NYC NOW - Evening Roundup: Inflation Refund Checks for Some New Yorkers, Fighting Domestic Terrorism in NY, Former NYC Mayor de Blasio Agrees to Pay Fine for Misusing Public Funds, Remediation Manager to Take Over Rikers and NY’s Fight Over Food Regulations

Episode Date: May 14, 2025

More than eight million households across New York State will receive inflation refund checks this fall. Plus, three years after a racist mass shooting at a Buffalo supermarket, New York State is taking steps to prevent similar tragedies in the future. Also, former New York City Mayor De Blasio will pay the city $320,000 to settle an outstanding fine for improperly bringing his police detail during his failed presidential bid in 2019. Meanwhile, the Rikers Island jail complex is getting an outside official to run many of the day-to-day operations. And finally, state lawmakers are taking a fresh look at food regulations.

Inflation refund checks for some New Yorkers. Fighting domestic terrorism in New York. Former New York City Mayor de Blasio agrees to pay a fine for misusing public funds. A remediation manager will take over Rikers Island. And New York's fight over food regulations. From WMYC, this is NYC now. I'm Jene Pierre. More than 8 million households across New York State will receive inflation refund checks.

this fall. Governor Kathy Hokel says the checks come after the state collected unanticipated revenue as a result of inflation. This can go into the state coffers, but why not give it back to the residents whose pockets it came out of? They paid more than they ever expected. That's the whole idea behind an inflation refund. Hockel says New Yorkers won't have to do anything to receive the checks, which were agreed to as part of the state budget she negotiated with lawmakers. There'll be $150 to $400, depending on filing status and income. Three years after a racist mass shooting at a Buffalo supermarket, New York State is taking steps to prevent similar tragedies in the future. WMYC's Ben Fewer-Hard reports.

Counties across New York State have set up threat assessment teams known as TAM teams that bring mental health professionals, educators, and social workers together with law enforcement. They're tasked with assessing people after someone flags that they could carry out targeted violence, like a school shooting or a racist attack. Ben Vost Gardner, from the New York Department of Homeland Security, says the teams aim to stop threatening people early even before they commit a crime. Our goal is really to get them into a better, healthier place to a point where they're off that pathway. The teams are now active in 48 of New York's 62 counties. Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has reached an agreement to settle an outstanding fine

for improperly bringing his police detail during his failed president. bid in 2019. De Blasio will pay the city $320,000. The original fine was $475,000. The fine had been the largest ever issued by the city's conflict of interest board. The former mayor had spent three years in court contesting the fine. But in a social media post, De Blasio said, quote, I made a mistake and I deeply regret it. Now it's time to move forward, end quote. New York City's notorious This Rikers Island jail complex is getting an outside official to run many of the day-to-day operations. More on the court-appointed remediation manager after the break. A federal judge says New York City's jails need an independent manager to run them.

Judge Laura Taylor-Swain ruled that a so-called remediation manager will collaborate with correction officials until they make appropriate improvements. Samantha Max covers public safety and the courts for WNYC. This is someone who will be tasked with improving conditions on Rikers Island. This person will be an outside professional with lots of experience and management and corrections. But the key thing here is that this person is not coming from inside the New York City Department of Correction. This is going to be someone who will collaborate with jail officials, but who will report directly to the court to this judge. This comes as five people have died so far this year, either while in city custody or just after they were released. A local law requires Rikers Island to close by 2027 and be replaced by smaller jails in every borough except Manhattan.

But the city is behind schedule. And if that's not enough, the city is also responding to over 700 lawsuits accusing jail staff of sexually abusing women who were detained on Rikers over the last half century. Plus, a class action lawsuit was brought over a decade ago accusing Department of Correction Officials of using excessive force against people in detention and also perpetuating unsafe conditions in the city jails. The city is supposed to be making improvements that are mandated by the court as part of this case. But a few months ago, the judge found that they had failed to meet 18 different requirements, including holding staff accountable for using violence against incarcerated people. So this outside appointee would be brought in to be in charge of getting the city in compliance with those 18 requirements. This ruling is really focused on those specific actions that the city needs to take. Sam says New York City Mayor Eric Adams didn't seem too happy with the judge's decision to bring in a remediation manager.

He defended his record overseeing the jails and said problems on Rikers far outdated his administration. But he said if a federal judge is ordering something, he's going to follow the rules, so, you know, the city is going to go along with this. That's WMYC's Samantha Max. The judge will consider a list of four finalists for the position in late August. You can read more about the Rikers takeover at our news site, Gothamist. New York State lawmakers are taking a fresh look at food regulations. WMYC's Jimmy Vilkine reports. I can help you, sir.

At the Saturday morning farmers market in Troy, New York, there's a steady stream of customers at the Lovin Mama stand. Owner Corrine Hanch says people seek out their flowers and organic greens. Our lettuce is like buttery. When she's not on the farm, Hanch pushes for a state bill that would increase transparency on what comes in packaged foods. I really want to see a world where we prioritize healthy food getting into the hands of everybody. Hanch is part of a broad coalition pushing for New York State to step up where the federal Food and Drug Administration hasn't. Advocates say the grass loophole, which stands for generally recognized as safe, lets companies put additives in packaged foods without giving the FDA a chance

to review them. State Senator Brian Kavanaugh is a Democrat from Manhattan. He's sponsoring a bill that would make companies disclose what they're doing. I think it is a shock to most Americans that food producers can add new, obscure chemicals to your food without even telling anyone. On this issue, Kavanaugh is singing the same tune as the Trump administration. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy has ordered the FDA to take a look at the loopholes. His Make America Healthy Again movement, or Maha, helped Trump win the election. This issue isn't going away. Moms aren't going to return to wanting chemicals in our food that are banned in other developed countries.

Associations representing the food industry say additives help bolster nutrition and keep food from spoiling. John Hewitt of the Consumer Brands Association, which includes packaged product makers, opposes Kavanaugh's bill. Those food additives and those grass ingredients all go through a scientific review process. And we've committed as an association and as an industry of working with the FDA to revise and improve the grass process at the federal level. He says the FDA should be the single regulator for products sold nationwide. That's WMYC's Jimmy Vilkine. Thanks for listening to NYC now from WNYC. I'm Junae Pierre.

We'll be back tomorrow.