NYC Press Releases

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NYU Langone Tests AI to Detect Heart Transplant Rejection

NYU Langone Health researchers are studying whether artificial intelligence can help identify heart transplant rejection while reducing the need for invasive biopsies. Researchers trained AI models using thousands of EKG readings from adult heart transplant recipients and combined the heart rhythm data with results from two blood biomarkers used to assess rejection risk. In a separate test group of 38 transplant recipients, the combined model correctly identified 94% of patients who were not experiencing rejection, according to the study. Researchers said the approach could potentially spare some patients from unnecessary heart biopsies while helping physicians identify rejection earlier. The team plans to test the model in more patients across multiple transplant centers before determining its broader clinical usefulness.

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Baruch Gets $776K Federal Grant to Expand AI Education

Baruch College has received $776,033 in first-year federal funding to expand artificial intelligence education and applied learning across its three schools. The Title III Strengthening Institutions Program award will support Baruch's AI Leadership Initiative, including curriculum development, faculty and staff training, student services and preparation for an increasingly AI-enabled workforce. Funding will also expand the college's AI Learning Commons and advance its Applied Intelligence Lab, where students will be able to participate in supervised projects and experiential learning. Baruch plans to incorporate responsible AI use into its curriculum, including evaluating AI-generated content, identifying misinformation and bias, protecting privacy and understanding when human judgment should take precedence. The initiative was launched in spring 2026.

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NYC Begins Brooklyn Bus Lane and Safety Redesign

New York City has started work on a major redesign of Bay Parkway and Cropsey Avenue intended to improve bus service and street safety for 35,000 daily riders in Brooklyn. The project will add offset and curbside bus lanes along Bay Parkway from Avenue J to Shore Parkway and Cropsey Avenue from Bay Parkway to 26th Avenue. The improvements will benefit riders of the B6 and B82, two of Brooklyn's busiest bus routes, as well as the X28 and X38. NYC DOT will also install 18 new median islands, pedestrian improvements and dedicated left-turn lanes at 14 intersections. Bus speeds currently fall as low as three miles per hour on portions of Bay Parkway, according to the city. New York City Government

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Man Gets 18 Months in NY for $8M AI Music Streaming Fraud

A North Carolina man was sentenced in Manhattan federal court to 18 months in prison for using AI-generated music and automated streaming accounts to fraudulently collect millions of dollars in royalties. Michael Smith previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud after prosecutors said he created thousands of accounts on major music streaming platforms and used bots to continuously play songs he controlled. Smith used hundreds of thousands of AI-generated songs to spread the fraudulent streams across a large catalog and avoid detection. His bot accounts ultimately generated billions of streams and more than $8 million in fraudulent royalty payments, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. Smith was also ordered to forfeit more than $8.09 million.

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NYC Transit Orders 92 New Buses for Express Routes

New York City Transit has ordered 92 new commuter buses to replace aging vehicles operating on the city's express bus routes. Motor Coach Industries, a subsidiary of NFI Group, announced that NYC Transit awarded the company a contract for its MCI D45 CRT commuter coaches. The vehicles are designed for high-capacity commuter and express operations and are intended to support more comfortable and efficient service for riders. Funding for the purchase is being provided through state, local and Metropolitan Transportation Authority sources. The order has been added to NFI's third-quarter 2026 backlog. NYC Transit is part of the MTA, which operates the largest bus fleet in the United States.

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RPC Names Scott Schechter Partner in NY Expansion

International law firm RPC has appointed insurance coverage specialist Scott Schechter as a partner in New York as the firm expands its international insurance practice. Schechter will help develop a dedicated New York-based insurance team focused on complex claims involving U.S. exposures, including financial lines and cyber matters. The expansion is designed to connect RPC's New York capabilities with its existing insurance teams in the United Kingdom, Singapore and Hong Kong. RPC said the investment responds to growing client demand for cross-border advice involving high-value, multi-jurisdictional claims. Schechter's appointment follows several other insurance-focused hires by the firm and is part of a broader international growth strategy that includes the development of its New York office.

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NYC Begins $17.8M Brooklyn Music School Renovation

New York City has started a $17.8 million renovation of a historic Cobble Hill firehouse that will become the first permanent home of the Noel Pointer Foundation. The 6,000-square-foot building at 299 DeGraw Street, originally constructed in 1857, will be transformed into a modern music education facility with soundproofed lesson rooms, a recording studio, music library, gallery, ensemble space and courtyard. The foundation provides music education and performance opportunities to young people across the five boroughs and currently serves more than 2,000 children annually. Its new Brooklyn headquarters will support expanded after-school, weekend and summer programs while restoring significant elements of the former Engine Company 204 firehouse. Construction is expected to be completed in fall 2028.

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NYC Names 12 Districts for Affordable Housing Fast Track

New York City has identified 12 community districts where eligible affordable housing proposals will qualify for an expedited public review process beginning January 1, 2027. The Affordable Housing Fast Track targets districts with the city's lowest rates of affordable housing production, including areas of Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island. Under the new process, qualifying rezoning proposals that create permanently affordable housing can undergo a 90-day public review, cutting roughly four months from the traditional land-use process. The designated districts include neighborhoods such as Bay Ridge, Canarsie, the Upper East and West Sides, Corona, Bayside and Staten Island's South Shore. The city will recalculate the 12 districts every five years.

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NY Expands Free College to Adults With Prior Degrees

New York is expanding its free community college initiative to allow adults ages 25 to 55 who already have a college degree to return to SUNY or CUNY for a free associate degree in a high-demand field. Beginning with the Spring 2027 semester, eligible New Yorkers will be able to pursue programs in areas such as cybersecurity, engineering, advanced manufacturing and other growing industries without paying tuition, fees, books or required supplies. The expansion removes a previous restriction that generally limited the program to adults without a college degree. More than 15,000 adult learners have participated since the initiative launched in 2025, according to the Governor's announcement. Applications under the expanded eligibility rules are expected to open through individual SUNY and CUNY campuses over the coming months.