Day: October 6, 2025

NYC’s struggling commuter van industry is getting a much-needed financial boost to help offset high insurance costs and invest in safety and technology upgrades. 

Empire State Development (ESD), a New York economic development organization, announced on Monday that it provided more than $2 million through its Commuter Van Stabilization Program (CVSP), launched in September 2024, to help drivers in the often-overlooked commuter van industry in NYC. 

Commuter vans provide pre-arranged transportation to passengers in the city. Licensed by the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC), they are authorized to operate within specific geographic areas, usually in neighborhoods underserved by public transportation.

However, the industry is experiencing challenges, including a decline in the number of available vehicles over the previous decade, advocates have said. Also, drivers often face high costs, especially when it comes to paying for insurance. 

ESD representatives said the CVSP has provided insurance subsidies of up to $40,000 per van and reimbursements of up to $10,000 for safety and technology improvements, including dash cams, GPS tracking and advanced driver assistance systems.

Reps also stated that the program has supported over 50 vans and disbursed more than $2 million to commuter van operators, resulting in a 50% increase in TLC-licensed vans operating citywide.

Hope Knight, president, CEO and commissioner of ESD, explained in a press release that the CVSP helps support small businesses and protect jobs while providing a “safe, reliable and affordable” transportation option for New Yorkers.

“The Commuter Van Stabilization Program is making a real difference for operators and riders across New York City,” the executive said. “By helping cover steep insurance costs and supporting critical safety upgrades, ESD is strengthening an industry that thousands of working families rely on every day.” 

NYC Council addresses challenges plaguing NYC commuter vans

The announcement follows a Sept. 15 NYC Council hearing that addressed commuter van challenges, including the decline in availability. 

“Many New Yorkers choose them for their reliability and ability to bridge gaps in existing transit systems,” Queens City Council Member Selvena Brooks-Powers said during the hearing. “However, the licensed commuter van industry has struggled since the pandemic, with over 500 licensed vans in 2014 down to less than 40 a decade later.”

In addition to the ESD’s insurance relief and other funding, legislation is sitting in the NYC Council aimed at helping the commuter van industry. 

Brooks-Powers introduced two bills, Intros. 1346 and 1347, that would provide a periodic study of the commuter van industry and an enforcement checklist aimed at cracking down on illegal vehicles, allowing maximum penalties to be applied when they break multiple rules at once. 

Both bills are laid over in the council’s transportation and infrastructure committee.

Meanwhile, NYS Assembly Member Khaleel Anderson, who represents parts of Queens, applauded ESD for its work on the stabilization program.

“Our operators, long burdened by high insurance costs, have access to safety and technology upgrades through this program,” Anderson said. “The CVSP is a meaningful investment that acknowledges the essential role commuter vans play in augmenting our mass transportation network. To ensure continued progress and long-term sustainability, this industry needs additional support from the state.”

More information about commuter vans in NYC is available at nyc.gov under the TLC.

Few health headlines have sparked as much concern and conversation this year as the rise in breast cancer incidence among women under 40.

Since the release of new reports by the American Cancer Society and National Cancer Institute, experts have been racing to solve the riddle of why, despite developments in medicine and growing health consciousness, the life-threatening illness is notably affecting a demographic once believed to be outside the risk group. 

Cancer and social epidemiologist Rebecca Kehm, with several other researchers at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, has been part of this investigation, examining geographic variation in the trend. Now, observing the panic, Kehm reminds us that “although rates are increasing, breast cancer is still relatively rare under 40.”

Kehm responded skeptically to the idea of revising mammography guidelines. “It doesn’t make sense to do routine population-wide screening under age 40. The data just really doesn’t support that.” Though generally safe, breast imaging exposes patients to a small dose of radiation. 

“We do want to take that into consideration when thinking about harm versus benefit,” she added. 

That being said, any symptoms or lumps felt in the breast should never be dismissed, particularly for those with a strong family history of cancer. 

“It’s about having a personal awareness about your body. If something feels wrong or abnormal to the person, they should follow up. And on the flip side, their clinician or healthcare provider also needs to take it seriously.” 

These principles around prophylaxis and diagnosis are, however, by no means recent. “The data shows that there has been a steady increase for decades. So this is not a new phenomenon,” said Kehm. “We don’t think that this increase is due to some kind of new exposure that has popped up.” 

While her paper listed Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Hawaii, and Connecticut as the five states with the highest early-onset incidence from 2001 to 2020, Kehm insists that no single aspect, including geography, can explain breast cancer risk or the multidimensional way it has evolved over time.  

“Cancer is so complex and caused by so many different factors that it’s likely to be a number of different changing forces in our environment and in our lifestyle that’s leading to this increase.”

For all New York residents concerned about atmospheric exposures, such as air pollution, this offers a measure of reassurance. 

At the same time, Kehm is careful not to minimize the topic. Instead of trying to “pinpoint one silver bullet,” she suggests energies be redirected towards filling the gaps in our understanding of female physiology. 

“All of this shows that we really need more research focused on women’s health across the life course,” she said. “That would help us understand what normal breast development looks like and then what’s going on when we do see cancers arising at younger ages.”  

Drill rapper Sheff G, born Michael Williams, began serving a five-year prison term last week after surrendering himself.

The post Brooklyn rapper Sheff G begins five-year prison sentence appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.

When the lights dim inside Williamsburg’s historic Weylin on Oct. 22, the runway will come alive — not with professional models, but with women and men whose resilience and grace redefine beauty. Maimonides Health’s Pink Runway, now in its 14th year, celebrates the courage of breast cancer survivors through fashion, storytelling and community. 

Dr. Patrick Borgen, chair of surgery at Maimonides Medical Center and head of the network’s Breast Center, told Brooklyn Paper the original concept was to “highlight our survivors, their beauty and success over breast cancer.”  

“All of the models are breast cancer survivors,” he continued. “Some very recent, some a long time in the past — but they each have a unique story to tell.” 

The evening, themed “A Journey of Strength & Hope,” will take place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at 175 Broadway inside the iconic Williamsburg landmark once known as the Williamsburg Savings Bank. Styled by Saks Fifth Avenue and personal stylist James Palazzo, the event transforms the ornate rotunda into a celebration of survival, confidence and community spirit.

Each year, the Pink Runway honors the diverse stories that make the borough unique. Borgen said that eight to ten nationalities are typically represented annually, “which is very Brooklyn, he added. 

But beyond the glamour, the evening represents a profound mission. What began as a small community gathering has evolved into one of the borough’s most impactful fundraisers, supporting cutting-edge breast cancer care for patients across New York City. 

“Maimonides is one of the safety-net hospitals in New York, taking care of everyone. We turn no one away,” Dr. Borgen said. 

He said they hope to raise $500,000, which will allow them to “expand breast cancer imaging infrastructure by 20%.” 

That impact is personal for the thousands of patients whose lives have intersected with Maimonides’ Breast Cancer Center — the first and largest of its kind in Brooklyn. Next month, Dr. Borgen said they will treat their 8,000th breast cancer patient in the center. 

What keeps the community coming back year after year is the authenticity of those stories. This year’s show will highlight survivors like a young single mother from Eastern Europe who faced breast cancer while caring for her toddler.

“Our team took care of this beautiful little baby through all her treatments, chemotherapy and radiation,” Dr. Borgen said. 

Pink Runway 2025 introduces a new element —a second walk down the runway with each survivor’s caregiver. 

“We’re doing a second walk down the runway with the caregiver or the person who helped them the most,” he said. “It might be a spouse, it might be a daughter, a doctor or a nurse. We’ve even gotten pink lab coats for the caregivers.” 

Adding a touch of star power, actor Steve Schirripa, best known for “The Sopranos,” will co-host the evening with Dr. Borgen. The night will also feature live music performed by a band made up entirely of Maimonides cancer doctors. 

This year’s honorees are Jodi Pollack and Marina Lisker, who will receive the Wings of Healing Award and Breast Cancer Champion Award, respectively. 

For Dr. Borgen, Pink Runway represents the essence of why he entered medicine. 

“It’s an emotional event. It’s the best of what humans can be, and the best of what the human heart can achieve.” 

Visit gopinkrunway.org for more information.