The U.S. Department of Transportation yesterday said it took the extraordinary step of replacing the federal lawyers defending it in a lawsuit over New York City’s congestion pricing program, after accusing them of undermining the department’s bid to end the toll. Stefanos Chen and Benjamin Weiser report in THE NY TIMES that the move came after the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District, which had been handling the case, said it mistakenly filed in federal court in Manhattan on Wednesday night a confidential memo that questioned the department’s legal strategy and urged a new approach.

In response, however, the department raised the possibility that the disclosure attempted to sabotage its efforts to halt congestion pricing. Transportation officials said they would transfer the case to the civil division of the Justice Department in Washington. The memo has since been removed from the public docket.

In the letter, dated April 11, the three assistant U.S. attorneys on the case warned that Sean Duffy, the transportation secretary, was using a shaky rationale to end the tolling plan and was “exceedingly likely” to fail, the lawyers wrote.

The existence of the document was reported earlier by Streetsblog. It’s not unusual for lawyers to advise their clients confidentially in this way. But the filing telegraphed the government’s legal weaknesses in the middle of a tense fight with Gov. Kathy Hochul and transit leaders who have vowed to keep the tolling program running.

In a statement on Thursday, the Department of Transportation called the filing of the memo “legal malpractice.” “Are S.D.N.Y. lawyers on this case incompetent or was this their attempt to RESIST?” a spokeswoman for the department wrote.

Nicholas Biase, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office, said in a statement that the filing “was a completely honest error and was not intentional in any way.” He said that the Southern District lawyers took immediate steps to remove the memo, which is subject to attorney-client privilege, from the docket.

Transit leaders in New York have promised to keep congestion pricing in place, saying it has helped ease traffic and raised much-needed funds for mass transit including the L.I.R.R.

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PSEG Long Island says it earned 68.5% of its potential $22.9 million bonus for 2024, totaling $15.74 million, after a reduction in performance metrics from 93 in 2023 to 52 in 2024. The company scored higher in power supply and clean energy (98%) and electric transmission and distribution (73.2%), but missed key metrics in system reliability, safety, and IT system segregation. PSEG's performance report is under review by Long Island Power Authority and the NYS Department of Public Service, with a final decision on the bonus expected in mid-June. Mark Harrington reports in NEWSDAY that PSEG’s report card for 2024 comes as LIPA’s board is debating whether to turn over control of the management of the electric grid to Houston-based Quanta Services or PSEG. Some on the LIPA board are said to be pushing for PSEG to be awarded the contract, even though Quanta reportedly received high scores from LIPA staff. The LIPA board is meeting in private on Monday to further discuss the contract.

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Basilica Parish of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in Southampton will celebrate a Mass of remembrance for Pope Francis this evening at 7pm. Pastor Mike Vetrano invites you to join the parish in prayer at this vigil Mass. Pope Francis’s funeral Mass in Rome is scheduled for tomorrow morning in St Peter’s Square.

The Basilica Parish of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary is a minor basilica of the Catholic Church at 168 Hill Street in Southampton Village. It is also a parish church of the Diocese of Rockville Centre. The Gothic Revival-style edifice was completed in 1908. The exterior is covered in white marble. Pope Benedict XVI elevated the church to the status of minor basilica on November 11, 2011.

Their remembrance Mass for Pope Francis starts this evening at 7pm.

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In the wake of cuts that downsized the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Parrish Art Museum has lost over $140,000 in federal funding that supported its education and Access Parrish programs, an initiative that creates artistic learning experiences for individuals with special needs, including those with Parkinson’s Disease.

Michelle Trauring reports on 27east.com that the arts institution has begun a fundraising campaign to help fill the gap — though Executive Director Mónica Ramírez-Montagut is the first to acknowledge that it comes against a backdrop of troubling financial times. “Hopefully, people here in the region and beyond want to have a vibrant, dynamic museum in their own communities and are willing to support it,” she said. “And unfortunately, at this point, I think we’re on our own.”

Last month, the entire staff of the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services, or IMLS, was placed on administrative leave as a follow up to an executive order from the Trump administration earlier this month that called for its elimination “to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.”

In the weeks since, all funding to the IMLS was cut, including existing grants.

“There’s no need to cancel grants that have already been awarded by the federal government,” Ramírez-Montagut said. “That’s a complete lack of confidence in our government, where they’re not keeping their word, and it’s the first time ever, to my knowledge, that we can just not trust the word of our government that was created by Americans, for Americans.”

This executive order is just one in a series of closures, federal spending cuts and layoffs among national agencies, including the Department of Education, the National Park Service and health agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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This Saturday and Sunday April 26-27, fire departments across New York State open their doors for RecruitNY. Throughout the year, the Firefighters Association of the State of New York (FASNY) offers recruitment resources. Volunteer fire organizations have added thousands of members through the years thanks in part to the RecruitNY initiative. Joe Werkmeister reports in NEWSDAY that the statewide initiative this weekend to boost ranks of volunteer fire departments provides opportunities for anyone interested in firefighting to visit an open house in their neighborhood. The recruitment effort comes as volunteer firefighter groups across the county have seen a drop in numbers, a trend officials say extends two decades.

Eugene Perry, FASNY President and a 45-year member of the Patchogue Fire Department, said recruitment and retention is "an ongoing challenge."

"We’re making progress in some individual departments and areas in the state, while other places the numbers continue to decline," he said.

Rudy Sunderman, commissioner of the Suffolk County Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services, said departments respond to about 300,000 calls each year in the county. The volunteer ranks, including firefighters and EMS, stands at about 12,600 — a decline of about 600 in the past year, he said.

Statewide, the number of volunteer firefighters has dropped from about 120,000 in the early 2000s to around 75,000 today, according to FASNY data.

Asked if there was a target number of volunteers to reach, FASNY officials said: "We’ll take as many as we can get."

For more info regarding the 16th annual Recruit NY campaign visit recruitny.org

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The Town of East Hampton and the East Hampton Police Benevolent Association finalized an agreement for a two-year contract for dispatchers starting in 2026 and running through 2027. Jack Motz reports on 27east.com that the agreement solidified a pay increase of 4 percent starting in 2026 and another increase of the same amount which will be enacted at the start of 2027. Alongside this, East Hampton Town is offering more longevity incentives, including an additional $500 for the top three steps on the schedule.

The agreement came out of “extensive discussions,” the town said in a press release, “and reflects shared goals of “operational effectiveness, employee well-being and sustained high-quality service to the East Hampton community.”

The current East Hampton Town dispatcher annual salary was not disclosed in published reports about this town and PBA agreement.

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A Bridgehampton resident concealed his leadership role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide on immigration applications, according to federal prosecutors, who charged the man with visa fraud and attempted naturalization fraud. Michael O'Keeffe reports in NEWSDAY that Faustin Nsabumukunzi ordered killings and encouraged rapes as a leader in local government during the 1994 genocide, prosecutors with the Eastern District of New York said in court papers and at Nsabumukunzi’s arraignment in Central Islip.

Nsabumukunzi, 65, pleaded not guilty to the charges during an appearance before U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert, who released him on $250,000 bond. Nsabumukunzi was arrested at his Bridgehampton home early yesterday, prosecutors said.

According to the indictment, Nsabumukunzi was a "Sector Councilor" — a local government official — who used his leadership role to direct Hutus to kill Tutsis during the 1994 genocide. He also encouraged Hutu men to rape Tutsi women, prosecutors said in court papers.

An estimated 800,000 Tutsis were killed during a three-month rampage of rape, murder and mutilation.

Nsabumukunzi’s attorney, Evan Sugar of the Federal Defenders, said his client was a victim of the genocide, not a perpetrator.

"Mr. Nsabumukunzi is a law-abiding beekeeper and gardener who has lived on Long Island for more than two decades," Sugar said in a statement distributed to reporters before the hearing. "He was a victim of the Rwandan genocide who lost scores of family members and friends to the violence. Mr. Nsabumukunzi was rightfully granted refugee status and lawful permanent residence in this country. We will fight these 30-year-old allegations to the contrary, and Mr. Nsabumukunzi maintains his innocence."

Nsabumukunzi works as a gardener at the East End estate of a private equity investor, Sugar said.

Nsabumukunzi faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted on all counts.