Today is Monday, July 13th, 2026
Today’s forecast calls for sunny skies and a high of 84 degrees, which is as cool as it’s expected to be this week. Tomorrow, temperatures will climb into the 90s and stay there through Thursday; Friday they’ll hover around 90, with a possibility of thundershowers.
On this date in 1930, the first-ever FIFA World Cup was held in Uruguay, bringing together 13 teams from three continents (compared to the 48 teams representing six continents in the current competition). France and the United States scored the first-ever goals in the competition, but the home team, Uruguay, ultimately won the cup, defeating Argentina 4-2.
Notices
Our calendar has lots of local events. Click on the link or the lady in the upper righthand corner to check.
The City Council’s Health Committee will hold a hearing at 10 a.m. this Wednesday, July 15, on a law that would phase out horse-drawn carriages in the city. Named Romanch’s Law, for teenager Romanch Mahajan, who died earlier this summer after being thrown out of a runaway carriage in Central Park, it also would provide support for carriage drivers transitioning to other employment. To testify at the hearing in person or on Zoom, register — HERE. (In the drop-down menu, select “10 AM – Committee on Health.”) More on the horse-drawn carriage debate in the News Roundup, below.
Councilmember Gale Brewer’s Fresh Food for Seniors is back for the 14th year; the program provides seniors with a bag of fresh, locally grown produce every other week for $10 per bag. It’s pay-as-you-go (no seasonal subscription required) and the first pickup/ordering day of the season is this Wednesday, July 15, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Goddard Riverside Older Adult Center, 593 Columbus Avenue. If you’re a senior and would like to participate, pay $10 this week, and pick up your produce July 29 at Goddard Riverside or one of the program’s other locations; more information, including the other locations and order/pickup dates — HERE.
The New York Blood Center has declared its second “blood emergency” in six weeks – the first time in its history that it’s had to do so twice in a single summer. The center blames the recent heatwaves, storms and power outages for a drop in donations, and says it now has only about a two-day supply on hand. Information on how and where to give blood is — HERE, and information on hosting a blood drive is — HERE.
News Roundup
Compiled by Laura Muha
A new Central Park Conservancy poll of adults across the city’s five boroughs suggests that the majority now support a ban on horse-drawn carriages in the city, the non-profit group announced.
“The numbers tell a very clear story: after eight serious incidents in 13 months, our fellow New Yorkers do not accept the dangers that horse carriages pose in Central Park,” said Betsy Smith, president and CEO of the Conservancy. “There is broad consensus that no tourist attraction is worth risking another preventable tragedy, and the era of horse carriages must come to an end.”
The Conservancy said the “methodologically rigorous poll” included 834 adults, and to ensure that they were representative, was weighted to reflect the latest U.S. Census estimates. Of those surveyed, 68% said they supported a ban, 20% said they opposed it, and 12% were undecided.
But Alexander Kemp, the administrative vice president of TWU Local 100, which represents the drivers, told Gothamist that their own polling showed the opposite. “We believe most New Yorkers, when provided with unbiased information, oppose a ban,” he said in a statement to the publication. “They don’t want to see immigrant carriage drivers, owners and their families economically wiped out. They don’t want to see carriage horses forced into unpredictable and dangerous futures. They know that some would very likely end up at slaughter auctions or be euthanized.” The results of union polls were not included in the story.
The Conservancy conducted its survey between June 30 and July 4, about two weeks after teenager Romanch Mahajan fell from a runaway carriage in Central Park and died,. About three-quarters of those surveyed had heard of the teen’s death, the Conservancy said in a press release.
See more information on the Conservancy’s methodology and detailed poll results HERE, and read Gothamist’s story — HERE.
Two UWS soon-to-be-third-graders are waiting to find out if they set a world record by visiting 41 city playgrounds in a single day, CBS News reported.
The two — identified in the story only as 8-year-old besties Hannah and Wilder — said they were inspired by a 2019 challenge in which three Australian children set a record by visiting 26 parks in one day.
“The playground plot was Hannah’s idea, and Wilder was shocked, but happy to join her,” CBS reported.
“I’ve always wanted to break a world record,” the station quoted him as saying.
The two, accompanied by their parents, rode their bikes to 41 playgrounds on July 3, including their favorite: River Run Playground at Riverside Drive and West 83rd Street. Now they’re waiting, and hoping, for the Guinness Book of World Records to confirm their feat.
Read the full story — HERE.
In the category of “this probably won’t come as a suprise,” a host of elected officials whose districts include the Upper West Side are endorsing incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul’s bid for reelection to a second full term.
A press release issued last week by the governor’s campaign included endorsements from Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal; City Councilmembers Gale Brewer and Shaun Abreu; state Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal, and former Assemblymember Micah Lasher, who currently is running for the congressional seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler.
All are Democrats, as is Hochul, who faces Nassau County executive Bruce Blakeman, a Republican also endorsed by the Conservative Party, in the November general election.
“I speak from experience: Manhattan has had no better partner than Governor Kathy Hochul — which is why Democrats across the borough have united behind her re-election,” Hoylman-Sigal said in a statement. “And the stakes couldn’t be higher. Bruce Blakeman … promises to do Donald Trump’s bidding by killing congestion pricing, even though the program has reduced travel time and made our streets safer for pedestrians and the air cleaner in Manhattan. Governor Hochul has stood by women, immigrants and the LGBTQ community — Bruce Blakeman is apparently only committed to Donald Trump. That’s why we must elect Kathy Hochul this November and continue making progress for Manhattanites and all New Yorkers,” Holyman-Sigal added.
In Other UWS News
- Police are investigating the death of a 16-month-old girl who was found in an apartment at the Belnord Hotel, WPIX reported. Read the story — HERE.
- amNY reported on the thousands of runners who converged on Central Park last week FOR a joint run sponsored by the New York Road Runners Club and the 9/11 Museum, in honor of those who lost their lives on or because of the terror attacks. Read about it — HERE.
ICYMI
Here are a few stories we think are worth a look if you missed them last week — or a second look if you saw them. (Note that our comments stay open for six days after publication, so you may not be able to comment on all of them.)
Upper West Side Funding Wins For the Next New York City Budget
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I liked Kathy Hochul previously and at the very least appreciated her efforts, however, an endorsement of Mamdani and his ilk means you endorse the DSA, means you endorse open Jew haters like Darializa Chevalier, means “as a Jew” I can no longer lend my vote to her. I’ll have to vote Blakeman.
To be clear, Hochul specifically endorsed Adriano Espaillat, who ran AGAINST Darializa Chevalier. As a Jew (not sure why you put that in quotes), I think Mamdani’s done a very good job so far and has repeatedly spoken out against anti-Semitism. I will certainly be voting for Hochul over someone aligned with Trump.
PLEASE do not replace the horse-drawn buggies with electric ones. There are more than enough peddie cabs for tourists. It is time to end the horse-drawn carriage industry, which clearly doesn’t belong in Central Park, but let’s not substitute it with another inappropriate and unnecessary vehicle.