NYC NOW

Beginning Friday, May 3, Newark, New Jersey will start its curfew for minors. Plus, WNYC's Nancy Solomon reports on the challenges to fill the empty seat of Rep. Donald Payne Jr., who died this week. And, WNYC’s Arun Venugopal looks into a measure designed to turn empty New York City hotels into affordable housing. And finally, WNYC’s Sean Carlson and James Ramsay discuss sidewalk etiquette for New Yorkers on the go.

An MTA pilot program that made certain bus routes free is coming to an end after it was omitted from this year’s state budget. Meanwhile, warning labels could be on the way for sugary foods and drinks at chain restaurants in New York City with over 15 locations, following a suggestion from the Health Department. Plus, two years ago, Rob Menendez had an easy path to the House of Representatives, filling the seat once held by his father, Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey. However, the younger Menendez’s advantage has virtually disappeared since his father faces bribery and corruption charges. Now, Menendez Jr. faces a tough primary challenge from the mayor of Hoboken, Ravi Bhalla. WNYC’s Nancy Solomon reports. Finally, for the last Friday of National Poetry Month, we hear a poem from 10-year-old Kayden Hern of Harlem.

Get up and get informed! Here’s all the local news you need to start your day: A new program in the Bronx is helping link homeless New Yorkers in need of apartments with small property owners eager to rent out their units. Meanwhile, new data shows that in 2024, New York City is experiencing its highest number of traffic deaths since the launch of the street safety campaign a decade ago. Also, more than 20,000 runners are getting ready for Sunday’s Brooklyn Half Marathon. Finally, in this week’s segment of ‘On the Way,’ WNYC reporter Stephen Nessen and editor Clayton Guse discuss reforms to fare evasion enforcement on public transportation and bridges, new boosts for bus riders, and answer a listener’s question about WiFi on subways.

The New York City Council is reviewing legislation that would inflict harsher penalties on landlords after violations are found in building inspections. Plus, House Speaker Mike Johnson was at Columbia University this week condemning protests on the Upper Manhattan campus, where pro-Palestinian demonstrators set up tents and demanded the university divest from Israel. And finally, WNYC’s Michael Hill talked with Dr. Mitchell Katz, President and CEO of NYC Health and Hospitals, and Councilmember Selvena Brooks-Powers about efforts to open additional medical trauma centers in Queens.

New York’s Court of Appeals has overturned the 2020 rape conviction of former movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, finding that the trial judge improperly allowed testimony from women not involved in the case. Meanwhile, former Instagram fraudster Jebara Igbara aka "Jay Mazini" has been sentenced to seven years in prison for swindling millions from Muslims online. Additionally, New York City’s annual Pay Disparity Report reveals that workers of color earn only 84 cents for every dollar paid to white employees. Also, Governor Hochul’s newly signed state budget includes a measure called the ‘good cause’ eviction law, which extends eviction protections by requiring landlords to show ‘good cause’ for non-renewal of leases or evictions. However, the law has various exceptions, excluding hundreds of thousands of renters statewide. WNYC’s David Brand discusses the details with Sean Carlson. Finally, as National Poetry Month concludes, we are featuring poems from our listeners. Here’s one from Ksenia Novikova of Gravesend, Brooklyn.