To honor Dr. Hazel Dukes, I want to make sure her legacy is solidified in New York State history.
I’m proposing the addition of Dr. Dukes’ portrait to the State Capitol Building’s Great Western Staircase, where we honor some of our nation’s most influential and notable figures. pic.twitter.com/nwN3bJyUKM
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) March 12, 2025
Adrienne Adams, the City Council Speaker who recently entered the 2025 NYC mayor’s race, said on Wednesday that she is “confident” her campaign can quickly fundraise and amass support despite her late entrance into the crowded field.
The speaker is under pressure to raise money speedily and build momentum for her campaign just over three months before the June 24 Democratic primary.
“I’m really confident that my campaign is going to be able to raise money to have a strong operation that helps reach New Yorkers and win the race,” Speaker Adams told reporters during an unrelated March 12 news conference.
The moderate Black lawmaker launched her campaign last week with early support from elected officials, including Deputy Council Speaker Diana Ayala (D-Manhattan), state Sen. James Sanders Jr. (D-Queens), and Assembly Member Andrew Hevesi (D-Queens), among others. While she waved away the notion of building alliances with other Democratic candidates to take advantage of the city’s ranked-choice voting system, she insisted she can drum up support across the city.
“My candidacy stands alone. I have a clear path and a clear way that I want to get to this win,” she said. “Mine is going to be building a strong coalition between all of the boroughs.”
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams speaking on March 4, 2025Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
Speaker Adams is leaning heavily on her experience as a seasoned legislator who has represented a portion of voter-rich southeast Queens since 2017. She has served as council speaker since early 2022 and is term-limited at the end of this year.
“There is a desire for steady leadership that works for New Yorkers and doesn’t come with the distractions or scandal,” she said. “I keep saying no distractions, no scandal, no nonsense.”
When it comes to fundraising, the speaker said she expects to receive matching funds “in time” but expressed uncertainty about qualifying for public dollars by next Monday’s Campaign Finance Board filing deadline.
According to CFB records, she currently has $211,000 in her campaign account and will have to raise an additional $250,000 in small-dollar donations from 1,000 New York City residents to qualify for matching funds.
“As far as the Monday deadline is concerned, we’re not going to make any predictions, we’re not taking anything for granted either,” she said. “We’ve been aggressively fundraising for less than a week. So put that together.”
After showing virtually no interest in running for mayor during much of her tenure, Speaker Adams jumped into the race at the urging of Democratic heavyweights like state Attorney General Letitia James and the municipal employees’ District Council 37, amNewYork previously reported. They enlisted the speaker in the hope that her candidacy could block the mayor from winning re-election and, perhaps more realistically, Cuomo from taking his place.
Police in shot and wounded a man in Flatlands Wednesday afternoon after he allegedly ran at them while armed with a box cutter.
According to sources familiar with the incident, detectives came across two men having an argument in front of the Brook Plaza Ambulatory Surgery Center near Utica Avenue and Avenue K in at around 2 p.m. on March 12.
When officers attempted to break up the altercation, one of the men, allegedly charged at them with a box cutter.
Police opened fire on the 33-year-old man, hitting him in the chest. The individual was rushed to a local hospital, where he is undergoing emergency surgery. Cops said he is expected to survive.
The man allegedly attacked officers who tried to break up an argument.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
The NYPD is asking the public to remain clear of the area as the investigation continues. Police are expected to release more details in the coming hours.
While gun violence is down across New York City this year, shootings have increased in the 63rd Precinct, where Wednesday’s incident occurred. As of March 9, two shootings had been reported in the precinct, according to the most recently-available police statistics, up from one during the same period last year.
Brooklyn has seen several police-involved shootings in recent months. Last September, police shot and injured four people — including a fellow officer – while pursing a man who allegedly brandished a knife after jumping the turnstile at the Sutter Avenue subway station in Brownsville. About three months later, on Dec. 4, 2024, cops fired at Christopher Ferguson 19 times, killing him, after pursuing him across Brooklyn. Ferguson was allegedly armed at the time. In January, cops shot and critically injured an armed suspect who allegedly pointed his gun at them in Canarsie.
A version of this story first appeared on Brooklyn Paper’s sister site amNewYork.