City Sues Council Over The $10K Para Bonuses - The Mamdani administration is suing the City Council to block its new bill paying school paraprofessionals one-time $10,000 payments, arguing it skirts collective bargaining and conflicts with state law. The Council passed it over the union’s long push for the city’s 20,000-plus paras.

A Tornado, Then A Very Wet Night - Thursday night’s storms flooded streets across the five boroughs, hit Hollis, Queens with its second major flood in three months, and spun up a confirmed EF-1 tornado at Atlantic Beach in Nassau County. LaGuardia had ground stops. Then it happened again Sunday morning - storms trapped cars on the Clearview in Queens, closed lanes of the BQE and LIE, and submerged vehicles in Park Slope.

NYPD Can Now Take Drones Down Itself - For the US Open, the NYPD will independently neutralize unauthorized drones over the grounds in Queens. It’s the first time any state or local agency has used the new federal authority to run its own drone mitigation.

The City's Free Doula Program Is Expanding - The Citywide Doula Initiative, which provides free support to pregnant New Yorkers who are income-eligible for Medicaid, has now served more than 4,200 people. Six hospitals just became the first certified Doula-Friendly Hospitals, and city employees get doula coverage through MetroPlus starting Jan 1, 2027.

NYC Doubled Its Paid Fellowship For CUNY Grads - The Civil Service Pathways Fellowship, a two-year paid program that launches CUNY graduates into city government careers, is growing from 200 to 400 slots. DCAS will now run two cohorts a year, starting in January and July.

The City Launched Free Babysitting Nights - The first Parents' Night Out on Aug 16 gave nearly 300 kids a free supervised evening - sports, crafts, dinner - at rec centers in all five boroughs while parents got four hours off. Registration is online and first come, first served, and kids need a free Parks rec center membership. Watch for the next one.

Sun Aug 23-Sat Aug 29: US Open Fan Week, Flushing - Qualifying matches, player practices, and activities on the grounds at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, all ahead of the main draw starting Sunday Aug 30. Free, but new for 2026 you need to register for a free Fan Access Pass to get in. Queens. Free.

Wed-Sat, Aug 26-29, seatings 6-8:30pm: Wine at Maayan's (Soft Opening) - A new SoHo cheese and wine bar where you walk the refrigerated room, pick your bottle and cheese, and they plate it for you. Bottles only, no glasses. $20 reservation, credited to your order. SoHo.

Tue, Aug 25, 6:30-8:30pm: Chinatown At The Table - An evening with Dame Grace Young at Hop Lee celebrating the history, resilience, and future of Manhattan’s Chinatown. Chinatown.

Fri, Aug 28, 8pm: Harry Styles At MSG - The ‘Together, Together’ residency continues at Madison Square Garden. Midtown.

Fri, Aug 28, 6:30-10:30pm: The Player Party: Tennis x Backgammon - NYC Backgammon Club's US Open-week crossover at the Gansevoort Meatpacking: open play all night plus a tournament bracket.

Fri Aug 28-Sun Aug 30: Charlie Parker Jazz Festival - The 34th annual salute to the saxophonist opens Friday at 7pm in Marcus Garvey Park with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, returns there Saturday 2-7pm for Joshua Redman, Catherine Russell, and Nicole Glover, and closes Sunday 3-7pm in Tompkins Square Park with Ravi Coltrane. Harlem and the East Village. Free.

Sat-Sun, Aug 29-30, 10am-6pm: JAPAN Fes East Village - One of the city’s biggest Japanese street food festivals: Saturday on Broadway between 8th and 9th, Sunday on 4th Avenue between 9th and 10th. East Village. Free entry.

Sun, Aug 30, 1-3pm: Domino Park Book Swap - Lit Club NYC and OddFellows Ice Cream host a waterfront swap: bring a blanket and a book or two to trade, games on the lawn, ticket includes OddFellows ice cream.

Whitney Free Friday Night (Fri, Aug 28, 5-10pm) - A free run of the museum with DJ Sunny Cheeba, last-chance Biennial highlight tours, and the new Minnie Evans show. Reserve a free ticket in advance.

The OGXperience (Wed-Thu, Aug 26-27, 1-7pm Wed, 11am-7pm Thu) - OGX takes over HERO under Rockefeller Center for two days with a multisensory hair-repair exhibit: science touchpoints, interactive installs, product giveaways. 

Jeremy Denk At Little Island (Fri, Aug 28, 10pm) - One of the country's best pianists plays Rzewski's De Profundis and Beethoven's final sonata in the Glade, free and unticketed, on the river at night.

CityPicklePalooza (Aug 26-30) - Free open play on a real court in the middle of Times Square, all day for five days.

Common Honors Belafonte At BRIC (Fri, Aug 28) - Common and Adi Oasis headline a free night at the Prospect Park Bandshell honoring Harry Belafonte's legacy. Doors 6pm, show 7pm, first-come.

Bargemusic (Sun, Aug 30, 2pm) - Free chamber music in the floating boathouse at Brooklyn Bridge Park. No tickets, doors 20 minutes before, an hour of music over the water.

Tue, Aug 25: Kids’ Night On Broadway - Kids 18 and under go free with a full-paying adult at more than 20 shows, including Wicked, The Lion King, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, SIX, The Great Gatsby, and Maybe Happy Ending. Bonus: Theater District restaurants do free kids’ meals with an adult entree - Carmine’s, Ellen’s Stardust, Schnipper’s and more.

Sat, Aug 29, 8pm: Movies Under The Stars: Karate Kid: Legends - Free outdoor movie at Bailey Playground, running to 10:30. Bring a blanket. Bronx. Free.

Sat, Aug 29, 11am-1pm: Back to School Bash at Atlantic Terminal Mall Plaza - Brooklyn Bridge Parents' free family morning: back-to-school crafts, games, LEGO building, book giveaways, and a water play area (pack a bathing suit and towel). Fort Greene.

Sun, Aug 30, 1pm: Tinkerbell Live - Frog & Peach Theatre Company's free bilingual (English/Spanish) fairy-tale musical in Bruce's Garden, Isham Park - Snow White, an Evil Queen, and Little Rosa Riding Hood on a wacky trip to Fairyland. Ages 4 and up. Inwood.

La Collina (Upper East Side): The chef behind da Adriano opens a second spot on First Avenue - Italian bar, ristorante, and pizzeria, now serving lunch and dinner.

Titan (Dumbo): Alan Delgado (Los Burritos Juarez) puts Mexican back into 5 Front Street, with Ivy Mix on the drinks. The anti-tourist trap, down the block from the Grimaldi's line.

Kirbee's (Greenpoint): Two of Texas's most decorated pitmasters (Goldee's, Barbs B Q) open a true Texas barbecue joint on McGuinness, line-up-and-order style. First service is Sunday, 11am to 2pm only.

Kodachaya (Koreatown): A huge new izakaya on 33rd - skewers, sashimi, and seafood ramen ordered by QR code, self-serve soju, karaoke downstairs, open till 2am on weekends.

Chikara (Upper West Side): A Sushi of Gari alum's high-end new sushi spot on West 70th - order a la carte or go for the $185 omakase.

Ugly Baby (Williamsburg): The cult Thai restaurant that closed in 2024, now reopened at double the size on Grand Street with the same chef and a brand-new menu.

Liba (Williamsburg): The 12 Chairs Cafe team's first new restaurant in over 20 years, inside The William Vale - modern Mediterranean built around an 800-degree brick oven and an in-house dry-aging program.

On This Day in NYC History: Aug. 25, 1835: The Sun Finds Life On The Moon - The New York Sun ran the first of six articles claiming Sir John Herschel's giant telescope had spotted bat-winged people, unicorns, and temples on the moon. New Yorkers bought every copy and the Sun became the most-read paper in the world - all of it invented by the paper's own reporter.