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NY Public Schools Will Close For Lunar New Year For The First Time Ever
It appears that the Year of the Snake is slithering in to give NY students a day off from school! Public schools all across New York will give students a day off to celebrate Lunar New Year as an official school holiday for the first time ever.
Lunar New Year is one of the most important celebrations to East and Southeast Asian cultures around the globe. It’s a celebration of the arrival of spring and the beginning of a new year on the lunisolar calendar. And while NYS has the second largest Asian population across the country, Lunar New Year wasn’t considered an official NYS public holiday until June 2023. New York was the first state to mandate school closures for the occasion.
Last year, Lunar New Year fell on a Saturday, so students already had the day off. But this year, the holiday falls on Wednesday, January 29th so NY public schools will be closed according to the DOE School Calendar, giving students a mid-week break from their school week and a chance to celebrate, reflect on, and learn about Asian traditions. New York Assemblymember Grace Lee, who supported the bill, told NBC:
Recognizing Lunar New Year as a statewide holiday is sending a message to Asian Americans, and to all New Yorkers, that Asian Americans are New Yorkers, and that we belong here…I think it’s also a recognition for the many contributions that Asian Americans have made to New York’s history in the nearly 200 years since we’ve been here.
Though the calendar shows that Lunar New Year is only one day, the celebration actually spans more than two weeks of festivities. If you’re looking to partake in festivities yourself, these are the best Lunar New Year events in NYC to celebrate the Year of the Snake.
The post NY Public Schools Will Close For Lunar New Year For The First Time Ever appeared first on Secret NYC.
Harlem Globetrotters – Floyd Chronicle & Times
Harlem Globetrotters Floyd Chronicle & Times
Dean Harlem: Chiefs – williamsonherald.com
Dean Harlem: Chiefs williamsonherald.com
Harlem Globetrotters – Floyd Chronicle & Times
Harlem Globetrotters Floyd Chronicle & Times
NYC traffic reduces after New York introduces congestion charge
It’s been ten days since the much talked about congestion pricing plan officially went into effect in NYC, charging drivers $9 during peak hours when entering the central business district area of Manhattan—now known as the Congestion Relief Zone, and we already have some data to analyze the impact of the new scheme.
According to preliminary figures released by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), “traffic was down 7.51% last week compared to the same time last year.” The data also shows that approximately 219,000 fewer vehicles entered the Congestion Relief Zone—anywhere south of 60th Street—during that period.
Perhaps most telling is the fact that those who did drive in noticed “faster and more reliable trip times,” while express bus riders “benefited from shorter commutes.”
But the conclusions aren’t just anecdotal.
In an official press release, the MTA discussed data provided by TRANSCOM for morning commutes on Wednesday, January 8, between 7am and 9am According to the figures, the analyzed crossings saw “a 39% reduction in travel time compared to the same day last year.” The afternoon peak travel period, between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., also saw reductions in travel time, ranging from 6% to 36%.
Officials are particularly highlighting the benefits for bus commutes, identifying buses as the mode of transportation that gained the most from the changes.
“When a car is able to travel faster over a bridge or through a tunnel, that motorist saves a few minutes, but when a bus is able to do the same, 50 people benefit from those time savings,” said NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow in an official statement. “We hope to see a continuing trend of better bus speeds, which will only make the transit network stronger and complement the best subway on-time performance in over a decade, along with increased service frequencies across 12 subway lines.”
We’re just over a week into the plan, but it seems like the scheme has, overall, achieved at least some of its pre-set goals, which include reducing congestion and improving air quality as a result. Perhaps officials will feel more confident about raising the congestion pricing fee to $15 in 2031, as is currently planned?
The new plan has impacted the city in several other perhaps unforeseen ways as well, both positive and negative. A wide array of NYC restaurants are currently offering congestion pricing discounts, for example, while upper Manhattan has turned into a giant parking lot of sorts, with many commuters leaving their cars there to avoid paying the new toll.
Ultimately, one of the primary goals of the newly established plan is to raise enough funds to overhaul the city’s underground transportation system. Whether this will lead to tangible improvements in our subway experience and safety remains to be seen. In the meantime, perhaps consider taking the now-faster buses?
Harlem Globetrotters – Metropolis Planet
Harlem Globetrotters Metropolis Planet
Have You Been Flying The World’s Safest Airlines?
Every year, AirlineRatings.com releases a list of the world’s safest airlines. This year’s study analyzed a total of 385 global airlines to come to a conclusion.
When crafting the list, AirlineRankings.com took a look at various safety factors, including: serious incidents over the past two years, fleet age, fleet size, rate of incidents, fatalities, profitability, IOSA certification, ICAO country audit pass, and pilot skill and training.
Fortunately, most of the United States’ big four airlines made the cut. However, Air New Zealand took the number one spot as the safest airline in the world.
“It was extremely close again between Air New Zealand and Qantas for first place with only 1.50 points separating the two airlines. Whilst both airlines uphold the highest safety standards and pilot training, Air New Zealand continue to have a younger fleet than Qantas which separates the two,” said AirlineRatings.com CEO, Sharon Petersen. “The three-way tie for third place was because we simply could not separate these airlines. From fleet age to pilot skill, safety practices, fleet size, and number of incidents, their scores were identical.”
World’s Safest Airlines for 2025
- Air New Zealand
- Qantas
- Cathay Pacific; Qatar Airways; Emirates
- Virgin Australia
- Etihad Airways
- ANA
- EVA Air
- Korean Air
- Alaska Airlines
- Turkish Airlines (THY)
- TAP Portugal
- Hawaiian Airlines
- American Airlines
- SAS
- British Airways
- Iberia
- Finnair
- Lufthansa/Swiss
- JAL
- Air Canada
- Delta Airlines
- Vietnam Airlines
- United Airlines
From this ranking, you can determine the safest U.S. airlines for 2025.
Safest U.S. Airlines for 2025
- Alaska Airlines
- Hawaiian Airlines
- American Airlines
- Delta Airlines
- United Airlines
AirlineRankings.com also released the world’s safest low-cost airlines for budget travelers.
World’s Safest Low-Cost Airlines for 2025
- Hong Kong Express
- Jetstar Group
- Ryanair
- easyJet
- Frontier Airlines
- AirAsia
- Wizz Air
- VietJet Air
- Southwest Airlines
- Volaris
- flydubai
- Norwegian
- Vueling
- Jet2
- Sun Country Airlines
- WestJet
- JetBlue Airways
- Air Arabia
- IndiGo
- Eurowings
- Allegiant Air
- Cebu Pacific
- ZipAir
- SKY Airline
- Air Baltic
Though flying is much safer than driving, people who dread air travel can actually take a course to conquer their fear.
Rather stick to land travel? Amtrak’s USA Rail Pass Is $200 Off And Good For 10 Rides Across 500+ U.S. Destinations
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