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.”

When Harlem Family Services announced plans in fall 2025 to open the Margaret Morgan Lawrence Center for Family and Child Development at 20 E. 110th St., it was hailed as a long-overdue oasis in one of Manhattan’s most prominent mental health support deserts. Despite its slated opening in December, months later, the clinic has yet to see its first patient, although leaders of the organization say the finish line is finally in sight.

As democratic socialist Conrad Blackburn’s campaign for the New York State Assembly District 70 seat gains momentum, incumbent Jordan Wright has secured super PAC backing and Blackburn faces an affiliate’s legal challenge against his ballot signatures.

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s decision to delay the implementation of a landmark New York state climate law that would lower household energy bills has drawn fierce criticism from environmental advocacy groups, including the West Harlem-based WE ACT for Environmental Justice.

Columbia distributed 1,500 turkeys to local food pantries as a part of its annual Thanksgiving donation program on Monday. Representatives from nine food pantries participated in the event, stopping by Columbia’s campus throughout the morning to pick up the holiday meals.

When nonprofit organization Harlem Grown established its afterschool program in 2023, it looked to immerse students from kindergarten to fifth grade in hands-on urban farming, cooking, and healthy eating activities.

New York City hired Judlau Contracting, one of the city’s largest contractors, in 2019 to replace a stretch of concrete across Riverside Drive West, due to a lack of major repairs since 1985. In 2024, workers walked off the job, leaving behind crucial equipment and barriers, prompting resident frustration and recent rallying from District 7 City Council member Shaun Abreu, CC ’14.

Harlem Family Services, a mental health organization located in East Harlem, is bringing a new mental health clinic to the greater Harlem community and beyond. The Margaret Morgan Lawrence Center for Family and Child Development, which is slated to open at 20 E. 110th St. in early December, will offer psychoanalytic-based therapy along with modern treatments such as ketamine treatment and psychodynamic therapy.