathy Hochul today convened a cabinet meeting to discuss the cuts imposed by Washington  an anticipated $13 billion being cut from New York’s health care system, 1.5 million New Yorkers being stripped of health insurance coverage, and more than 300,000 households projected to lose some or all of their SNAP benefits.

In addition to assessing these and other impacts, Governor Hochul has directed State agencies to prepare comprehensive strategies to help limit the long-term damage to vital programs facing federal cuts. Announces New York Counties will have to fund cuts to SNAP programs

“While Republicans in Washington callously slash funding for vital programs across the country, my administration is standing up for New Yorkers to soften the blow of these cuts amidst an affordability crisis,” 

Governor Hochul said. “President Trump’s devastating ‘Big Ugly Bill’ will inflict harm across the state, leaving detrimental gaps in funding and families without the crucial benefits and coverage that they need. New York State remains laser-focused on ensuring New Yorkers have access to resources and support necessary to uplift them and their families.”

Essential Plan/Medicaid Cuts

Republicans’ cuts to health care and other benefits will hurt all New Yorkers. The changes will eliminate insurance coverage for millions of New Yorkers, destabilize health insurance programs statewide, and have an overall fiscal impact on the State and the New York health care system of almost $13 billion per year. These changes will make it harder for providers statewide to keep operating and make it more difficult for all New Yorkers to find care when they need it.

• More than 2 million New Yorkers could lose their current insurance coverage, including approximately 730,000 lawfully-present non-citizens who could lose Essential Plan (EP) coverage as more than half of EP’s budget — $7.5 billion in federal funding — is eliminated, and a further 1.3 million New Yorkers who will lose Medicaid coverage due to new eligibility and verification hurdles.
• Of these 2 million people, 1.5 million New Yorkers are anticipated to become uninsured, with uncompensated care costs to hospitals and providers estimated to rise to more than $3 billion annually — which means less access to care and higher medical bills for New Yorkers.
• Analysis from the Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA) and the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS) estimates a total $8 billion in annual cuts to New York’s hospitals and health systems, which could force hospitals to curtail critically needed services such as maternity care and psychiatric treatment, not to mention to downsize operations, and even close entirely. These consequences will not only affect Medicaid enrollees, but also harm everyone who requires hospital care, leading to longer wait times and less access to critical services.

SNAP and Nutrition Assistance: New York and local governments are facing up to $1.4 billion in new costs annually:

Since the inception of SNAP, the federal government has funded these benefits 100 percent, receiving bipartisan support from presidents of both parties and in Congress. For the first time in the history of SNAP, the Republicans’ enacted law requires states to contribute to the cost of benefits, or risk having to end their SNAP programs entirely — jeopardizing a program that nearly three million New Yorkers rely on to put food on the table. In total, as a result, New York and local governments are facing up to $1.4 billion in new costs annually:

• New York State will be required to fund 15 percent of all SNAP benefits starting as early as October 1, 2027, at an estimated cost to the State of $1.2 billion per year. 
• The law further cuts the federal share of SNAP administrative costs from 50 percent to 25 percent which will increase costs for the State by roughly $36 million annually, and increase costs for counties and New York City by roughly $168 million annually. Counties will have to begin incorporating this fiscal hit into their 2026 budgets due this fall. 

New York State is also facing more than $900 million in lost SNAP benefits for New Yorkers, due to new, more punitive program requirements that will make it harder for people to qualify for the assistance they need:

• The law intentionally imposes unnecessarily administratively complex work requirements on SNAP recipients, which is projected to result in more than 300,000 households losing some or all of their SNAP benefits, devastating low-income households’ grocery budgets. With an average loss of $220 per household per month, New Yorkers are projected to lose more than $800 million of SNAP benefits due to these changes.
• The law further restricts eligibility for legally present noncitizens who have previously been eligible for SNAP, now excluding anyone that does not have legal permanent resident status, Cuban/Haitian status, or Compact of Free Association status. As a result, 41,000 noncitizens in New York State, including individuals granted refugee or asylee status by the federal government, are expected to lose the food assistance they rely on to feed themselves and their families, totaling roughly $108 million in lost SNAP benefits for New Yorkers.

The law also cuts funds for the SNAP-Ed New York Program, which promotes healthy eating and efficient use of already modest SNAP benefits by teaching SNAP beneficiaries how to shop for and cook wholesome, healthy meals on a limited budget: 

• As a result, New York will lose $29 million annually that funded this work by 18 community-based organizations throughout the entire State including Cornell Cooperative Extensions in Albany, Allegany, Erie, Wayne, Oneida, Onondaga, Orange, St. Lawrence, Steuben and Suffolk counties. 

Beyond worsening food insecurity and malnutrition, cuts to the program will hurt local businesses and weaken SNAP’s ability to boost local economies in every state. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) own research has shown that SNAP benefits have a multiplier effect, with every $1 spent on SNAP generating $1.54 in economic activity as recipients spend their benefits at local businesses in their communities. For New York, where a total of approximately $7.4 billion in SNAP benefits are issued every year, that means $11.5 billion in economic activity is generated annually across urban, suburban and rural areas alike. Slashing families’ grocery budgets will reduce revenue for thousands of businesses, with ripple effects throughout the food supply chain. If states are forced to end their SNAP programs, in addition to increasing hunger and poverty, grocery stores in rural areas will struggle to stay open, people in agriculture and the food industry will lose jobs, and State and local economies will suffer:

• Lost SNAP sales and matching dollars will have a critical impact on local economies and the more than 18,000 retailers that accept SNAP in New York State, including grocery stores, local shops and more than 400 SNAP-authorized local farmers’ markets and farm stands that can be found in every county in New York selling New York agricultural products to the people in their local community.
• SNAP sales in the farming community have dramatically increased since 2019, providing New York consumers access to healthy, farm fresh foods and providing our farm communities additional economic development dollars.
• As the State matches SNAP dollars spent at farm markets through the Fresh2You FreshConnect program, the hit to farms of decreased SNAP funding is doubled.

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GOVERNOR HOCHUL ANNOUNCES MTA ON TRACK FOR RECORD YEAR OF RIDERSHIP AND PERFORMANCE IN 2025

New York City Transit, Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North Railroad Hit Ridership and On-Time Performance Records in First Half of 2025

NYC Subway on Track for Best On-Time Performance in Recorded History

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is on track to deliver a record-breaking year, following the success of the first six months of 2025. New York City Transit (NYCT), Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and Metro-North Railroad ridership and on-time performance have all improved in the first half of the year, while customer satisfaction rates are up across all agencies.

This comes while the MTA executes a historic capital plan, investing in state-of-good-repair work that will ensure the system continues to run reliably and safely for generations to come.

Safety in the subway system continues to improve with overall major crimes dropping by 3.2 percent from the same period last year and by almost 10 percent when compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019.

“MTA ridership, performance and safety are all improving dramatically in 2025, serving nearly six million New Yorkers every day and keeping New York moving,” Governor Hochul said. “Thanks to the investments we’re making in safer, more reliable and more frequent service, riders are benefitting every day. When transit is thriving, New York is thriving.”

MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said, “The new MTA is a business-like organization that delivers for customers, and the proof is in the data – soaring ridership, historic levels of on-time performance and major improvements in customer satisfaction.” 

In the past several years, Governor Hochul and the MTA have increased service across the MTA network.

In 2023 and 2024, weekend and off-peak weekday service was increased on 12 subway lines, reducing wait times for millions of customers.

The opening of Grand Central Madison in 2023 enabled a 41 percent increase in service on the Long Island Rail Road.

Bus service has improved across the city: service was increased on 8 express and 15 local routes with high-ridership earlier this year, following the launch of congestion pricing.

The Queens Bus Network Redesign, which began its first phase June 29, expands 24-hour service to hundreds of thousands of Queens bus riders and includes a $35 million annual investment in more service for the borough.

New York City Transit  

In the first half of 2025, performance across New York City Transit was at historic highs. Weekday subway on-time performance in the first six months of 2025 was 83.7 percent, 2.4 percentage points higher than the same time last year and on track for the best non-pandemic year in recorded history.

Weekday subway delays are down 11 percent in 2025 compared to 2024, while weekend delays were down 14 percent. Bus service delivery was above 95 percent each month of 2025, and bus speeds have improved over the first half of the year, thanks in part to reduced gridlock following the start of congestion pricing. Across the board, customers are happier. In the biannual customer survey completed this spring, satisfaction for subways rose 8 percent, satisfaction for local buses rose 11 percent, and satisfaction for express buses rose 9 percent compared to the Fall of 2024.

Ridership has also surged in 2025. The first half of the year has seen record post-pandemic ridership for subways, buses and paratransit.

In June, NYCT surpassed 106 million rides, up 10 percent from 2024. 2025 subway ridership is up 8 percent compared to 2024 and 31 percent compared to 2022. Ridership gains have continued, with the first post-pandemic July days to exceed four million subway riders reached on July 9 and 10.

Bus ridership has also grown in 2025, with ridership up 12 percent compared to 2024. Bus paid ridership has grown in part following the MTA’s efforts to improve fare compliance through targeted deployments of fare enforcement teams.

Combined, buses and subways have carried over 850 million customers in the first half of 2025.

Paratransit has also continued to see huge ridership and performance gains. In June, Paratransit served 1.3 million Paratransit riders on 904,000 completed trips, both above previous pre-Covid peaks, and delivered an on-time performance rate of 92 percent for the month. Customer satisfaction has remained high with rates staying above 78 percent every month of 2025. 

Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad  

In June, LIRR hit a new post-pandemic high for weekday riders by averaging 266,047 weekday riders. On June 18, LIRR set a new single day post-pandemic ridership record, carrying 287,437 customers. LIRR carried 6.9 million customers in June, representing 89 percent of pre-pandemic ridership — the best June since 2019. Year-to-date ridership on LIRR is up 9 percent compared to 2024 and up 64 percent from 2022. LIRR also achieved the best June non-pandemic On-Time Performance in its history at 95.9 percent, up 1.4 percentage points from 2024.

On June 18, Metro-North carried nearly 259,000 riders and average weekday ridership for the month of June was 235,450, both new post-pandemic highs. Year-to-date Metro-North ridership is up 6 percent compared to 2024 and up 63 percent compared to 2022. Metro-North delivered an On-Time Performance rate of 98 percent in June, continuing its outstanding start to 2025. In the customer survey completed this spring, Metro-North received a satisfaction rating of 89 percent from customers, an increase of 4 percent from the Fall 2024 survey, while satisfaction among LIRR customers surged 11 percentage points from this time last year. 

New York City Transit President Demetrius Crichlow said, “NYC Transit is working hard to deliver fast, reliable and safe service for riders and that determination is reflected in these historic on-time performance and ridership numbers. We’ll keep up the momentum and build on this success across Subways, Buses and Paratransit as we head into the rest of the year.” 

Long Island Rail Road President Rob Free said, “Not only do riders have more service options than ever before, but we’re getting them where they need to go more reliably with record levels of on-time performance. The big gains we’ve made in customer satisfaction prove that riders are noticing our commitment to great service and we will work even harder to improve the customer experience.” 

Metro-North Railroad President Justin Vonashek said, “Riders are responding to the great service Metro-North is providing by choosing to take the train in record numbers. And we’ll continue to deliver safe and reliable service that they can count on.”  

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