Wednesday, December 31st
Good morning, New Yorker.
It’s the final day of the year, and the city is balancing two modes at once. Streets around Times Square are closing, security is tightening, and anticipation is building toward midnight. At the same time, the last official acts of 2025 are still landing, including a new audit that pulls back the curtain on how city systems have been managed, and what the next administration will inherit. Celebration is coming. So is clarity.
Weather Brief
With a high of 30° and broken clouds, expect brisk winds that make it feel about 18°. Movement may be slow and bundling up is essential, especially for those out for New Year’s Eve.
What to Watch Today
- Heightened NYPD deployment and security checkpoints across Midtown ahead of Times Square festivities.
- A public rally at City Hall led by animal rights groups, protesting carriage operators' refusal of city-ordered vet inspections.
- Final year-end street closures and timing advisories in effect; transit disruptions may affect subway lines and traffic flow citywide.
- Anticipation builds for Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s inauguration later this week, with ongoing street prep and administration announcements.
The Lead
An explosive audit from Comptroller Brad Lander has found that the city’s Health Insurance Stabilization Fund, once used to level health costs for workers is insolvent, $3.1 billion in debt, and should be dissolved. The audit highlights decades of shifting use, opaque finances, and unaddressed obligations, raising serious questions about how the city manages employee healthcare benefits and labor agreements. As a new administration takes shape, the report lays bare the institutional cost of fiscal shortcuts and unchecked bargaining practices.
Power & Accountability
- Governor Hochul granted clemency to two individuals, leaving hundreds of pending cases unresolved as the year ends.
- A federal lawsuit alleges former NYPD leadership promoted unqualified officers to joint task forces.
- No formal challenge yet from the Adams administration or unions to Lander’s call to dissolve the city’s health care fund.
Around the City
- A Queens mother was arraigned for the murder of her toddler, heightening concern around child welfare systems.
- A Brooklyn startup is helping renters use the new Rent Transparency Act to identify hidden rent-stabilized listings.
- An Upper Manhattan animal shelter is urgently seeking fosters after a building issue displaced 32 dogs.
The Thread
As the city counts down to midnight, today’s stories reflect a familiar New York rhythm: momentum paired with accountability. Big moments bring attention, but quieter decisions, how money is managed, how rules are enforced, how care is delivered, shape what the next year can realistically hold. The work doesn’t pause for the holiday. It just carries forward.
Whatever tonight brings, New York enters the new year together, on the same streets, under the same clock, ready to begin again.