{"id":294315,"date":"2026-07-13T12:16:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T12:16:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/294315\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T12:16:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T12:16:08","slug":"monday-bulletin-poll-suggests-most-new-yorkers-now-support-carriage-horse-ban-uws-third-grade-best-friends-may-have-set-a-world-record-uws-officials-endorse-kathy-hochul-for-governor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/294315\/","title":{"rendered":"Monday Bulletin: Poll Suggests Most New Yorkers Now Support Carriage-Horse Ban; UWS Third-Grade Best Friends May Have Set a World Record; UWS Officials Endorse Kathy Hochul for Governor"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The historic Mount Pleasant Baptist Church building on West 81st Street \u2014 which was transformed into condominiums \u2014 glows as dusk falls. Photo by Laura Muha,<\/p>\n

Today is Monday, July 13th, 2026<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s forecast calls for sunny skies and a high of 84 degrees, which is as cool as it\u2019s expected to be this week. Tomorrow, temperatures will climb into the 90s and stay there through Thursday; Friday they\u2019ll hover around 90, with a possibility of thundershowers.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Notices<\/p>\n

Our\u00a0calendar<\/a> has lots of local events.\u00a0Click on the link or the lady in the upper righthand corner to check.<\/p>\n

The City Council\u2019s 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\u2019s 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 \u2014 HERE.<\/a> (In the drop-down menu, select \u201c10 AM \u2013 Committee on Health.\u201d) More on the horse-drawn carriage debate in the News Roundup, below.<\/p>\n

Councilmember Gale Brewer\u2019s 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\u2019s 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\u2019re 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\u2019s other locations; more information, including the other locations and order\/pickup dates \u2014 HERE. <\/a><\/p>\n

The New York Blood Center has declared its second \u201cblood emergency\u201d in six weeks \u2013 the first time in its history that it\u2019s 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 \u2014 HERE<\/a>, and information on hosting a blood drive is \u2014 HERE.<\/a><\/p>\n

News Roundup<\/p>\n

Compiled by Laura Muha<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Horse and carriage.<\/p>\n

A new Central Park Conservancy poll of adults across the city\u2019s five boroughs suggests that the majority now support a ban on horse-drawn carriages in the city, the non-profit group announced.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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,\u201d said Betsy Smith, president and CEO of the Conservancy. \u201cThere is broad consensus that no tourist attraction is worth risking another preventable tragedy, and the era of horse carriages must come to an end.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Conservancy said the \u201cmethodologically rigorous poll\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

But Alexander Kemp, the administrative vice president of TWU Local 100, which represents the drivers, told Gothamist that their own polling showed the opposite. \u201cWe believe most New Yorkers, when provided with unbiased information, oppose a ban,\u201d he said in a statement to the publication. \u201cThey don\u2019t want to see immigrant carriage drivers, owners and their families economically wiped out. They don\u2019t 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.\u201d The results of union polls were not included in the story.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s death, the Conservancy said in a press release.<\/p>\n

See more information on the Conservancy\u2019s methodology and detailed poll results HERE<\/a>, and read Gothamist\u2019s story \u2014 HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The River Run Playground is the aspiring record-setters\u2019 favorite. Photo by Gus Saltonstall.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The two \u2014 identified in the story only as 8-year-old besties Hannah and Wilder \u2014 said they were inspired by a 2019 challenge in which three Australian children set a record by visiting 26 parks in one day.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe playground plot was Hannah\u2019s idea, and Wilder was shocked, but happy to join her,\u201d CBS reported.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always wanted to break a world record,\u201d the station quoted him as saying.<\/p>\n

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\u2019re waiting, and hoping, for the Guinness Book of World Records to confirm their feat.<\/p>\n

Read the full story \u2014 HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Governor Kathy Hochul. Photo by Marc A. Herman<\/p>\n

In the category of \u201cthis probably won\u2019t come as a suprise,\u201d a host of elected officials whose districts include the Upper West Side are endorsing incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul\u2019s bid for reelection to a second full term.<\/p>\n

A press release issued last week by the governor\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI speak from experience: Manhattan has had no better partner than Governor Kathy Hochul \u2014 which is why Democrats across the borough have united behind her re-election,\u201d Hoylman-Sigal said in a statement. \u201cAnd the stakes couldn\u2019t be higher. Bruce Blakeman \u2026 promises to do Donald Trump\u2019s 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 \u2014 Bruce Blakeman is apparently only committed to Donald Trump. That\u2019s why we must elect Kathy Hochul this November and continue making progress for Manhattanites and all New Yorkers,\u201d Holyman-Sigal added.<\/p>\n

In Other UWS News<\/p>\n

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 \u2014 HERE.<\/a>
\namNY 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 \u2014 HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

ICYMI<\/p>\n

Here are a few stories we think are worth a look if you missed them last week \u2014 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.)<\/p>\n

Introducing the Upper West Side Sunday Crossword Puzzle<\/a><\/p>\n

Why the Former UWS Teddy Roosevelt Statue Wasn\u2019t Displayed at the Opening of His Presidential Library<\/a><\/p>\n

Upper West Side Funding Wins For the Next New York City Budget<\/a><\/p>\n

Subscribe to West Side Rag\u2019s FREE email newsletter\u00a0here<\/a>. And you can Support the Rag\u00a0here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The historic Mount Pleasant Baptist Church building on West 81st Street \u2014 which was transformed into condominiums \u2014…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":294316,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[128,9,24,63,129,131,130],"class_list":["post-294315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-the-bronx","tag-bronx","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-the-bronx","tag-the-bronx-headlines","tag-the-bronx-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294315","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=294315"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294315\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294316"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=294315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=294315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=294315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}