English Bulldog Puppies for Sale in New York City, NY

New York City is built, operated, and maintained by working people.

Union construction workers build housing, schools, hospitals, transit systems, and infrastructure. Teachers and nurses educate our kids and care for our loved ones. Public servants keep our streets safe and city going. These individuals, our middle class, represent the foundation of New York.

But that foundation is cracking.

Despite concerns about wealthy New Yorkers fleeing our city, the real exodus is happening in the middle. Middle class families account for the largest share of New Yorkers leaving our state, with Black New Yorkers leaving the state more than double the rate of white New Yorkers.

Schools cannot retain teachers, hospitals lose nurses, neighborhoods lose long-time residents, and small businesses close their doors. This threatens the long-term social and economic vitality of our communities. And housing access and costs are at the core of this.

As New York City ushers in new leadership, we have real opportunity to pursue housing policies where good jobs, stable housing, and real paths to the middle class reinforce one another.

A recent city Economic Development Corp. report found over the last six years, middle income households have seen the steepest increase in cost burden of any income group. Expenses that once took up 88% of household income now consume nearly all of it. Rent, child care, and everyday living costs have surged, while wages have failed to keep pace.

Simultaneously, moderate- and middle-income families are falling through gaps left by housing and social safety net programs. Rigid income and eligibility rules leave many essential workers earning too much to qualify for support and too little to afford market-rate housing. A recent study shows that 39% of eviction orders between 2021 and 2024 have been directed at moderate-income households.

Fortunately, the blueprint for a solution already exists.

More than 70 years ago, Mitchell-Lama program helped rebuild New York’s middle class by creating thousands of affordable homes for working families while supporting good-paying union construction jobs in the process. That successful model recognized a simple truth: a truly affordable city needs accessible housing for working families, paired with good jobs. Today, an estimated 30% of that original housing stock has been lost to privatization and this effective tool for middle class stability has been allowed to fade.

Mayor Mamdani’s recent meeting with President Trump to discuss federal funding for these programs was an encouraging sign, and a welcome acknowledgement of this unmet need hurting New York’s working families. But there is still more opportunity to take immediate action on a local level that is scalable and effective. This is an issue we must prioritize and act swiftly on.

Many members in the building trades grew up in Mitchell-Lama housing themselves. They watched their parents build and serve this city and then went on to do the same. Their path to the middle class was paved through stable housing, predictable costs, and the financial stability necessary to put down roots. Today, those same workers want to partner with the city to help build housing that will provide next generation of working families the same opportunity to build a future in New York.

We cannot continue to price working families out. We must rebuild New York’s middle class by aligning housing policy, workforce development, and long-term investment.

This pursuit of economic justice built New York’s middle class once before. With the right leadership and the will to act, it can do so again.

LaBarbera is the president of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York.

Astoria, this is the Saturday everyone’s been waiting for.

The Night in Paradise Experience continues its Grand Opening with a special live set from DJ Camilo of Hot 97 — alongside Justwin, Swagg, OvaMarz, and Jay Cashin — for one of the biggest Latin nightlife events in Queens.

If you’ve been searching for the best Latin party in Astoria, reggaeton party NYC, or things to do in Queens this weekend, this is it.

???? South Beach Astoria23-44 Steinway St, Astoria, NY 11105???? Saturday, March 7th

What Is the Night in Paradise Experience?

Night in Paradise is more than just another NYC nightlife event.

It’s where real-world chemistry happens — the kind apps can’t replicate. The energy, the dance floor, the eye contact across the room, the moment your song drops and the entire crowd moves together.

This Latin party in Queens delivers:

Whether you’re coming for dinner or pulling up late for the party, the experience builds all night.

Come for dinner. Stay for the party.

Free Tickets & Admission Details

We’re making it easy to be outside.

???? Gents FREE until 12AM with ticket???? Ladies FREE all night with ticket???? Free tickets available online (limited availability)

If you’re searching “free Latin party NYC,” “free reggaeton party Queens,” or “Astoria guest list tonight,” this is your move.

Advance tickets are strongly recommended. Once capacity hits, that’s it.

Birthday Packages, VIP Tables & Celebrations

Celebrating something? Night in Paradise is one of the best birthday party venues in Astoria nightlife.

We host:

Birthday packages, VIP tables, bottle service, and a prix fixe dinner menu are available.

If you’ve been Googling “birthday party NYC club,” “VIP table Astoria,” or “Queens nightlife birthday packages,” this is your sign.

Supported by $5 Million in Performance-Based Excelsior Tax Credits

Company Will Invest $30 Million in Office Buildout at One Madison

Strengthens New York’s Role as a Leader in Digital Finance and Innovation

Empire State Development today announced that Coinbase—a leading cryptocurrency platform and blockchain technology company—will significantly expand its research and development operations in New York City, creating more than 630 new high-tech R&D jobs and bringing the company's total New York workforce to more than 1,000 employees over the next several years. The expansion marks the New York operation becoming Coinbase’s East Coast hub for R&D and institutional and regulatory initiatives. The company plans to invest more than $750 million in annual R&D spending and will be supported by a $5 million performance-based Excelsior Tax Credit from Empire State Development. This major commitment strengthens New York's position as a major hub for next-generation technology and affirms the state's leadership in shaping the future of the digital economy.

Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, "New York is where next-generation financial and technology companies come to build, scale, and lead. Coinbase's decision to expand its East Coast R&D hub here is a powerful vote of confidence in New York City's talent, infrastructure, and competitive business environment. This investment deepens our innovation economy and cements New York's leadership in the future of digital finance."

Coinbase Chief Business Officer Shan Aggarwal said, “New York has quickly solidified its role as a central hub for the global crypto ecosystem. Coinbase's commitment to New York is a natural step for us, and we are proud to continue scaling our operations here to accelerate our mission.”

Founded in 2012, Coinbase operates as a cryptocurrency exchange and blockchain technology company, serving retail customers and institutional clients across more than 100 countries. Coinbase Global, Inc. has key operating entities licensed by New York State's Department of Financial Services — a regulatory credential that requires compliance with anti-money laundering, cybersecurity, and financial stability standards. The company offers services across the digital asset and blockchain ecosystem, enabling consumers to buy, sell, store, and use cryptocurrencies, while providing institutions with custody, trading, and payment solutions.

Coinbase currently employs over 400 hybrid workers in New York across multiple technology and professional corporate functions. The company has leased 67,000 square feet at One Madison and will add more than 630 in-office research and development professionals specializing in security engineering, product development and management, data analytics, and information technology. The company will spend $30 million to fit out and equip the expanded office space while funding more than $750 million in annual research and development, with plans to further grow its New York footprint in the next few years.

Coinbase's expansion reflects the advantages that continue to attract leading technology companies to New York City. With world-class universities producing top tech talent, robust infrastructure supporting innovation, and its status as the global capital of finance, New York has become the destination of choice for companies across the fintech and digital asset sectors. Recent expansions by BILT, Roc360, Bridgewater, and Stripe demonstrate this momentum, as tech firms and fintech innovators increasingly choose New York for major investments and job growth, cementing the state's position as the premier destination where the future of the digital economy is being built.

About Empire State Development

Empire State Development is New York's chief economic development agency, and promotes business growth, job creation, and greater economic opportunity throughout the state. With offices in each of the state's 10 regions, ESD oversees the Regional Economic Development Councils, supports broadband equity through the ConnectALL office, and is growing the workforce of tomorrow through the Office of Strategic Workforce Development. The agency engages with emerging and next generation industries like clean energy and semiconductor manufacturing looking to grow in New York State, operates a network of assistance centers to help small businesses grow and succeed, and promotes the state's world class tourism destinations through I LOVE NY. For more information, please visit esd.ny.gov, and connect with ESD on LinkedIn, Facebook, and X.

About Coinbase

Crypto creates economic freedom by ensuring that people can participate fairly in the economy, and Coinbase (NASDAQ: COIN) is on a mission to increase economic freedom for more than 1 billion people. Coinbase is updating the century-old financial system by providing a trusted platform that makes it easy for people and institutions to engage with crypto assets, including trading, staking, safekeeping, spending, and fast, free global transfers. Coinbase also provides critical infrastructure for onchain activity and support builders who share our vision that onchain is the new online. And together with the crypto community, Coinbase advocates responsible rules to make the benefits of crypto available around the world.

It’s a fast casual dynamic duo.

In a first-of-its-kind partnership for New York, two iconic fast-casual restaurants — Applebee’s and IHOP — will open a combination restaurant together in Hawthorne, New York.

Doherty Enterprises, Inc. — a leading franchisee for Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill + Bar in New York City, Long Island and New Jersey — announced that the grand opening of the dual-brand concept will occur on March 18, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9 a.m.

The Applebee’s/IHOP will open at the existing Applebee’s location in the town of Mount Pleasant in Westchester County at 18 Saw Mill River Road.

The concept puts two full menus in one restaurant, sharing a single kitchen and staff and offering guests the opportunity to order from the full range of options from both brands in a single order.

Locals will now have the ability to enjoy everything from both Applebee’s and IHOP’s menus all day long — which means at any hour of the day, IHOP’s signature pancakes and breakfast staples will be served alongside Applebee’s burgers, wings and late-night bites.

“We’re bringing the best of both brands to our guests, so people can choose the experience they want in one convenient location,” Timothy Doherty, President and COO of Doherty Enterprises, said in a statement.

“This concept is about choice and value for families, commuters, and local workers. Whether you come for fresh pancakes at 7 a.m. or our signature wings at 9 p.m., you’ll be able to get your favorites without leaving the building. We’re proud to invest in Hawthorne and create new jobs and community partnerships in the process.”

The Hawthorne dual-brand location will offer a modernized guest experience with redesigned dining spaces that offer both the warm and friendly Applebee’s environment with the bright and energetic IHOP scene.

A news release noted that “guests can choose the atmosphere that suits their occasion.”

Dine Brands Global, Inc., the parent company of Applebee’s and IHOP, plans to have 14 of the dual-brand Applebee’s/IHOP restaurants open in the US by the end of 2026. There are currently 13 locations outside of the US, according to Westfair Business Journal.

“Our international success with this concept has shown that our brand menus complement each other, providing something for everyone, from early mornings to late nights,” Dine Brands CEO John Peyton told the outlet.

While this is the first one in the tri-state area, the first one in the US opened on Feb. 18 in Seguin, Texas, just outside of San Antonio.

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City man who attempted to claim ownership of the New Yorker Hotel has pleaded guilty to fraud, ending a lengthy legal saga involving an obscure tenant law that allowed the man to live rent-free for years in the storied Manhattan hotel.

Mickey Barreto entered the plea on Wednesday, admitting that he had forged property records in an effort to take ownership over the hotel. That effort was, at least on paper, partially successful.

In Barreto’s telling, he and his boyfriend paid $200 in 2018 to rent one of the more than 1,000 rooms in the towering, oft-photographed Art Deco hotel. Barreto then requested a lease, claiming his one night stay entitled him to protections under a city housing law that applies to single-room occupants of buildings constructed before 1969.

When the hotel rebuffed him, he took his case to housing court. After the hotel failed to send a lawyer to a key hearing, Barreto was awarded “possession” of the room.

But Manhattan prosecutors said Barreto then went a step further, defrauding the state by uploading a fake deed to a city website that purported to transfer ownership of the entire building to himself.

The property is currently owned by the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity, which was founded in South Korea by a self-proclaimed messiah, the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon. The church did not respond to an e-mailed inquiry.

Barreto then attempted to collect rent from a hotel tenant and demanded the hotel’s bank transfer its accounts to him, according to prosecutors.

He was eventually evicted from the premises in 2024 and charged with multiple counts of felony fraud. He was later found unfit to stand trial and ordered to undergo psychiatric treatment.

As part of the plea, Barreto was sentenced to a six-month prison sentence that he has already served, along with five years of probation, according to a spokesperson for the Manhattan district attorney.

Brian Hutchinson, an attorney for Barreto, didn’t immediately respond to a phone message seeking comment.

Barreto previously told the AP that the judge who granted him “possession” of his room indirectly gave him the entire building because it had never been subdivided.

“I never intended to commit any fraud. I don’t believe I ever committed any fraud,” Barreto said at the time. “And I never made a penny out of this.”