NYC NOW - January 4, 2024: Evening Roundup

Episode Date: January 4, 2024

Developers Equinor and BP have canceled plans for a large offshore wind farm off the Long Island coast. Plus, new data from the state shows residents in the Bronx experience the highest rates of food insecurity in New York. Also, WNYC’s Sean Carlson and Guilia Heyward discuss what to look out for from newly sworn in leaders in the city and state legislatures. And finally, Queens resident Shandra Woworuntu shares a recipe that provides a sense of comfort during tough times.

Welcome to NYC now, your source for local news in and around New York City from WNYC. I'm Jene Pierre. We begin on Long Island, where wind power hits another roadblock, as developers canceled plans for a large offshore wind farm off the area's coast. Developers Equinor and BP asked a joint project this week, citing tough economic conditions. Officials say the project would have created enough power for a million homes, Gordian Rocky is Executive Director of Renewable Energy Long Island. He says the cancellation is a loss for the future of clean energy in the region.

We're not just building offshore wind farm. We're building an entire new energy paradigm. That means we're building infrastructure. We're building entire industries and workforce. Equinor had asked New York's Public Service Commission for permission to increase rates in October, but was denied. Last year, another developer Nix two offshore wind projects in New Jersey. Now to the Bronx, where residents experienced the highest rates of food insecurity in New York. WNYC's Karen Yee reports on new data from the state.

Nearly four and ten adults in the Bronx said they're stressed about not having enough money to buy food. The new State Department of Health report says going hungry can cause malnutrition, anxiety, and depression and can make it hard to concentrate. Adults experiencing food insecurity are also more likely to have chronic diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, or kidney disease. Across the city, about a third of adults in Brooklyn and Queens also said they were worried about not having enough to eat, while the lowest rate of food insecurity in the city was on Staten Island. Statewide, one in four adults said they experienced food insecurity in the past year. Stay close. After the break, we'll take a look at some of the new faces on the state.

New York City Council and State Legislature. As we enter a new year, new members of the New York City Council and the state legislature are officially taking their seats. My colleague Sean Carlson talked with WNYC's Julia Hayward about what to look out for from leaders who write the laws that govern New York City. So lest we forget, we had a city council election in November. How different is the makeup of the city council compared to the last one? It's not actually that different. Okay. Traditionally, these city council races happen once every four years.

This one that just happened happened two years after the past election. Basically, every decade, the city goes through some redistricting. And so because of that, we have to have new races two years after they last happen for these newly divine districts within the city. Who are some of the new members that could play a significant role over the next couple of years? Okay. Of the 51 members of the council, there were only four new people. So the vast majority of people in the council who were there before the election are still there now. Of the four, the big one that I think has been getting a lot of attention right now has been Yusuf Salam from District 9 in Harlem. He is one of the Central Park Five, the exonerated Central Park Five.

There was a lot of attention on his race, not just within the city, but nationally as well. He's going to be one to watch, especially because he's got this large platform. Because of the redistricting, one of the things that we saw was district, 43 is now an Asian majority district in Brooklyn. So that's really interesting opportunity where we now have an Asian council member who's representing that district and who's going to be able to sort of represent the interest and sort of show the ways that Brooklyn is changing, at least demographically, over the last couple years. And then one race that was really tight and people were kind of surprised to see the result of was Christy Marmarado. She ended up winning a spot in District 13, which is the Bronx. she's a Republican, and she's the first Republican to hold that office since 1983.

So it's been a minute, yeah. Wow. What are some of the legislative priorities of the speaker, Adrian Adams, this session? Honestly, it may be too soon to tell at this point. I've asked a couple council members, I haven't really been able to get a straight answer. People have brought up housing. They've brought up education, jobs. But I think the specifics of what kind of legislation we're going to actually see,

we're going to need to take a beat for a second before we see that. Is there any unfinished business from the last session that needs to be taken care? Yes, I mean, the big one is really just at the 11th hour, the very last dated meeting, which we had last month. The council passed a couple bills that Eric Adams has not made it a secret that he's not a fan of. The first one being the How Many Stops Act. For those who are unaware, this would essentially compel the NYPD to just report every time they stop so many for a low-level stop. Adams and members of the NYPD say that it's going to get. them more paperwork, but people who are advocating for the bill think that it's going to allow

them to have the police be more accountable to what's going on. Another bill that's come up is the solitary confinement bill. The counsel passed the bill that'll essentially ban the practice within jails. Adams has not made it a secret that he is considering vetoing the How Many Stops Act. And if that happens, that would be his third veto at only the halfway point in his term. And for reference, when Bill de Blasio was mayor for eight years, he did not issue a single veto even once. So you talked about mayor, Eric Adams. Any city council has to have a close working relationship with the mayor just to pass laws and budgets, right? But Mayor Adams right now is dealing with low polling numbers. And while the mayor himself has not been charged with a crime,

one of his top campaign fundraisers is the subject of a federal probe. How would you characterize the council's relationship with the mayor right now? It's definitely contentious, which that's not we can all tell that that is going on right now. I will say that because of the public scrutiny that the mayor is getting right now, I think that members of the council, if anything, I think they feel more emboldened to publicly denounce or critique him for the things that he's doing. What is the relationship like between the mayor and the speaker? And is that expected to change given the mayor's current political fortunes?

Adrian Adams has definitely shown her support for a lot of these bills that Adams himself, the mayor, is not a fan of. But she's still very professional. And you can see that in the way that she speaks about him, the way that she talks to him. I mean, her job is to represent the council. And so I think you're not going to see a lot of really strong statements from her. She's going to want to retain that sort of like diplomatic role that she has right now. That's WMYC's Julia Hayward talking with my colleague, Sean Carlson.

As the holiday season comes to an end, many people are still stuck with some tough memories. but the taste of a cherished recipe can offer solace during those challenging times. We've been talking with New Yorkers about their experiences in the kitchen and the recipes that provide a sense of comfort. My name is Sandra Wawarunto, and I live in Astoria, Queens, New York. I came from Indonesia. When you visit us, you will have a lot of food on the table, and you still have to take home the leftover food that they have.

So it's all about the food. My story was in 2001. I came to the United States for the job employment. Instead, I was kidnapped, and I was brought and sold in New York City and surrounded states. I didn't know that I was trafficked, what I knew, I was kidnapped, and I was abused physically, mentally and sexually. When I escaped, I was in the shelter, I was out on the street, when or where can I eat Indonesian food.

So I tried to manage by learning how I use the ingredient that are available in the local supermarket and create Indonesian food, even though I have to use substitute ingredient. But it made me happy because I can make yellow rice,

I can make fried rice, I can make noodle, and many of them gave me satisfaction to fulfill my longing of traditional food. Cooking the food should be with love

without anger, right? When you angry, your food will turn to spicy or too salty or to sour. So you have to put your energy, your love, and your kindness into the food. So cooking actually a part of a healing journey of my trauma. Shandra Wauru Rantu lives in Astoria Queens. She's a cooking instructor with the least. of kitchens. Thanks for listening to NYC Now from WNYC. Catch us every weekday three times a day. I'm Junae Pierre. We'll be back tomorrow.