NYC NOW - July 27, 2023: Morning Headlines

Episode Date: July 27, 2023

As a three-day heat wave approaches New York and New Jersey, Dr. Cecilia Sorensen, an associate professor at Columbia, advises parents of infants and toddlers to be cautious. Meanwhile, New York City readies its cooling centers for public use. Following a WNYC investigation, New York lawmakers, including Assembly Members Linda Rosenthal and David Weprin, and State Senator Brian Kavanagh, prepare to introduce legislation targeting discriminatory property insurance practices.

Welcome to NYC Now. Your source for local news in and around New York City from WNYC. It's Thursday, July 27. Here's the morning headlines from Michael Hill. It's about to get hot in New York City and the area. Temperatures across downstate New York and North Jersey and even in Connecticut are set to soar into the 90s over the next three days. It'll mark the first heat wave of the summer for this area.

young children and senior citizens are most at risk during extreme heat events. Dr. Cecilia Sorensen is an associate professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health. She says parents of infants and toddlers need to exercise caution during the heat wave. Caregivers need to be very vigilant in terms of watching them, especially if they're playing outdoors. Although I would recommend that parents only bring their kids to play in a shaded area, for example, a park. Sorensen says parents and caregivers should be sure their infant or toddlers drinking regularly. Little ones should also be dressed in loose, lightweight clothing. For New Yorkers without access to air conditioning or anyone out and about who needs to cool off,

the city will open cooling centers today through Saturday to find one near you. Go to finder.n.n.yc.gov slash cooling centers. A trio of New York lawmakers are pledging to crackdown on discriminatory. practices by property insurers after WNYC investigation. Assembly member Linda Rosenthal and State Senator Brian Kavanaugh, chair their Chambers Housing Committees. Assembly member David Weperin heads the Insurance Committee. They all say they plan to introduce a bill prohibiting insurers from asking

landlords if they rent to tenants who use housing subsidies, such as Section 8. Rosenthal says discriminating against landlords who rent to subsidize tenants should not be allowed under fair housing laws. Truly reprehensible. This kind of behavior cements decades-old stereotypes, and we should have moved away from that kind of practices years ago. A WNIC report found that insurers routinely asked property owners about subsidized housing and then deny coverage to landlords who rent apartments to tenants using those vouchers.

The rejection set off a scramble for insurance usually resulting in much higher rates. 75 and mostly clear now. Excessively hot today should be careful out there. Also an air quality alert, partly sunny, and 94 today is going to feel like it's 101. 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.