If you see a friendly witch riding her bike around St. Paul, it might just be Halloween and teacher assistant Sara Mountain on her way to school.

Sara Mountain, a special education teacher at Highland Park Senior High School in St. Paul, rides her bike home in her witch costume on Halloween on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Mountain, of St. Paul, began outfitting her bike with all the needed accessories for a witch on Halloween around five years ago and dresses up for her ride to work.

“And just one year I thought, ‘Well I’m going to dress up as a witch,’” Mountain said. “And my husband taped a witch hat onto my bike helmet, and then I had a little stuffed pink dog that was one of my kids’ and I had the head sticking out of the panniers and then I had a broom that I sort of stuck out of the panniers as well.”

It just became a tradition, she said.

Mountain works as a special education teacher assistant at Highland Park Senior High School and though she doesn’t often see her own students on the way to school, others will honk or roll down their window to comment on her costume.

“I get a lot of honks and so forth. The kids that I see along the route get a kick out of it. So, it’s just sort of fun,” Mountain said.

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For the last year or two, it was too snowy or rainy for Mountain to dress up and ride her bike to school as a witch. This year the weather cooperated.

Once she arrives to school, she sticks to wearing black and orange striped socks and black tennis shoes, but takes off the cape since not everyone celebrates Halloween and she doesn’t want to scare any kids.

After school, Mountain planned to hand out candy and have family and neighbors over to enjoy some chili. One of her daughters will be trick or treating with her husband. It’s a lot of fun, she said.

“I enjoy riding my bike,” Mountain said. “And so, on Halloween, it’s just sort of something fun and different to do.”

“Several critical policy areas deserve far more attention in this mayoral race, particularly when it comes to environmental justice in frontline communities, which are mainly in the outer boroughs.”

Truck traffic in the outer boroughs, like this Queens street, is among the issues the author calls for the next mayor to tackle. (Adi Talwar/City Limits)

As New Yorkers get ready to elect their next mayor, climate stands out as a key issue shaping the city’s future. Climate law—particularly Local Law 97—has been a large topic of conversation throughout the mayoral race, with candidates’ positions on its enforcement potentially influencing voter decisions. While it’s encouraging to see LL97 in the debate as a sign that the city is moving in the right direction, its impact remains limited for neighborhoods outside Manhattan.

The next mayor will inherit a city facing compounding environmental challenges and widening inequities. As the election unfolds, one question looms large: Will the next administration translate policy ambition into neighborhood-level change?

Because while LL97 is a step in the right direction for the city, a true climate legacy will depend on addressing the inequities that persist in how resilience is planned, funded, and felt across all five boroughs. Beyond promises, the mayor must reduce daily environmental burdens that harm New York City residents, especially low-income and BIPOC communities. 

Several critical policy areas deserve far more attention in this mayoral race, particularly when it comes to environmental justice in frontline communities, which are mainly in the outer boroughs. What I wish to see and hear more of from candidates as we approach the election are concrete commitments to addressing the issues that shape daily life outside Manhattan.

Infrastructure upgrades: Flooding and combined sewer overflows routinely impact neighborhoods in Queens, East New York, and the Bronx, yet upgrading drainage systems, green streets, or stormwater management in these neighborhoods is rarely discussed. Upgrading streets with permeable surfaces can help counteract flooding. With a recent pause on billions in Federal funding for infrastructure projects and severe cuts to the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Program, actionable plans to address dated infrastructure that continuously fails New York City residents must be established. 

Tackling extreme heat: 2025 is predicted to be among the hottest years on record, with life-threatening triple digit temperatures and high humidity impacting millions across the country. Extreme heat disproportionately impacts frontline neighborhoods with limited tree cover, and large-scale funding for cooling strategies such as tree planting, reflective surfaces, and accessible cooling centers could save lives. 

A citywide commitment to planting trees and building and maintaining green spaces so all New Yorkers, regardless of neighborhood, benefit from shade, cooling, and access to nature should be a goal for the next mayor who takes office. The city should begin to map extreme heat and identify communities that experience an unequal burden as a first step in pursuing and securing funding for capital investments for extreme heat solutions.

Truck pollution: Truck pollution continues to drive some of the nation’s highest asthma rates in the South Bronx and other frontline areas, with little talk of regulating warehouses or investing in clean freight. The next administration can take on the freight industry directly by incentivizing electric trucks, building clean distribution hubs, and enforcing zoning reforms that prevent overconcentration of warehouses in frontline communities. Capping and rerouting throughways in climate burdened communities, like the Capping the South Bronx Expressway campaign, can help alleviate pollution in the outer boroughs.

Rising utility bills: Rising utility bills threaten to make the clean energy transition inequitable without stronger commitments to community solar, microgrids, and energy affordability programs. Expanding programs that allow tenants, homeowners, and small businesses to benefit directly from renewable power generation is critical. Supporting and implementing programs and initiatives similar to those outlined within the state’s Sustainable Future Fund to reduce carbon emissions and make energy-efficient updates can provide collective energy relief for the city.

Waste and sanitation inequities: Despite progress in composting and zero-waste goals, waste infrastructure remains deeply unequal as illegal dumping and a lack of adequate Department of Sanitation coverage plague outer boroughs. Waste and sanitation inequities persist and transfer stations remain clustered in vulnerable communities, while citywide composting and investment in recycling industries lag. Under-resourced communities need to see investment in recycling infrastructure and the expansion of composting citywide. 

Accountability, not Ambition, will define the next mayor’s legacy. Voters deserve more than broad promises. They deserve specific, actionable plans that translate into safer, healthier, and more resilient neighborhoods—for all. It is important for voters to research and push candidates to share how their proposed policies and initiatives will be funded. Having funding and a budget is a clear indication of a candidate’s commitment to a promise and their consideration of policy beyond a mere idea.

Additionally, it’s important to pay attention to whether a candidate has outlined a clear timeline of when the initiatives and policies will be implemented. Metrics provide voters with a guideline to follow and assess whether something is achievable during a mayor’s term. There is a difference between a plan and a promise.

Voters should also look closely at a candidate’s track record—and know what a mayor can actually control. Some policies can be enacted directly by City Hall, while others require state approval, so understanding that distinction is key to separating promises from achievable action.

On Tuesday, New Yorkers have the opportunity to decide the next mayor and with it, the city’s climate future. Let’s make sure we’re choosing leaders who prioritize equitable, evidence-based climate action, and hold them accountable for delivering on the promises that will shape the city for generations to come.

Alicia White is the president and founder of Project Petals, an environmental, climate and community development organization providing education and resources to help under-resourced communities improve green spaces, food security, and environmental resilience. White is also the founder of Blue SKYie, a company focused on social and environmental innovation. 

The post Opinion: What NYC’s Mayoral Candidates Are Missing on Climate appeared first on City Limits.

When last seen on a basketball court in the Twin Cities, Isaiah Johnson-Arigu scored 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Totino-Grace to its third straight Class 3A state championship in March of 2024.

It was the 6-foot-7 Johnson-Arigu’s farewell party, as the four-star recruit decided to take his talents to Miami to play for the Hurricanes and heralded coach Jim Larranaga.

Isaiah Johnson-Arigu goes up for a dunk during practice this month on campus. A former star at Totino-Grace, Johnson-Arigu is excited to play for a Tommies program with a new arena and their first chance to make the NCAA tournament. (Collin Boyles / St. Thomas Athletics)

Twenty months later, a circuitous route has led him back home.

Johnson-Arigu will make his debut with St. Thomas on Monday at St. Mary’s (Calif.) as one of the marquee players for a program boasting a new arena, its most talented roster to date and a legitimate chance of reaching the NCAA tournament in its first year of eligibility by claiming the Summit League championship.

And Johnson-Arigu is thrilled to be a part of it.

“There’s just a tremendous upside here,” he said. “The new arena, being eligible for March Madness. It feels amazing to be home. Its’s been a wild journey so far.”

‘Higher’

Johnson-Arigu, who saw limited playing time in eight games with the Hurricanes last season, entered the transfer portal shortly after Larranaga announced his retirement in late December. He signed to play for Iowa in the new year but did not see any action.

When Iowa fired longtime coach Fran McCaffery after the season, it was back to the portal for Johnson-Arigu.

“I had been through it already; it was going to be a whole new roster,” he said of the Hawkeyes’ coaching change. “I didn’t want all the uncertainties, especially with a team back home who really wanted me.”

The Tommies and coach Johnny Tauer were the first to offer Johnson-Arigu a scholarship when he was in high school. But as his national offers continued to mount, their chances of landing him all but disappeared.

“We were in a different spot then,” Tauer said. “We didn’t have this arena, we weren’t eligible for the NCAA tournament. Now, there are going to be more kids like Isaiah, both locally and regionally, who have offers from high major schools, who look at St. Thomas and are going to be able to check off every box in terms of their experience.”

While he felt a connection to Tauer and his staff, Johnson-Arigu, in the end, was swayed by the allure of Miami, as well as the chance to move out of his comfort zone.

“I knew I wanted to go ‘higher,’ ” he said. “Now, with the upside we have, I honestly think we are ‘higher’ right now.”

Johnson-Arigu is one of four Division I transfers joining the Tommies this season, a list that includes Tommy Humphires Jr., Johnson-Arigu’s high school teammate and good friend who spent the past two seasons at Furman.

“We were in close contact throughout when this whole transfer portal thing was happening,” Johnson-Arigu said. “We were like, ‘Might as well; big things are going to be happening here, so we might as well be a part of it.’ ”

Son of a coach

Johnson-Arigu is the son of a basketball coach. Peter Arigu, who has been teaching basketball for nearly 30 years, operates a basketball skills business — The Peter Arigu Training Corner — out of the Lifetime Fitness Center in St. Louis Park. The native Nigerian also is an instructor for NBA Africa, teaching the game and spreading its reach.

Father and son have spent countless hours in the gym together, something Arigu says has resumed now that Isaiah is home. The focus has always been on proper footwork, with added attention on improving Johnson-Arigu’s three-point shot.

“He’s old school,” Arigu said of his son’s game. “Simple basketball. Not too much dribbling; one or two dribbles and get to the basket, shoot or pass. The young generation, most of the kids dribble the ball too much.

“I emphasize that with my son, and he understands. I sat with him and showed him Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan, David Robinson. The efficiency is important, and that’s how he plays. He’s not fancy, he just gets the work done.”

Likewise, Tauer sees a very coachable player who plays the game the right way. And one with the talents and attributes the Tommies are looking for as they continue their ascension in Division I basketball.

“I always felt he was really skilled in terms of his passing and his shooting, combined with his dynamic athleticism,” Tauer said. “More people see athleticism; they don’t necessarily see his vision.

“One of the things that I think makes us special — not just our guys’ unselfishness — (is) their ability to pass. That’s something we really target in recruiting. That was one of the traits we liked about Isaiah’s game, his ability to pass, and to play virtually any position on offense.”

Four-star additions

Tauer said that Johnson-Arigu has the potential to be a big-time scorer, but his approach to the game is perfect fit for a team that is built on passing up a good shot for an even better one.

“A lot of our offense is predicated on having a lot of skilled players,” Tauer said. “So, in that sense he fits us very well. We play position-less basketball, so he’s open to playing any role. He’s a good three-point shooter, he can put the ball on the floor, he’s an unbelievable passer and a good finisher around the basket.

“He’s one of those guys who’s really into making the right basketball play over and over and over. We recruit that type of player, and if you have enough of those guys, sooner or later you’re going to find an open shot.”

Johnson-Arigu and Wisconsin native Nick Janowski, a transfer from Nebraska, are the first four-star recruits to play for the Tommies. A natural transition for the still-growing program is to reach the point that it can sign those types of players out of high school.

Tauer believes it will happen sooner than later.

“We’re going to continue to be very selective,” he said. “We don’t recruit a lot of guys because the fit is so important. It doesn’t mean we don’t make mistakes, but we spend an inordinate amount of time trying to find guys who are going to love being here.”

Totino-Grace’s IsaiahÊ Johnson-Arigu (4) goes up for a shot as Mankato East’s Amari Nobles (1) and Ganden Gosch (12) look on during the second half of the Class 3A championship game in the State Boys Basketball Tournament at Williams Arena in Minneapolis on Saturday, March 23, 2024. Totino-Grace won 73-64. (Craig Lassig / Special to the Pioneer Press)

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By MARGERY BECK and GEOFF MULVIHILL

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, is a major piece of the U.S. social safety net used by nearly 42 million, or about 1 in 8 Americans, to help buy groceries.

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Originally known as the food stamp program, it has existed since 1964, serving low-income people, many of whom have jobs but don’t make enough money to cover all the basic costs of living.

Public attention has focused on the program since President Donald Trump’s administration announced last week that it would freeze SNAP payments starting Nov. 1 in the midst of a monthlong federal government shutdown. The administration argued it wasn’t allowed to use a contingency fund with about $5 billion in it to help keep the program going. But on Friday, two federal judges ruled in separate challenges that the federal government must continue to fund SNAP, at least partially, using contingency funds. However, the federal government is expected to appeal, and the process to restart SNAP payments would likely take one to two weeks.

Here’s a look at how SNAP works.

Who’s eligible?

There are income limits based on family size, expenses and whether households include someone who is elderly or has a disability.

Most SNAP participants are families with children, and more than 1 in 3 include older adults or someone with a disability.

Nearly 2 in 5 recipients are households where someone is employed.

Most participants have incomes below the poverty line, which is about $32,000 for a family of four, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers the program, says nearly 16 million children received SNAP benefits in 2023.

Who’s not eligible?

People who are not in the country legally, and many immigrants who do have legal status, are not eligible. Many college students aren’t either, and some states have barred people with certain drug convictions.

Under a provision of Trump’s big tax and policy law that also takes effect Nov. 1, people who do not have disabilities, are between ages 18 and 64 and who do not have children under age 14 can receive benefits for only three months every three years if they’re not working. Otherwise, they must work, volunteer or participate in a work training program at least 80 hours a month.

How much do beneficiaries receive?

On average, the monthly benefit per household participating in SNAP over the past few years has been about $350, and the average benefit per person is about $190.

The benefit amount varies based on a family’s income and expenses. The designated amount is based on the concept that households should allocate 30% of their remaining income after essential expenses to food.

Families can receive higher amounts if they pay child support, have monthly medical expenses exceeding $35 or pay a higher portion of their income on housing.

How do benefits work?

The cost of benefits and half the cost of running the program is paid by the federal government using tax dollars.

States pay the rest of the administrative costs and run the program.

People apply for SNAP through a state or county social service agency or through a nonprofit that helps people with applications. In some states, SNAP is known by another, state-specific name. For instance, it’s FoodShare in Wisconsin and CalFresh in California.

The benefits are delivered through electronic benefits transfer, or EBT, cards that work essentially like a bank debit card. Besides SNAP, it’s where money is loaded for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF, program, which provides cash assistance for low-income families with children, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.

The card is swiped or inserted in a store’s card reader at checkout, and the cardholder enters their PIN to pay for food. The cost of the food is deducted from the person’s SNAP account balance.

What can it buy?

SNAP benefits can only be used for food at participating stores — mostly groceries, supermarkets, discount retail stores, convenience stores and farmers markets. It also covers plants and seeds bought to grow your own food. However, hot foods — like restaurant meals — are not covered.

Produce, which is covered by the USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), is displayed for sale at a grocery store in Baltimore, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Most, but not all, food stores participate. The USDA provides a link on its website to a SNAP retail locator, allowing people to enter an address to get the closest retailers to them.

Items commonly found in a grocery and other participating stores that can’t be bought with SNAP benefits include pet food, household supplies like toilet paper, paper towels and cleaning products, and toiletries like toothpaste, shampoo and cosmetics. Vitamins, medicines, alcohol and tobacco products are also excluded.

Sales tax is not charged on items bought with SNAP benefits.

Are there any restrictions?

There aren’t additional restrictions today on which foods can be purchased with SNAP money.

But the federal government is allowing states to apply to limit which foods can be purchased with SNAP starting in 2026.

So far, a dozen states — 11 of them Republican-controlled plus Colorado — have received permission to do so.

All of them will bar buying soft drinks, most say no to candy, and some block energy drinks.