NYC NOW - August 28, 2023: Midday News

Episode Date: August 28, 2023

Officials are investigating a fire that damaged a Newark elementary school early Monday. Meanwhile, security officials at Newark Liberty International Airport have apprehended two different individuals who were carrying loaded guns over the span of a week. Annual 311 complaints about smoking violations are up 86% percent on average in New York City since adult-use marijuana was legalized two years ago. Lastly, WNYC's Elizabeth Kim looks at a brewing dispute between Mayor Adams and Governor Hochul over the region's migrant crisis.

NYC now. Your source for local news in and around New York City from WNYC. It's Monday, August 28. Here's the midday news from David First. Officials are investigating after a Newark Elementary School was damaged in a fire early this morning. ABC New York reports firefighters arrived at Wilson Avenue Elementary School around 4 this morning. The extent of the damage is unclear, but the school was set to O.S. for the first day of class in just over a week on September 5th. Schools in the district are

scheduled to open for teachers starting tomorrow. The TSA says officers at Newark Liberty Airport caught two people with loaded guns at the airport over a week's time. In one case, it says an employee at one of the airport's stores was caught with a 9mm handgun on her way to work, and another incident of Fort Lehmann was caught with a gun in his duffel bag. The TSA says that makes 14 guns caught at Newark Airport so far this year. That's the same amount they snagged in all of last year. Annual 311 complaints over smoking violations are up 86% on average in New York City, since adult use marijuana was legalized two years ago. The majority of these calls involve residences, but complaints have risen in parks as well. Scientists say this may be partially due to the fact

that marijuana produces more than 200 aromas. And while cannabis can offer medical benefits to users, research shows its secondhand smoke can be just as harmful as cigarettes. For more on the science of weed smells, check out our story at our news website, Gothamist.com. 73 degrees right now, expecting mostly cloudy skies today with a high of 78 degrees this afternoon. This is WNYC.

A behind-the-scenes fight between Mayor Eric Adams and Governor Kathy Hokel over the migrant crisis spilled into public view after the New York Times published a scathing letter from the Hocal administration that heavily criticized how the mayor is dealing with the more than 100,000 migrants who've shown up in New York since last year. With us to break down the conflict and what's fueling it is WNYC People and Power reporter Elizabeth Kim, welcome back. Thank you, David. Glad to be here. What's happening between Mayor Adams and Governor Hockel? After the bitter, Cuomo and de Blasio years, this was supposed to be the new friendly era, right, where the governor and the mayor were on the same page? That's right. And basically,

what's happened is the migrant crisis is testing their relationship. Mayor Adams has spent nearly a year begging for help from not only the state but also the federal government. Part of the issue is the city's right to shelter law, which guarantees anyone in New York City a bed if they ask. Adams had originally wanted to suspend those rules in the wake of migrants straining the city's shelter system. But in order to do that, he had to go to court along with the state and get a judge to sign off. Now, the judge recently said that the state had to bear some responsibility, and she ordered Hockel's office to respond to a list of requests compiled by the city.

Last week, the Times and eventually other outlets got a hold of a pretty critical letter from Hockel, explaining how the state had offered help and been rebuffed by City Hall. The letter also accuses the city of several missteps throughout the crisis so far. How did the mayor respond? And was the letter a surprise to the city? It really was. The critical nature of the letter really appeared to catch city officials off guard. And they immediately understood that the letter could be embarrassing if it ever became public.

So as soon as they received it, the city's lawyers went to court and asked a judge. judge to seal it. According to the city, there was some expectation of quid pro quo here. The city had earlier agreed to keep its initial letter to the state confidential, so they thought the same courtesy might be extended to them. At the same time, the court proceedings have all been behind closed doors. So you can see how they might have had a case about keeping the letters private. But the state's lawyers argued against keeping the letter under wraps, saying there wasn't a good enough reason, and a judge agreed with them. The next day, the Times publishes its story and the political world is buzzing about this rift between Adams and Hockel, two Democrats who, up

until now, have really gone out of their way to portray themselves as steady allies. Yeah. Can you explain this court case? This dates back to the 1980s, right? And why isn't the press or the public allowed to watch? Yes, this was a landmark case that began in 1979, when a young lawyer named Robert Hayes found language in the state constitution that essentially required the city to provide care for the needy. Mayors have tried to alter it, but the law has with stood scrutiny for decades. In order to make changes, the original case, which resulted in a consent decree or settlement, has to be reopened and litigated in court. Now, the tradition has been for all the parties in this case, which includes the Legal Aid Society, which represents

homeless New Yorkers, to have the proceedings held in private. Now, that's to avoid political grandstanding. But that came to an end when someone leaked the letter criticizing Adams. What exactly can the state do for Adams to help with the situation? The Adams administration has been asking for three things from Albany. More money, more shelter space, and the ability to send migrants to communities outside the city. Now, the state has ponied up one and a half billion dollars and it has been working to make some of its facilities in the city available. But the notion of sending people outside of the city en masse has been a non-starter with Hokkel. Okay. And why isn't the state allowing people to get bust elsewhere? Why should

New York City bear all of the burden? Does this come down to political considerations? Well, you may remember that Hockel barely eeked out of victory over Republican challenger Lee Zeldin in 2021. Now, that race was largely focused on suburban fears surrounding crime. And the issue of migrants is a similar political landmine for her. If Hockel starts telling these communities that they have to house migrants, that's likely to spark some protests. We're already seeing that here in parts of New York City. Now, the anger is directed both at President Biden, but also at Adams. If Hockel were to sign something like an executive order saying that certain counties can't turn migrants away,

you'll start to see anger directed toward her. And you better believe that a Republican challenger is going to make that issue number one when she's up for re-election. WNYC's Liz Kim. Thanks for bringing us an update. Thanks, David. 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. We'll be back this evening.