NYC NOW - August 1, 2024: Morning Headlines

Episode Date: August 1, 2024

Get up and get informed! Here’s all the local news you need to start your day: New York Governor Kathy Hochul says she paused congestion pricing because the tolls for cars driving into Manhattan would hurt the city’s economy and deter people from coming into Midtown. But MTA Chair Janno Lieber says that’s categorically false. Meanwhile, employees and vendors of the Electric Zoo music festival on Randall’s Island say the festival owes them nearly $1 million. Plus, a proposal for a massive 2-million-square-foot warehouse on the site of an old explosives plant in Morris County, New Jersey, is on hold after the company behind the project withdrew its plan amid zoning negotiations.

Welcome to NYC now. Your source for local news in and around New York City from WNYC. It's Thursday, August 1st. Here's the morning headlines from Michael Hill. Governor Kathy Hokel says she paused congestion pricing because the tolls for cars driving into Manhattan would have hurt the city's economy and key people from coming into Midtown. But MTA chair, Janelle, Lieber says that's categorically false. We're also being up front about the fact that the studies did not show the congestion pricing will crush the economy, did not show the congestion pricing will keep people away from midtown. The London experience shows that you can actually have more people come to the center city.

Labor referred to London's congestion pricing program, which has been in place for two decades. The MTA was set to launch its tolls south of 60th Street on June 30th until Hockel indefinitely paused the program. the agency had planned to use the money raised to finance $15 billion worth of mass transit upgrades. Employees and vendors of a troubled music festival on Randall's Island in New York City say the festival owes them nearly a million dollars. WNMAC's John Campbell reports. Last year's Electric Zoo devolved into an oversold, poorly planned mess, and now bartenders, cleaners, and equipment rental companies are suing the festival's organizers for unpaid wages and expenses. Andre DeZere is an attorney for the Laser Light Company, which says it's owed $130,000. This entity has a pattern of behavior of entering contracts and not paying people that they enter into contracts with.

Electric Zoo's owners also own the Brooklyn Mirage. It's one of the biggest concert venues in New York City. Electric Zoo's attorneys and spokespersons did not respond to requests for comment. A proposal for a massive 2 million square foot warehouse on the site of an old explosives plan in Morris County, New Jersey is on hold. An attorney for the town of Roxbury says the company behind the project mysteriously withdrew its plan to build the complex in the middle of zoning negotiations. The plan development would have brought more than 1,200 jobs to the area. The town says a new proposal for the site is still possible, but environmental groups question if building on the highly contaminated land should happen, at all. Seventy7 and Sunny now a heat advisory till Friday night because today is going to be

hot. Sunny in 93, feeling hotter at 96 and hot again tomorrow, partly sunny and 90, chance of afternoon showers and storms. 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 and subscribe wherever you get your podcast. See you this afternoon. You know,