NYC NOW - July 31, 2023: Morning Headlines

Episode Date: July 31, 2023

Get up and get informed! Here’s all the local news you need to start your day: Over the weekend, New York City's main intake center at the Roosevelt Hotel reached capacity, turning away dozens of migrants. Meanwhile, rescuers in New Jersey saved four people clinging to an overturned boat and hospitalized them. Lastly, starting today, New York's "Skip the Stuff" bill requires food delivery customers to explicitly ask for utensils to reduce waste.

Welcome to NYC Now. Your source for local news in and around New York City from WNYC. It's Monday, July 31st. Here's the morning headlines from David First. Dozens of migrants were denied entry to New York City's main intake center at the Roosevelt Hotel in Midtown over the weekend after the space reached capacity. The situation sparked long lines of asylum seekers waiting outside the building. some spent the night in small buses parked on the street outside. The lines were smaller by yesterday morning,

but Legal Aid Society staff attorney Joshua Goldfine says that many people gave up on waiting and went searching for shelter elsewhere. The Department of Homeland Services is referring everybody who is a recent arrival to the Roosevelt Hotel. So their only other option is to make arrangements for themselves, which could be out there, doors could be on the train. Officials say more than 90,000 migrants have come through the city's

shelter system since last spring. Authorities in New Jersey say four people found clinging to the hull of an overturned boat were rescued and taken to a hospital. Coast Guard officials in New York say their crews, along with New York police and fire units, were deployed to the area off Sandy Hook after receiving a distress call over a marine radio frequency. An official told the Asbury Park Press that Rescue crews found the four holding on to the floating hull just north of Sandy Hook around 215 yesterday morning. All four were pulled from the water and taken to Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch. If you'd like a spoon or napkin with your food delivery order, you'll now have to ask for it. W1.C's Tiffany Hanson explains why. Back in January, the New York City Council passed a bill

meant to reduce the almost 1.1 million pounds of single-use plastic and food waste. that ends up in the city's landfills and incinerators every year. At the time, city council speaker Adrian Adams, said the bill, called Skip the Stuff, was an example of, quote, smart green policy. Today, Skip the Stuff goes into effect. That means New Yorkers who want plastic utensils, napkins, condiment packets, or extra food and beverage containers must ask for those items. Businesses that repeatedly provide customers with single-use plastic,

without being specifically asked to do so, however, could start to see fines of up to $250. And looking at the weather, beautiful weather in store, 66 degrees right now, expecting a high of 83 today with mostly sunny skies, back down to 66 as are low tonight with partly cloudy skies and a slight chance for some evening showers. It's WNYC. 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.