Dawn Kikel

1 month ago | nycitynewsservice.com | Dawn Kikel

A City Council primary election playing out in a redrawn Brooklyn district echoes some of the larger political fights in the Democratic Party, pitting progressives and centrists against each other. The outcome of the June 24 contest could signal how effectively progressive policies resonate in immigrant-heavy, politically diverse neighborhoods, potentially highlighting broader shifts in the political landscape of Brooklyn and beyond.

Dec 26, 2024 | motthavenherald.com | Rebecca Raghunath |Rosie Thomas |Dawn Kikel

Kabir Ahmed sat behind a foldable desk at Darou Salam, a mosque and Islamic school in Melrose, helping two newly arrived immigrants from West Africa get work authorizations. Meanwhile, a group of men gathered on the carpet, organizing a stack of letters to send to employers. Many of them live in shelters with their families, and these letters hold some hope for establishing themselves in the city. “They need help, that is why we are here,” said Ahmed.

Nov 17, 2024 | motthavenherald.com | Joe Hirsch |Dawn Kikel

By 6 p.m., nearly 2.2 million New Yorkers and counting had turned up to vote in Tuesday’s election—many saying they were motivated by the chance for change and hopes for unity following a divisive presidential campaign season. With reporting by Tiara Brownie, Frances Sacks, Usha Sookai, Marina Samuel, Sam Murphy, Kaitlyn Harris, Christopher Edwards, Kayla Mendez, Hilario Martinez, Mrwa Abbas, Ashley Vasquez, Seline Liz, Kaliopi Tsiros, Edwin Diaz, Jeanmarie Evelly and Mariana Simões.

Nov 1, 2024 | motthavenherald.com | Dawn Kikel |Joe Hirsch

There’s more to the election on November 5 than who will be the next president. In addition to state senate and state assembly races in several jurisdictions, on the flip side of the ballot, voters can weigh in on six questions, called ballot measures. Voters select yes or no to each question. But the wording in ballot proposals could be confusing. For example, Proposal #1, intended to enshrine reproductive choice in the New York State Constitution, doesn’t contain the word abortion.

Oct 31, 2024 | nycitynewsservice.com | Dawn Kikel

Clifford Muñiz has a crater in the backyard of his two-family home on Fox Street. It’s a vegetation-filled hazard zone right outside his back door. The construction debris, covered with soil rather than removed when his house was built, is masked by the uneven landscape carpeted with long grasses and greenery. The 30 foot by 55 foot backyard was level when Muñiz moved in in 1990. Now elevation varies as much as two feet from step to step. “In the backyard, they found building walls still there.