New York City announced Thursday it will soon stop giving migrants prepaid debit cards for food. A spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams’ office said it will not renew the “immediate response cards pilot program.” The program directed funds toward migrant families in the city’s Housing Preservation and Development system that were living in hotels.

New York City is ending a pilot program that provided migrant families with up to $350 a week on prepaid debit cards. Critics had argued that the program was vulnerable to misuse and prioritized migrants over New Yorkers in need.

The 74-foot Norway spruce was driven into Manhattan’s Center Plaza, where it was hoisted in place by a crane. It will take 5 miles (about 8 kilometers) of light strands with more than 50,000 multicolored LED bulbs to wrap the tree, whose diameter measures 43 feet (13 meters). A Swarovski star crown sparkling with 3 million crystals will top it.

The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree has arrived in New York City, signaling the start of the holiday season in the Big Apple

The tree is set to arrive at Center Plaza in New York on Saturday before the tree lighting ceremony in early December.

Brush fires in Prospect Park and South Brooklyn added to a spate in the region; expected rain on Sunday should bring some relief.

Brush fires broke out in the Palisades, New Jersey early Friday morning, sending smoke across the Hudson River and into NYC.

A large brush fire near New Jersey’s Palisades Interstate Parkway sent thick smoke across the Hudson River into parts of New York City and Westchester.

NYC is hosting its 105th annual Veterans Day Parade, the nation’s largest event honoring veterans from all branches and eras.

Several Manhattan streets will be closed for hours Saturday morning for the Big Apple’s 104th Veterans Day Parade — the largest of its kind in the nation. The mile-long parade — to honor the men and women who have served our country — is slated to kick off at 9:30 a.