NYC NOW - July 25, 2024: Evening Roundup

Episode Date: July 25, 2024

Some New York City public school students who use the city’s transit system will receive a special OMNY card for the new school year. Plus, elected officials continue to call for better safety measures on New York City's shoreline. Also, WNYC’s Rosemary Misdary joined NYU researchers as they study what's known as the luxury effect. And finally, WNYC’s Janae Pierre and Nancy Solomon discuss the resignation of convicted New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez and who’s on the list to fill his seat.

Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news in and around New York City from WNYC. I'm June A Pierre. Public school students who use New York City's transit system will have some extra perks come September. MTA head Jan O'Leaver says kids will receive a special Omnicard that will work 24-7 and year-round. We want to make sure that kids who are doing internships, who are getting out to get experienced, and use the city, have the benefit of the transit system. The new Omni card will replace student metro cards. It offers four free rides a day, one more than under the previous program.

All public school students who live more than half a mile from their schools are eligible to receive the cards. Elected officials continue to call for better safety measures on New York City's shoreline. This, after six people have drowned at city beaches this summer, WMYC's Liam Quigley, more. Officials are blaming the deaths on a range of issues, from strong rip currents on the Rockaway Peninsula to lifeguard shifts that end in the evening. But as the tragedies pile up, Queensland-Bronin-Richard says it's time for city leaders to treat the problem as a crisis. We are in a state of emergency, and the administration needs to come to the table with sound solutions. Richards wants Mayor Adams to make swimming lessons more accessible for New Yorkers and to

extend lifeguard shifts across city beaches. Adams has said helping New Yorkers learn to swim is part of the solution, but hasn't budged on lifeguard hours. Is there a link between wealth and the number of worms, ants, and birds in New York City parks? Yes, and our question. But a group of researchers at NYU are trying to find an answer. WMYC's Rosemary Ms. Derry Join the scientists as they explore what's known as the luxury effect. Start time is going to be 8.15 a.m. Temperature is 29.3 degrees Celsius. Okay. Humidity?

Yeah, 65.2. Out the heat index. Yeah. 32.9. Two NYU ecologists are preparing to turn over rocks and longs in Van Cortland Park in the Bronx. They'll count slugs, worms, and other insects. We have a large, matured. log with bark on the surface.

So then I'll just flip it over and we'll see what we find. Nothing. There's one rodent burrow, one species of ant, but not much other than that. Rafael Baez is working alongside Valentina El Awesome, who is counting birds. A blue jay. That's the alarm call. They're trying to find out whether the socioeconomic status of neighborhoods surrounding New York City parks correlates with biodiversity. The luxury effects concept is this idea that in wealthier neighborhoods,

there's often more funding, more green space, more resources for the community that then translates into parks with more resources for the animals as well. The theory is not far-fetched. Adam Ganser, the executive director of New Yorkers for Parks, explains why. He says the city's 1900 parks get about half of a percent of the overall municipal budget. For a very long time, we have had such a shoes, during budget at the Parks Department that the last thing they're thinking about is biodiversity. They're thinking about getting the trash out of the gardens, making sure that things are safe, making sure that plants are trimmed back as much as they can, and then they're racing off to the next

location. Ganser says that on average, city parks have one gardener for every 114 acres. He says that other metro areas have staffed for every 18 acres. But that isn't a problem for wealthy areas. Parks there often have non-profits. known as conservancies, which are able to fundraise. Wealthier residents have more time to volunteer and are able to organize more volunteers. The vast majority of conservancies, again, not all of them, but the vast majority of them are in more well-to-do neighborhoods.

So those conservancies that are raising private and philanthropic dollars have the capacity to augment at times this type of workforce to encourage greater biodiversity in their parks. This creates disparity between green spaces, which can lead to less plant and animal life. This can impact poorer communities. A college's Diane Hope studied the luxury effect in Arizona. There isn't as much shade, so it's hotter.

They don't see as much nature. They don't see as many birds. They don't see as many butterflies. They don't see as many pollinating insects. Low biodiversity affects residents. It impacts general human happiness. And the more diverse of an environment, you have a round. you where you're living, I think that really impacts how you feel about life.

The NYU research team will finish their report at the end of the year. They hope that their findings will be used by decision makers to create more equity and better management of the city's green spaces. That's WMYC's Rosemary Mizdery. Convicted New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez is leaving his seat next month. He announced his resignation earlier this week. So what's next? who's replacing him. More on that after the break.

This week, New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez announced that he's resigning from his seat next month, August 20th, to be exact. The announcement comes nearly a week after Menendez was convicted in a sweeping corruption case that involved cash bribes, gold bars, a Mercedes-Benz, and other gifts. I talked with WNYC's Nancy Solomon about the downfall of the once-powerful political leader and what comes next. She starts the conversation discussing Menendez's legacy as a towering figure in New Jersey politics, even more so in the Latino community. One of the saddest parts of this story is that very early in his political career, Menendez testified against the local party boss in Union City and helped convict him of corruption. He's pro-immigrant, pro-worker,

and rose to the head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. So, you know, this is a big loss for people who are big fans of his? So I want to talk about what happens next. Now, we know that Democrat Andy Kim is running for that seat in November, but what happens there between August 20th and January when the winner of the election takes office? Right. And this is, of course, a very key issue because Democrats only have a 51-49 margin in the Senate. Governor Phil Murphy will pick a Democratic placeholder to serve until January. That much is clear. And that, of course, has turned into its own drama. First Lady Tammy Murphy had run for the seat against Andy Kim in the primary, but dropped out in March. But she posted on social media yesterday that she's not interested in the temporary job.

Many Democrats want the governor to appoint Andy Kim since he won the primary, and it would help him in his November general election. And it would also give him more seniority than anyone else who joins the Senate in January. You'd give him kind of a little head start there. Some people have criticized Murphy for being petty and holding a grudge against the guy who vanquished his wife in the primary. But there is like a legit reason for not picking Kim. It would open up a democratic seat in the house that could could not be filled until January because the laws don't allow the governor to appoint a replacement. It has to be a special election and before that a special primary. Okay. Any idea who the governor is thinking about picking if he doesn't go with Andy Kim?

The New York Times had a piece about this and threw a few names out there. It would make sense for the governor to pick a woman and maybe even a woman of color. That would make it a first in both cases. You know, Corey Booker is African American, but there's never been a woman senator, let alone a woman of color in the Jersey delegation. The Times floated some other names. Tahisha Way is the current lieutenant governor and secretary of state. The article also suggested Nina Mitchell Wells, who, served as Secretary of State for New Jersey many years ago. There's Congress member Bonnie Watson Coleman. She's been in the House for five terms and served in the state legislature before that. She's 79. It would be a nice honor for her. But then again, that would open up a seat in the house again. So the justification for not picking Andy Kim goes the same to Bonnie Watson Coleman. And there, by the way, is already a vacant seat in the New Jersey delegation because Donald Payne Congressman from Newark died in April. So I don't think we're going to see a member of the House chosen. That's WMYC's Nancy Solomon. If you're looking for a place to experience this year's

Summer Olympic Games, we got you. There are several exciting and free options throughout New York City. On the west side, Hudson Yards is hosting daily watch parties of the major events starting Friday through August 11th. There, you can watch the games on an enormous 30-foot screen. And over at Rockefeller Center, NBC Universal, which owns the rights to air the Olympics, is setting up a hub for Team USA fans. It's Paris themed, complete with watch parties, photo ops, and athlete visits. Looking for more places to watch the games? Our news website Gothamist has a list of the 23 best bars and spaces.

Check it out. Thanks for listening to NYC now from WMYC. Catch us every weekday, three times a day. I'm Jene Pierre. We'll be back tomorrow. Thank you.