We've mistaken expression for impact, conflating social media dust-ups with actual power. We've neglected the unglamorous work that holds societies together: governing, problem-solving, and cooperating across differences. My research shows that real change happens not in viral TikToks but in drab meeting rooms - the phones-down, notebooks-out work of local governance. It's there that we make progress and bridge divides.
As I started writing this, folks were heading to the polls for the first time in a long, terrible year. Hyperbole somehow failed us when the White House was (is still being) destroyed. Plus, everyone's Social Security numbers were stolen, the world's biggest anti-vaxxer wants to ban Tylenol, and SNAP benefits were frozen for the first time. Yeah, it's been that kinda year. Pandora's box has been opened and all the maladies therein have been unleashed.
A group of students, eager to explore the halls of power in Washington, D.C., found their path blocked by closed doors. But instead of sending them home disappointed, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whose district includes parts of the Bronx, stepped in. She didn't just say hello to them she personally led them on a tour of the Capitol and turned what could have been a major letdown into a civics lesson they will never forget.
Then the Goethe Lakes, Goethe Peak and what's left of the Goethe Glacier. This is the Glacial Divide, beyond which lies Evolution Valley, where I hiked as a 20-something on the John Muir Trail - a blissful 26 days beyond the range of communication, during which we carried everything we needed on our backs, along with a few things we didn't really need but wanted anyway. No one had cellphones back then.
Style Across the Aisle In a city known for both its creative energy and its political passion, an event like Style Across the Aisle could only happen in New York. On Sept. 10, the grand hallways of the New York County Surrogate's Court will swap legal briefs for runway beats as over 30 bipartisan public officials model looks from local designers during New York Fashion Week.
Now, as the task force starts to weigh in on the remaining 118 advisory groups, councils, commissions and other bodies, pushback has arrived. Alongside the Treasury Oversight Committee and Treasure Island/Yerba Buena Island Citizen Advisory Board, for instance, the Sheriff's Department Oversight Board was on Wednesday's chopping block, eliciting a bevy of soul-searching questions: Does the sheriff's department truly need its own oversight board? Can the board's work, perhaps, be folded into that of the Department of Police Accountability?
The Turtle Island Monument Fountain was originally designed in 1992 to feature a bronze snapping turtle representing Native Peoples across the Americas, but plans have been abandoned due to conflicts over credit and respect.
"Across the board, our research showed that government actions to defund scientific work and conduct massive layoffs in science and health agencies are not being met with strong public support."
Despite the extreme heat, New Yorkers showed impressive turnout for the 2025 primary elections, proving the city's dedication to civic participation under challenging conditions.
"June 14th is also the U.S. Army's birthday—a day that marks when Americans first organized to stand up to a king. Trump isn't honoring that legacy. He's hijacking it to celebrate himself."
The 'No Kings' mobilization is a direct response to Donald Trump's self-aggrandizing $100 million military parade and birthday celebration, an event funded by taxpayers while millions are told there's no money for Social Security, SNAP, Medicaid, or public schools.
"Once unofficially dubbed The Mayor of Primrose Hill, many of us will feel we have indeed lost our Mayor. There was no one quite like Phil to defend the values of our community."
"The city is founded on bedrock," curator Marie-Anne McQuay explains, highlighting Liverpool's sandstone geology, which influences its architecture and historical significance.
