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Day: October 3, 2025

  • White House. Government Shutdown Fallout: Democrats’ Push for Free Healthcare for Illegal Immigrants Triggers Nationwide Closures, Unpaid Workers, and Travel Delays

    White House. Government Shutdown Fallout: Democrats’ Push for Free Healthcare for Illegal Immigrants Triggers Nationwide Closures, Unpaid Workers, and Travel Delays

    USA White House Government Shutdown Fallout Democrats

    Democrats’ “free healthcare for illegal immigrants” demand has, according to critics, forced a government shutdown that’s rippling across the country: essential workers—from TSA agents, air traffic controllers, and military personnel to VA staff—are working without pay; families face threats to WIC and SNAP benefits; airports warn of longer lines and delays; and national parks, monuments, museums, and historic sites from Arizona to Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, and beyond are shuttered or scaling back services. Local economies are feeling the pinch as SBA loans stall, federal grants and inspections pause, and tourism-heavy regions lose access to parks and visitor centers. Veterans and low-income families are bracing for disruptions, nonprofits and food banks are preparing for increased demand, and analysts warn of broader economic losses each week the shutdown persists.

    Democrat Shutdown Hurts
    Families, Veterans, Workers Across the Country

    Democrats’ reckless push to hold the government hostage over free healthcare for illegal aliens has forced a crippling shutdown — making essential workers and servicemembers go unpaid, pushing vital programs like WIC to the brink, and leaving key services unfunded.

    Across the country, the Radical Left’s political stunt is inflicting pain:

    Arizona

    • KVOA-TV: “The VA will stop transition program assistance and career counseling, close GI Bill and National Cemetery hotlines and shut down benefits regional offices… Visitor services will be reduced, with park roads and trails generally remaining open but without regular maintenance. Special events requiring permits will be halted, and no new permits will be issued. Parks with insufficient funds will cease operations, suspending all non-essential activities.”
    • Axios Phoenix: “The effects of the shutdown could lead to backups at Phoenix Sky Harbor and will force the furlough of thousands of local federal employees… More than 34,000 federal employees were working in Arizona as of last year… Although airport employees, including security officers and air traffic controllers, will be forced to continue working throughout the shutdown, airport operations could be affected.”
    • KVOA-TV: Shutdown impacts Tucson: Saguaro Park East closed to cars
    • Arizona PBS: Montezuma Castle National Monument turns away tourists after government shutdown
    • KTAR Radio: National monument in Arizona turns away tourists after federal government shutdown

    Georgia

    • WRDW-TV: “Thousands of federal workers in Georgia, including many airport employees, are already starting to feel the strain of the federal government shutdown. Essential federal employees like TSA agents or air traffic controllers still have to come to work — but right now, they aren’t being paid.”
    • WMAZ-TV: “The Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins is closing due to the government shutdown. The Museum of Aviation is run by the Department of Defense, which has lost funding as Congress negotiates a budget deal. In a Facebook post on Tuesday, the Museum of Aviation says that the closure will last until further notice… The Ocmulgee Mounds in Macon is also closed during the tenure of the government shutdown.”
    • WXIA-TV: “For travelers, even though flights are still taking off, the U.S. Travel Association is warning them that longer lines, staffing issues, and delays could grow the longer the shutdown lasts. The shutdown is impacting more than 100,000 federal workers in Georgia, like TSA agents and air traffic controllers at the Hartsfield-Jackson airport.”
    • WXIA-TV: “More than 111,000 federal workers in Georgia are affected — including TSA agents, air traffic controllers, military members, correctional officers, and furloughed staff from agencies like the Department of Education, EPA, HHS, National Park Service, and IRS.”
    • WXIA-TV: Amid the government shutdown, visitors were turned away from the Martin Luther King historic site
    • WMAZ-TV: Central Georgia gears up as federal shutdown threatens Robins Air Force Base
    • Atlanta Journal Constitution: Offices close, services suspended across Georgia amid federal shutdown
    • Bryan County News: Shutdown could directly affect over a hundred thousand Georgians
    • WSB Radio: Government shutdown impacting metro Atlanta parks
    • WTXL-TV: Federal shutdown threatens Valdosta’s backbone as Moody AFB and local programs brace for impact
    • WTOC-TV: Fort Pulaski temporarily closed due to government shutdown

    Michigan

    • WJRT-TV: Michigan faces service disruptions as federal shutdown begins
    • WCMU Radio: Shutdown closes Sleeping Bear Dunes visitors center, ranger programs
    • WILX-TV: Federal shutdown leaves Michigan in limbo
    • Detroit Free Press: “Expect more and more services to be curtailed (or even stopped), more and more federal grants, payments and contracts to be delayed or cut, and federal workers showing up at their jobs without pay (including military families, law enforcement, border patrol and the like) to feel more and more strain.”
    • Detroit Free Press: “Hiring and training of new employees stops. Funding for SNAP and WIC programs stops. New Head Start grants will not be available. Many food, health and clean water inspections from the FDA, OSHA and the EPA would stop. The Small Business Administration stops reviewing or approving loans.”
    • Michigan Farm Bureau: “More than 42,000 USDA employees will also be furloughed (put on leave), per Reuters reporting, with significant disruptions expected for the Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service.”

    Minnesota

    • Minnesota Star Tribune: “Federal employees in Minnesota ‘will not only be without temporary income as a result of a shutdown, but it is threatened that they will be without their federal careers permanently.’”
    • Minnesota Star Tribune: “A sprawling mass of other federal functions ground to a halt…. The shutdown, the first in nearly seven years, furloughed hundreds of thousands of workers and disrupted services across the government, including federal court cases, assistance for veterans, grants for education, cleanup at Superfund sites and economic analysis for reports like the jobs data.”
    • Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal: “Minnesota is home to roughly 20,000 federal employees, or 35,000 if you include military personnel. Many of those will be expected to keep working during the federal government shutdown that began last night — but paychecks could be interrupted.”
    • KAAL-TV: “Minnesotans will feel it as there are roughly 20,000 federal workers in the state, and 35,000 if you count postal workers and the military. About a third of those workers are at VA hospitals like custodial and cafeteria workers, and then 13,000 Minnesota National Guard members also face furloughs, remaining on active duty without pay.”
    • KMSP-TV: “The lights are out at St. Paul’s Mississippi River Visitor Center as the National Park Service went dark during this government shutdown. Its employees are among about 750,000 furloughed across the country…”
    • KIMT-TV: “[A]s part of the shutdown union members in the TSA, federal prison security and Social Security are all currently working without pay, while members in the National Parks service are furloughed.”
    • WDIO-TV: “Due to the federal government shutdown, the Minnesota National Guard will be initiating the process of an orderly shutdown. Essential personnel and active-duty members will continue working, while full-time staff members are furloughed.”
    • MinnPost: Low-income Minnesotans likely to be the first to feel impact of government shutdown
    • KSTP-TV: Minnesota National Guard members not getting paid during government shutdown

    Nevada

    • Reno Gazette: “Air travel continues during a shutdown… But workers don’t get paid during the shutdown, which can lead to delays when workers don’t show up for shifts.”
    • KVVU-TV: “The Small Business Administration says the shutdown is stopping an estimated 320 small businesses from accessing $170 million in SBA-guaranteed funding. Officials say only programs deemed essential for protecting life and property will be operational. Programs that will close include loans and grant services. Those include federal loans to small businesses under the SBA.”
    • KRXI-TV: “Military personnel will continue their duties without pay until Congress passes a continuing resolution or appropriations are signed into law. Civilian personnel not involved in essential activities will be placed in a non-work, non-pay status. The War Department has provided documents to assist its workforce during the government shutdown.”
    • The Nevada Independent: “Nevadans should brace for potential delays to air travel and reduced access to national parks.”
    • KSNV-TV: Las Vegas locals and tourists voice frustration over ongoing government shutdown
    • KSNV-TV: Nevada Conservation League warns shutdown could harm outdoor industry
    • KSNV-TV: Government shutdown puts Nevadans’ health, education, and recreation on hold
    • KRNV-TV: Government shutdown impacts 22,000 federal workers in Nevada
    • KOLO-TV: Nevadans express concerns amid Government shutdown
    • KOLO-TV: Government shutdown threatens food stamps, jobs, national security

    New Hampshire

    • Portsmouth Herald: “During a government shutdown, hundreds of thousands of federal workers deemed nonessential are furloughed until funding is passed, meaning they won’t work and won’t be paid. In New Hampshire, there are 5,208 federal civilian employees.”
    • WMUR-TV: “New Hampshire officials said about 6,000 federal employees are working without pay… The 500 full-time military personnel, over 400 federal civilian employees – everyone came to work today and will work without pay.”
    • WMUR-TV: “Federal facilities like the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard are now in limbo, with essential workers forced to stay on the job without pay… Around 500 full-time soldiers and Airmen still need to report to work throughout the shutdown, but they will not be getting paid.”
    • New Hampshire Public Radio: Portsmouth Naval Shipyard employees work without pay as shutdown begins

    Nationwide

    The White House

    October 2, 2025

    Sources: White House , Midtown Tribune news

    Midtown Tribune Independent USA news from New York

  • New York Tops National Mental-Health Rankings Amid Hochul’s $1 Billion Push

    New York Tops National Mental-Health Rankings Amid Hochul’s $1 Billion Push

    New York has climbed to No. 1 in Mental Health America’s “State of Mental Health in America” report, which analyzed 17 measures using 2022–2023 data, the period when Gov. Kathy Hochul launched a $1 billion overhaul of the state’s behavioral-health system. The state advanced from No. 8 (2023) to No. 4 (2024) and now leads both overall and in adult rankings, driven by gains in reducing youth suicidal ideation, lowering major depressive episodes among youth, and shrinking the share of uninsured adults with mental illness.
    New York added 985 psychiatric beds, expanded state-operated capacity, funded 39 Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics that have served 77,000-plus people in 2025, scaled Critical Time Intervention and INSET teams, grew ACT and Youth ACT teams, and increased specialized housing and school-based clinics. Albany also advanced youth protections—with distraction-free K–12 classrooms, the Safe for Kids Act and the New York Child Data Protection Act—positioning the state as a national model for accessible, community-based mental-health care.

    Governor Hochul Highlights State’s Ranking as National Leader in Mental Health

    Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that New York State has been recognized as a national leader in mental health based on a new report compiled with publicly available federal data. ‘The State of Mental Health in America’ ranked New York number one nationally when analyzing data from 17 common mental health measures using the data gathered in 2022 and 2023 – the year Governor Hochul launched her multi-billion-dollar investment to strengthen the state’s system of care.

    “These findings demonstrate that we remain on the right track in our concerted efforts to address the mental health crisis among children and adults,” Governor Hochul said. “While our work is far from finished, New York has become a national model when it comes to providing a range of support, care and treatment that residents need. By strengthening our mental health care system, we are giving people and families renewed hope and helping them onto the path to recovery so they can live and thrive in their communities.”

    New York’s combined scores in 17 categories ranked the state first nationally in the report, which is compiled annually by Mental Health America, a leading national nonprofit dedicated to the promotion of mental health. Previously, the state was ranked fourth in the nation in 2024 and eighth in 2023.

    The measures that had the largest effect on New York’s overall ranking were the state’s percentage of youth with serious thoughts of suicide; youth with a major depressive episode in the past year; and uninsured adults living with mental illness. Aside from being ranked first overall, New York also topped all other states in the report’s adult rankings, which include eight measures gauging the prevalence of mental illness and access to care among individuals over the age of 18.

    The data considered in the report coincide with the launch of Governor Hochul’s landmark initiative into strengthening New York State’s mental health care system. Her $1 billion plan in FY 2024 and investments made in subsequent budgets doubled down on improvements in suicide prevention, youth services, and other areas highlighted in the report.

    From adding inpatient capacity to dramatically expanding outpatient programs to creating thousands of new units of specialized housing and more, the state has taken bold measures to ensure all New Yorkers have access to these critical services — especially those individuals and families from previously underserved populations. Governor Hochul has particularly committed to improving youth mental health, as evidenced by her legislative initiatives to address the harmful impacts of social media and to eliminate the use of smartphones by students in K-12 public schools.

    New York State Office of Mental Health Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan said, “The Mental Health in America report reflects the bold commitment Governor Hochul has made into mental health and the fantastic work that our state and provider workforce have undertaken to dramatically expand access to high-quality care. We are proud partners together and look forward to continuing as both an innovator and a national leader in mental health care.”

    Since Governor Hochul took office, New York State has added 985 psychiatric beds, including 610 beds that were brought back online at community-based hospitals. The Governor has also overseen the largest expansion of inpatient capacity at state-operated psychiatric centers, adding 375 new beds and 275 others in development.

    New York State now funds 39 Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, which make it easier for New Yorkers to get into treatment and can help them avoid unnecessary hospital visits. These clinics provide mental health and substance use disorder services to anyone who walks in the door –regardless of whether they have insurance –and have served more than 77,000 recipients so far in 2025.

    OMH is also establishing 50 Critical Time Intervention teams in all areas of the state to provide care management services and support to help individuals during transitions in care, such as leaving inpatient settings. With the first 36 now funded, these teams will have the capacity to serve 3,630 New Yorkers.

    The state is also expanding Intensive and Sustained Engagement or ‘INSET’ teams, a voluntary, peer-led engagement approach to support individuals on their recovery journey at times and places that are convenient to them. OMH now funds five teams –including one focusing on the forensic population –operating in New York City, the Rochester area, Westchester, and on Long Island, with the capacity to collectively serve more than 300 individuals.

    The state has also aggressively expanded the Safe Options Support program, which has now helped permanently house 1,407 individuals, including nearly 180 in OMH-licensed housing. With the first teams launched in Spring 2022, the SOS program now has 31 teams, including ones canvassing all five boroughs of New York City, both counties on Long Island, and 19 additional counties across the state.

    New York State has also made regulatory changes to improve mental health, adopting new hospital admission and discharge regulations to provide a clear path toward ensuring the quality of care given to individuals experiencing a behavioral health crisis, and that thoughtful plans are crafted to connect those leaving emergency and inpatient care with community-based support. CTI teams are now in place to connect with individuals leaving inpatient care and ensure that their immediate needs are met and that they remain connected to community support.

    The state also adopted new network adequacy regulations to ensure New Yorkers with qualifying health insurance plans are provided timely access to critical behavioral health care. These changes are providing important consumer protections, including a requirement that plans post up-to-date and accurate lists of in-network providers on their websites, which will help to eliminate inaccurate or misleading directories.

    OMH has also aggressively expanded specialized housing, including 1,276 new units associated with Governor Hochul’s mental health initiative, with an additional 2,224 housing units that are under development. The units under development include community residence-single room occupancy units, supportive housing-single room occupancy units and short term transitional residential units –all designed to help New Yorkers living with mental illness to reside safely within their community.

    OMH has also expanded its Assertive Community Treatment or ‘ACT’ program, which now operates 112 teams with 30 additional ones in development, and the capacity to provide services to 9,584 individuals living with mental illness. These teams provide coverage in all counties statewide, allowing these New Yorkers to receive treatment within their community rather than more restrictive hospital settings.

    Governor Hochul also made a nation-leading commitment to protect youth mental health and promote student success in the digital age. As part of the FY 2026 State Budget, she secured a landmark agreement to create a statewide standard for distraction-free schools and eliminate smartphone use in all K-12 classrooms.

    In addition, Governor Hochul signed into law the Safe for Kids Act last year, requiring social media companies to restrict addictive feeds on their platforms for users under 18. She also signed the New York Child Data Protection Act, prohibiting online sites and connected devices from collecting, using, sharing, or selling personal data of anyone under the age of 18, unless they receive informed consent or unless doing so is strictly necessary for the purpose of the website.

    Governor Hochul’s focus on youth mental health also led to the creation of 10 new Youth Assertive Community Treatment teams to support young people with serious emotional disturbances who are either at risk of entering, or are returning home from high intensity services, such as inpatient settings or residential services. Youth ACT teams now total 20 –with 19 in development –and will operate in 31 counties, providing youth and family therapy, medication management, family and peer support, and skill-building.

    Governor Hochul also expanded school-based mental health clinics, which help students get a licensed mental health care provider in a familiar stigma-free setting on their school campus. Since funding this expansion last year, the state has added 255 new clinic satellites — including 84 in high-needs districts —to 1,265 that now exist statewide.

    New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports Commissioner Dr. Chinazo Cunningham said, “Many individuals affected by mental health disorders are also impacted by co-occurring substance use disorders. Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, New York has made great strides in expanding services across the state for all aspects of behavioral health, helping thousands of New Yorkers access the help and support that they need. This report is great recognition of the strides we are making, and we look forward to collaborating with our partners on continued expansions to these services as we build a healthier New York State for all.”

    State Senator Samra G. Brouk said, “As Chair of the Senate Mental Health Committee, I am proud to see that New York State has been ranked as a leader in the “State of Mental Health in America” report. This is further evidence that voluntary services, such as INSET teams, Critical Time Intervention teams; Safe Options Support programs, and other impactful programs have the power to help individuals with serious mental health needs. By continuing this momentum and investing in Daniel’s Law funding, we can reach more individuals experiencing mental health crises and keep our communities safe. I applaud Governor Hochul for investing in mental health initiatives in New York State to ensure that our residents receive the care they deserve.”

    Assemblymember JoAnn Simon said, “It’s great to see New York recognized as a national leader in mental health, reflecting the progress we have made investing in our families and communities and expanding care. I look forward to working with Governor Hochul to expand these investments and build on this momentum to ensure that every New Yorker can get the help they need, when they need it.”

    Mental Health Association of New York Chief Executive Officer Glenn Liebman said, “Our national organization, Mental Health America, confirms what we already know –that New York State is a leader in mental health services and support. Under Governor Hochul and Commissioner Sullivan’s leadership, New York leads the way in school and teen mental health, prevention, crisis services, innovative programming, suicide prevention and mental health parity. While there is always more that needs to be done, we are very lucky in New York to have the commitment, leadership, and vision to make life better for those with mental health issues and their loved ones.”

    October 3, 2025

    Albany, NY

    Sources: Governor.ny.gov , Big New York news BigNY.com
    Midtown Tribune news

    Midtown Tribune Independent USA news from New York

  • Republicans Demand Information From Firms That Help Set College Prices

    Republicans Demand Information From Firms That Help Set College Prices

    USA News Humor Republicans Demand Information From Firms That Help Set College Prices

    The chairmen of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees sent letters Wednesday to two consulting firms — along with the College Board, Oracle and a company called Ellucian — seeking information about any tuition pricing algorithms they have built and the college applicants’ data that feeds them.

    The consulting companies, with names like EAB and Ruffalo Noel Levitz, may be unfamiliar to college applicants and their families. But colleges know the consultants well, since most schools hire one of the two firms, or smaller consulting companies, to help them attract students and plot financial aid offers.

    “Colleges that agree to use a common pricing formula or algorithm, or knowingly do so through a third-party company, are likely violating the antitrust laws,” said the letters, which were signed by Representatives Jim Jordan and Scott Fitzgerald and Senators Charles Grassley and Mike Lee, all Republicans. The demands cite reporting in The New York Times in May, which pointed to past comments by an EAB executive who had described its work as “a form of arbitrage” and added that its financial aid optimization strategies were “like working in the financial markets.”

    EAB boasts of up to 200 variables that colleges and universities can use when setting an individual admitted student’s price, drawing from data on over 350 clients and 1.5 billion “student interactions.” Ruffalo Noel Levitz has over 1,900 clients feeding its software models for everything from financial aid to fund-raising.

    Ruffalo Noel Levitz did not comment immediately upon receipt of the letter. An EAB spokeswoman said the company was still reviewing it.

    In those letters, the lawmakers are seeking descriptions of all products and services and their capabilities; explanations of the purpose of any pricing and financial aid algorithms and the data that the algorithms train on; and the names of the higher education institutions that use each product or service.

    Violations of antitrust law could occur, the letters said, even if competitors were not discussing pricing with one another if “they are delegating their decision making to a software or algorithm” that results in the exchange of confidential pricing information. Spokeswomen for both the College Board — which licenses a need-based aid calculation tool called the CSS Profile to colleges — and Ellucian said they were still reviewing the letters. Oracle, which has a higher education technology unit, declined to comment.

    The peculiar college pricing system — in which the list price is often not the real price, and different administrators handle need-based aid and merit aid — has drawn much scrutiny from regulators and politicians in recent years.

    Earlier this year, this same group of politicians asked for an enormous amount of information from Ivy League schools, citing “apparent collusion to raise tuition prices.” The breadth of the inquiry included communications among the schools and the Common App and U.S. News, which publishes school rankings, as well as information about early decision practices.

    In 2019, the Department of Justice announced an antitrust settlement with the National Association for College Admission Counseling. Association rules had effectively prevented schools from poaching students after May 1. Those rules went away, and now schools like Syracuse make six-figure discount offers to teenagers who have already committed to other colleges.

    And in 2013, the department investigated discussions between college presidents about whether there was anything school officials could do to stop giving so much merit aid to students who didn’t need it. Later that year, the government dropped the inquiry, but not before scaring many higher education leaders away from discussing the matter.

    In the current investigation, lawyers who work on antitrust cases say that crucial questions about the “common pricing formulas” could include the following: If EAB and Ruffalo Noel Levitz have access to dozens of pieces of data from tens of thousands of applicants from several hundred schools (including who responded, how they responded, and to what sort of financial aid offers), how do the firms feed that into the algorithms that help client colleges set prices and discounts?

    Another question, lawyers say: Do they do it in real time, on an ongoing basis, in the middle of application season?

    And once the algorithms are trained, do clients that compete with one another ultimately end up drawing on collective data to set prices?

    “It is about time that policymakers are scrutinizing the enrollment management industry,” said Stephen Burd, a senior writer and editor on education policy at the think tank New America and the editor of a book about enrollment management. “If policymakers have any hope of solving the problems of college access, affordability, equity and indebtedness, they are going to have to finally acknowledge the industry behind the curtain.”

    Georgia Nugent, a former president of Kenyon College and Illinois Wesleyan University, was one of the higher education leaders questioned by the Justice Department in 2013. She said the language in Wednesday’s letters presumes that colleges accept advice unquestioningly.

    “In my experience, we didn’t just blindly take what the algorithm said,” she said, adding that she had worked at institutions that were clients of both EAB and Ruffalo Noel Levitz.

    “An algorithm might have suggested X, Y or Z, and that did not accord with our values and objectives,” said Ms. Nugent, who is now the president in residence at the American Academic Leadership Institute. “To assume that colleges are just automata and do what consultants tell us to do, at least in my experience, would not be true.”

    October 1, 2025  In The News

    Sources: judiciary.house.gov ,

    Midtown Tribune Independent USA news from New York

  • OMNY System upgrade

    OMNY System upgrade

    During the weekend of October 3, OMNY will undergo a planned system upgrade that will improve performance and enhance the experience for all of our tap-and-ride customers using either bank cards or OMNY cards. The upgrade is being made in preparation for absorbing all remaining MetroCard users as they transition over to the tap-and-ride system and will prevent future trip and charge processing delays like those experienced over the summer.

    How this impacts you

    The upgrade is expected to take place between 10 p.m. on Friday, October 3 and 7 p.m. on Sunday, October 5. During this upgrade window, you can still tap at all OMNY readers on subways and buses to pay the fare.

    However, during the upgrade window, certain features and services will not be available, so please be aware of the following:

    For customers tapping with an OMNY card

    You will not be able to buy or reload OMNY cards during the upgrade window. This means there will be no sales or value loads through OMNY vending machines, at retail locations, online at OMNY.info, over the phone or in-person at Customer Service Centers in stations. Please plan ahead by loading your OMNY card for the weekend before 7 p.m. on Friday.

     While your taps will still be accepted during the upgrade window, the actual associated charges to your OMNY card will not be processed right away. Charges will be processed after the upgrade is completed. If you use up your stored value prior to completion of the upgrade, you will need to load more value after the upgrade is completed in order to continue traveling with your card. Please allow an additional day or two for the charges to your OMNY card to settle.

    As an alternative, you can tap and ride with your bank card in your mobile wallet or a physical credit or debit card. Learn how here.

    For customers tapping with a mobile wallet or physical credit/debit card

    While your taps will still be accepted during the upgrade window, you will not see the actual associated charges for your fare right away, even if they appear in your mobile wallet app. Charges will be processed after the upgrade is completed. Please allow an additional day or two for the charges to your bank card to settle.

    For all customers

    Other services unavailable during the upgrade window include online trip and charge history information, access to your online OMNY account, and some in-person services for Reduced-Fare customers at MTA Customer Service Centers.

    Please rest assured that you will not be overcharged while the system catches up after the upgrade is completed. Your free transfers will be free, along with any free rides earned during your 7-day fare cap period.

    Please allow an additional day or two for all taps and fare payments from the upgrade window to be fully processed. If after the upgrade is completed you are unsure you’ve been charged correctly, or simply wish to review your taps, you can do so at omny.info/trip-history or by signing into your OMNY account.

    If you still have concerns after checking your trip and charge history online, agents will be standing by at the OMNY Call Center at 877-789-6669.

    Sources: omny.info/system-upgrade ,
    Midtown Tribune News

    Midtown Tribune Independent USA news from New York