NYC NOW - April 9, 2024: Midday News

Episode Date: April 9, 2024

A New York City councilmember is proposing measures to simplify tipping delivery workers through apps. WNYC's Karen Yi reports. Meanwhile, a former director of the city's child welfare agency pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $5,000 worth of gift cards meant for children. Plus, with Ramadan drawing to a close, WNYC’s Precious Fondren explores how some Muslims are in search of the perfect outfit to celebrate Eid al-Fitr. Finally, in honor of National Poetry Month, we’re featuring our listeners' poetry. Listener Rebecca Keith of Brooklyn shares her poem with us.

Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news in and around New York City from WMYC. It's Tuesday, April 9th. Here's the midday news for Michael Hill. A New York City member, council member wants to make it easier for customers to tip their delivery workers when they order from an app. WNMIC's Karen Yee reports. Uber Eats and DoorDash moved their tipping option to after a customer gets their order, while Grubhub reduced their suggested gratuity rates. Delivery workers say apps are retaliating, now that they have to pay drivers a $19

minimum hourly rate during deliveries. Councilmember Sean Abreo says he plans to introduce two bills this week to give customers the choice to tip before checkout. This is the most common sense bill for not only deliveristas, but consumers, and it comes at no cost to employers. Deliveristas say the vast majority of people ordering used to leave a tip before the changes. Now it's just a fraction. App companies say they change their tipping structure to make up for extra customer fees and higher costs.

A former director of the city's Child Welfare Agency has pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $5,000 in gift cards intended for children. Manhattan prosecutors say Courtney Ramirez was an executive director four years ago, and she's admitted to official misconduct. In a plea deal, though, Ramirez must pay the money, and if she does, her case against her will be dismissed. The 14 gift cards Ramirez stole were meant as rewards for children who completed a leadership program that she oversaw. Her attorney did not immediately return a request for comment. 70 with sunshine now, mostly sunny today, and all the way up to the mid-70s for a high. We cool off tomorrow with morning rush hour showers, mostly cloudy in a high of 60.

Right now, it's 70. Stay close. There's more after the break. As Muslim New Yorkers mark the end of Ramadan this week, some are also preparing to step out in a new outfit for the celebrations, but finding just the right outfit for eat alfitter parties can present a challenge. That's where stylist Angie Hassan comes in. With more than 200,000 followers on Instagram, she's dressed celebrities and even a former princess. W.N.M.C.'s precious fondron when shopping with Hassan, as she helped the client find the perfect, Eid outfits.

Last month I met Angie Hassan at the Macy's at Westfield Mall in New Jersey. She's holding blouses, maxi dresses, blazers, and flowy skirts for her client, Aziza Ketrabag, to try on. You know, we have to kind of like pick one for a back if it's too cold. Ketrabeg is attending at least three eat events this week. We have morning prayers, and then we also get together. I have like, we have a family lunch with one side of the family, and then we have a family dinner on the other side of the family.

so it's like a very social day. Most Muslims dress up for the holiday, but how people dress is pretty diverse. Some wear cultural items like hijabs and abayas, while others opt for maxi dresses and oversized skirts. A. La Hasham is a cultural editor at Harper's Bazaar Saudi Arabia. It really is the Met Gala for us. And with Instagram, we have to post the Aid outfit,

so everyone, like, wants to outdo the other person with their Aida. outfit. But for some people like Ketrabag, it can be difficult and time-consuming to find clothes that adhere to their values and feel festive. I wear a hijab and I, you know, cover my body fully. So, you know, it can be hard to find, like, let's say, a long-sleeve dress or a dress without a huge slit in it or something that is flattering and conservative because you also don't want to look kind of like frumpy either. Ketrabeg says that's why she turns to Hassan. She understands the values, she understands what we're looking for. Kagerbeg says Hassan has a knack for finding creative ways to help cover her body so no parts are exposed.

She's really good at either finding something that works or finding out how to fix it or make the neckline higher or like things like that. Hassan started her company in 2010. Since then, she's styled royalty, actors, and she's helped clients look their best at events ranging from bar mitzvahs to prestigious award ceremonies. People have a hard time to make decisions lately because we're so consumed with advertising advertisement. So I'm there to really like calm them down, edit, organize, and like have a clear vision of what they need to get. Hassan says when she works with Muslim clients, she'll

ask the usual questions about size, colors, and favorite brands. But she'll also ask more in-depth questions like, do they plan to attend the mosque for prayer? Do they usually dress conservatively? Hassan says she gets a lot of questions from women about how to style their hijabs. Or I have the hijab, like, I don't want to look frumpy and I don't want to look. like I'm trying too hard or I don't want to lose my identity in it. So it's a lot of psychological thoughts of it because I want to respect the way they want to look in it. I also want to respect the religion.

Back at Macy's, Kacherbanks tried on a number of items and is leaning towards buying a long emerald-colored dress and black blazer Hassan chose for her. It's good to try something new and it's still going to have my pop of color. Hassan says the best part of her job is the fact that people in her community trust her to do her job correctly. I've always struggled growing up being like, you know, my Muslim enough or like, will Muslims hire me because I don't wear hijab? So it definitely has been very special to be able to work on my holidays with Muslims. Hassan says after Eid, she's focused on styling clients for the real Metgala in May.

Precious Fondren, WNYC News. Well, so far, April showers have brought an earthquake and eclipse, and yes, sure, some made flowers maybe, but April is also poetry mouth, and we're playing your poems on the air. Our theme this year, as you've been hearing, is we want to hear from you about local poetry, about the nearby local places that matter to you and what's happening there. Listener Rebecca Keith of Brooklyn shared this poem about growing up in Soho. It's called, No radio, 1985. All the cars say no radio. Signs in their windows. Permanent marker on cardboard.

I learned to read this way. And street signs, Mercer, Green, Worcester with its upside-down M. Post, no bills. Numbers come from subway lines, names of flowers from window boxes. Dad says impatience, different from impatience. I don't want another lesson. Micah makes the sidewalk sparkle. Lichen is like moss, but not soft. The color that copper becomes, like old pennies or the top of the Woolworth building. That's the Chrysler, the Empire State.

This is where your friends Matt and Ella live. One day someone broke into Matt's house, but I don't learn this for years. Mom saw a figure on our fire escape through the frosted glass and chicken wire, took me to the neighbors. Dad and I search for heffalumps on the way to school as I climb on loading docks jump off. Hook and ladder eight at the ready, cartoon octopus decal on their engines. On Northmore, men pack burlap sacks of coffee and curry into their trucks. Motors always humming. All over Tribeca, wide coldness of winter or hot breeze full of river and garbage.

We buy icies at the deli. Borderline plays on the transistor as Manny hands me the change. We want to hear from you. Send us your poems about your neighborhood, your street, your building. Whatever local means to you, go to WNMC.org slash poetry to find out how. Poetry fans join us in the green space on Friday, April 19th, at 7 in the evening for live poetry. We've invited some of our favorite local poets to share their work in front of a live audience. Tickets are a pay as you wish.

You can reserve yours at WNYC.org slash the Greenspace. Thanks for listening. This is NYC now from WNYC. Be sure to catch us every weekday, three times a day, for your top news headlines and occasional deep dives. Also subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. We'll be back this evening. Thank you.