NYC NOW - Evening Roundup: Gov. Hochul Reveals National Guard Talks with President Trump, AG Files Brief Opposing ICE Courthouse Arrests, Animal Shelters Back to Accepting Pet Surrenders, and Understanding High Con Ed Bills

Episode Date: August 26, 2025

Governor Kathy Hochul says she told President Trump, New York doesn’t need him to send National Guard troops. Plus, New York Attorney General Letitia James is asking a federal court to stop immigration officers from arresting people at federal immigration courts. Also, New York City animal shelters are once again accepting surrendered pets. And finally, what to do if you think your Con Ed bill is too high.

Governor Hockel reveals National Guard talks with President Trump. Attorney General James files a brief opposing ICE courthouse arrests. Animal shelters are back to accepting pet surrenders and understanding your high con-ed bills. From WNYC, this is NYC Now. I'm Jene Pierre. Governor Kathy Hokel says she spoke to President Trump about sending National Guard troops to the Big Apple. Hocal says the interaction took place a few days ago. She told the president that crime in New York City is down.

Tell you what, Mr. President, if I think I need help from the National Guard beyond what I'm already doing, I know where to find you. Hokel sent National Guard troops into subways on her own last year to calm fears over crime. Trump says the National Guard has reduced crime in Washington, D.C. over the two weeks it's been deployed. On Monday, he signed an executive order that paved the way for soldiers to be deployed to more cities. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch also told Attorney General Pam Bondi that the guard isn't needed. New York Attorney General Lettisha James is asking a federal court to stop immigration officers from arresting people at federal immigration courts. In a brief file this week, James also asked the court to block policies that let the federal government abruptly dismiss immigrants cases. New York officials and advocates have documented several cases of immigrants being detained at routine check-ins and court appearances.

James says arresting people when they show up for immigration hearings chills participation across the justice system. After a temporary pause, New York City animal shelters are once again accepting surrendered pets. WMYC's Catalina Gornela has more. Animal care centers of New York City says it reached a breaking point in July when it had a thousand animals in its care at once. That's well over the 650 spots it normally holds for cats and dogs in need of homes. But CEO, Risa Weinstock, says after the organization announced it had run out of room, many New Yorkers adopted and fostered the animals, freeing up space at the shelters. New Yorkers really stepped up and they heard that message and they spread the word

and they helped their friends and neighbors who had pets that they couldn't keep anymore. Jenna Bonarigo with a Manhattan nonprofit Muddy Paw's rescue says the city's affordability crisis is the most common reason owner's site for giving up their pets. Animal welfare is directly related to human welfare when New Yorkers are struggling so much just to make ends meet. Having a pet really adds on to financial strain. Other factors that have worsened the crisis are the cost of veterinary care and a drop in the rate of spate and neuterings. City Hall officials say they're securing an additional $3 million to open a new animal care location in the Bronx in January, months ahead of schedule. A Brooklyn location is also expected to reopen next year after renovations. Wondering why your Con Ed bill is so outrageous these days?

We'll find out why after the break. Stay close. listening to NYC Now. With all the heat waves this summer, many New Yorkers have been cranking up the AC. But if you're like me, you're dreading that high electricity bill at the end of your billing cycle. With that in mind, it's important to know if you're being accurately charged. Lori Wheelock is the executive director of the Public Utility Law Project, a nonprofit organization that advocates for low-income utility consumers in New York.

She says this summer, we're seeing higher electricity bills. for a couple of reasons. The first has to do with supply. We have had a number of heat waves, and typically what happens during the heat waves is that we have an increase in demand on the electric side of our utility bills and often lower supply.

And so the supply charge on Connerison bills has been higher for a lot of customers because it has been hot, and there's been more need to run our issues. AC units. Another reason New Yorkers are seeing higher electricity bills is because of the recent rate increase. Electric and gas rates go up every January. And so technically, with rates going up January 2025, this is the first summer that we have those new set of delivery rates. Con Edison is doing another active rate case right now, but what they're seeking right now this

summer won't probably come into effect until this winter. So how should customers be reading their bills to make sure that what they're charged is actually what they use that month? Lori says if you look in the upper right-hand corner of your Con Ed bill, you'll see a chart of your daily usage, which can be helpful seeing how much you're using. Also on the first page of the bill, you're going to see under your new charges the number of days that you're being charged for. And Con Ed customers often have a range. Sometimes it's 28 days. It could be 32 days. but it's not by the calendar. But if you see something that is many more days than that, that's often a sign that there is something wrong with your bill or your meter.

And if there's an issue with your bill, you should contact Con Edison directly. Sometimes customers get overcharged. Lori says you can also request a meter test if you notice unusual usage on your bill. Sometimes we see situations where maybe a tenant is actually paying for the usage in their unit, but then also maybe common areas like the elevator or the lights in the hallway. And so that could be a shared meter situation. And Con Edison can come and investigate that too. But if your bill is correct and a bit more than usual,

Lori says there are resources people can look into if they feel like they can't afford their high electricity bills. What we typically recommend is that, one, the utility be contacted first. Talk to them about your individual situation. and then you can go to myenergy.n.y.gov. If you're low and moderate income, you might be able to get an energy audit or rebates. And we also have regional clean energy hubs that can give resources for low and moderate income households. Lori Wheelock is executive director of the Public Utility Law Project. In a statement, Con Ed said that they have energy efficiency tips on their website,

tools available to help customers monitor their usage in real time, and they can work with customers on payment plans during higher billing cycles, like their energy affordability program. Now, fortunately, there's no heat wave in the forecast this week. The unofficial end of summer is looking rather mild weather-wise. New Yorkers can expect relatively cool temperatures through Labor Day weekend. The National Weather Service says highs will largely top out in the upper 70s, and the only chance of rain so far is on Friday.

Could fall be creeping in a bit early? Guess we got to wait and see. Thanks for listening to NYC now from WMYC. I'm Junae Pierre. We'll be back tomorrow.