David Stone
Founder & Euro Editor
Navigating Apps with Changes in Memory: Join Our Study
December 2, 2025
Weill Cornell Medicine seeks older adults with mild memory loss for a study on improving navigation apps. Participation is valuable,...
The Critical Week Ahead for RIOC and Roosevelt Island
A congestion of lawsuits, failing public services, rising crime and a feuding board meeting color this critical week on Roosevelt Island. A chance for major progress is on the horizon – along with little hope for its success. Here are…
RIOC’s Proposed Budget, a Tangled Mess of Weird
A proposed budget soaked in weirdness and deception stalled when some unnamed official canceled RIOC’s October board meeting. Because no one took credit or offered any reasons, we dived into the ocean of complicated numbers, looking for clues to what’s…
About RIOC’s Proposed Miracle Budget, Balanced, Jams More People on Tram Cabins
State agencies’ proposed and actual budgets must balance each year. RIOC is no exception. For the coming fiscal year, they balanced a miracle budget with money from a vast increase in Tram ridership. That’s right, the overloaded, rocking and wobbling…
How Will RIOC Fill All the Holes in Its September 2023 Agenda?
September 2023 finds the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC) reflecting persistent failures in its board agenda. “Approval of the budget is not on it,” one insider commented, “not shocking but evidence they are behind the eight ball on this.” This…
RIOC Silent on the Tram’s Deepening Financial Troubles
As RIOC’s Acting CFO Daeman Di Stefano reported financial troubles at the April 2023 board meeting, a jump in insurance premiums leaves a half-million dollar hole in the state agency’s budget. As the mostly superannuated board nodded in solemn agreement,…
Shaky Financial Picture Rises as RIOC Holds First 2023 Board Meeting
“They are bleeding cash,” our expert said, describing a shaky financial picture after reviewing RIOC’s first quarter balance sheet. A fuller picture isn’t possible because the Hochul/Haynes administration hides so much. But even so, there are several glaring areas of…
Not Just Disabled Parking – Hochul and Haynes Whopping Fee Surge
At RIOC, a gargantuan fee surge hits Roosevelt Islanders later this year. The increases for resources like Sportspark, tennis courts and the Youth Center tower over those for disabled parking reported yesterday. Budget projections developed by Team Hochul/Haynes near final…
RIOC Budget for 2023-24 Hides Huges Losses at the Tram
Tram operations will cost Roosevelt Islanders at least a million dollars in the RIOC budget for 2023-24. But it’s hidden, never clearly exposed in the financial plan for operating the twin cabins. Asked for comment, one expert said, “Shelton (President/CEO…
RIOC: OMNY Stalled, Insurer Quits Over Employee Lawsuits
Whatever else RIOC is, it’s really bad at showing itself in the best possible light. Good things get done – the recent tree plantings, for one – but secrecy hides most of it. And questions arise over what the state…
Already in full bunker mode, RIOC now digs in deeper
RIOC dug in deeper, embracing magical budgeting and pushing back against community outreach. At an unannounced Audit Committee meeting in December 2020, RIOC’s bunker mode was in full force. By David Stone Roosevelt Island Daily News So, how far out…
David Stone
Founder & Euro Editor