Early voting began for the New York City midterm elections this week, with West Harlem residents hitting the polls to cast their ballots for who will be the next Congress members, governor, and state legislators.

Local businesses along Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue say they have been hurt by Columbia’s yearslong gate closures, reporting lost customers, costly delivery challenges, and declining neighborhood morale.

The New York City Department of Transportation proposed a new plan in August to expand curbside electric vehicle charging across the city, pinpointing two locations in Manhattan Valley.

When Rabbi Stephanie Ruskay announced her decision to run for the New York State Assembly District 69 seat in November 2025, she described being moved to do so by threats to democracy and a lack of affordability. She hoped to unite people amid a time when “dignity is missing from our politics.”

On warm weekend afternoons, St. Nicholas Park on 133rd Street hums to a usual rhythm: Basketballs bounce in the courts, longtime residents chuckle in conversation on foldable chairs, and children run about in the playground. The park’s visitors gather as a community here, even though many feel that it has long been neglected by the city. But now, under the Community Parks Initiative’s latest $50 million capital investments program, St. Nicholas Park may at last see some improvements.

After struggling to find neighborhood spots to bring her children, Mariely Hieroms, a mother of three living in Hamilton Heights, decided to fill that gap herself, opening the neighborhood’s first indoor playground in February 2025.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a $4 million plan to expand public toilets across New York City on Jan. 10, with the first new installation being developed in West Harlem this year.

A fire broke out Tuesday morning at a residential building on the corner of 107th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, leaving three people injured, including two residents and a firefighter. The building lays on top of Thai Market and San Juan Pharmacy that serve as community staples.

Eli Northrup, candidate for New York State Assembly’s District 69 seat, did not always want to be a politician. But that all changed when he started witnessing inequities as a lawyer.