NYC NOW - August 8, 2023 Morning Headlines

Episode Date: August 8, 2023

Get up and get informed! Here’s all the local news you need to start your day: A Queens councilmember's Whitestone home has drawn two dozen illegal occupancy complaints. Meanwhile, a new apartment complex rises near the Metro-North station in Harrison, New York. Also, former Queens doctor, Zhi Alan Cheng, was arrested for the second time since December 2022, facing charges of patient abuse and rape.

Welcome to NYC now. Your source for local news in and around New York City from WNYC. It's Tuesday, August 8th. Here's the morning headlines from Michael Hill. A Queens council member's Whitestone Home has been the subject of two dozen illegal occupancy complaints, but city officials have never managed to actually investigate those claims. W&C's David Brand reports. New York City's,

city inspectors are still trying to figure out what's going on inside council member Vicki Palladino's home after trying and failing to investigate at least 24 complaints of the home being rented out illegally. They've never been able to get inside, either because no one was home or because someone answered the door and told them to leave. Inspectors tried to visit again on Monday. No luck. The council member's son and spokesperson blamed the complaints on a disgruntled neighbor. He says the family is nothing to hide, and three tenants are legally sharing an apartment on the second floor. There's a new apartment complex by the Metro North Station in Harrison, New York. That's Westchester County. Governor Kathy Hokel and the MTA cut the ribbon on it yesterday. For Hokel, it's a key

example of her push to build more housing near transit hubs, but she's faced significant pushback from suburban officials who oppose increased housing density. The governor says the Harrison project should be a model for other suburban communities. There's more demand for housing than ever before, so what we're doing here today in Harrison is an example to show what they can do in Nasson, Suffolk counties as well. The new housing development has 143 apartments, including seven affordable housing units. It also has retail space and parking for the Metro North Station right next door. A former Queen's doctor is being charged again with sexually abusing patients inside a hospital, and raping three other women in his home. Prosecutors say 33-year-old former New York Presbyterian

Queen's Dr. Xi, Alan Chang, was first arrested in December 22 and charged with sexually abusing women. Chang was arraigned yesterday on a 50-count indictment charging him with committing sex crimes. He pleaded not guilty. Authorities say they also recovered disturbing videos of the assaults and narcotics, including fentanyl, as well as other drugs used in health care settings. for sedation. Chang's attorney says his representatives had not yet reviewed the case with the former doctor. Seventy-two in overcast, slim chance of showers and thunderstorms, and a high of 81. 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 podcasts. See you this afternoon.