NYC NOW - June 21, 2024: Evening Roundup

Episode Date: June 21, 2024

A federal judge in Manhattan is rejecting nearly all the legal arguments against the MTA’s congestion pricing program and upholding the federal Highway Administration's approval of the tolls. Of course, the ruling doesn’t affect Governor Kathy Hochul's indefinite pause on the plan. In other news, Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg is asking a judge to extend major parts of a gag order against Donald Trump citing dozens of death threats against him and other officials from the mid-April trial that led to Trump's 34 convictions for falsifying business records. Also, New York City has released a new plan to repair a decrepit section of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. WNYC's Stephen Nessen reports. Plus, the WNYC newsroom shares some of their favorite summer activities.

Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news in and around New York City from WDWNIC. I'm Sean Carlson. A federal judge in Manhattan is rejecting nearly all the legal arguments against the MTA's congestion pricing program. Judge Lewis Lyman is upholding the Federal Highway Administration's approval of the tolls. In his ruling, Judge Lyman rejects arguments against the program brought by lower Manhattan residents, the Teachers Union, and Staten Islands Borough President. The ruling does not affect Governor Kathy Hokel's indefinite. pause on congestion pricing. Congestion pricing would have charged drivers who enter Manhattan's south of

60th Street. The governor says the tolls would have been an economic burden for drivers and feared they would hinder Manhattan's post-pandemic recovery. The MTA praised the ruling and says it remains ready to relieve traffic through the program. Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg is asking a judge to extend major parts of a gag order against Donald Trump, according to the New York Times. In a motion, Bragg cites dozens of death threats against him and other officials from the mid-April trial that led to Trump's 34 convictions for falsifying business records. The Times reports the NYPD has received more than 50 actionable threats directed at Bragg, his family, and members of his office.

Trump returns to court July 11th for sentencing. New York City released a new plan for how to repair a decrepit section of the Brooklyn Queens Expressway. WNYC Stephen Nesson reports. Stack the traffic. One layer heading east, another layer below it, heading west. That's what the city wants to do with the crumbling triple-capseson. cantilever that's bedeviled the city for decades. Former Mayor Bill de Blasio riled residents by suggesting

the city build a temporary roadway at level with the Brooklyn Heights promenade so Cruz could rebuild the BQE beneath it. That idea went nowhere. In 2022, the Adams administration wanted to cover the roadway with slopes that connected the cantilever's third level promenade to neighboring Brooklyn Bridge Park. That idea is also unpopular with locals. The new approach to fix the the 1.5 mile long stretch could still cost as much as $5 billion. If it moves forward, construction could begin by 2029. Up next, to commemorate the official start of summer, we at the WNIC Newsroom have decided to share with you some of our favorite summer activities. That's after the break.

There might be a heat wave in the New York City region, but let's be honest, the show must go on. So my colleague, David First, asked the WNYC Newsroom, and that included me, to come up with the summer bucket list of activities that they like to do. Here are some of our picks. My name's Andrew Jambroney. I'm an assistant editor at Gothmas, WNYC. One of my favorite things to do over the summer is to head up to Storm King Mountain, which is just south of Newburgh or conversely a little bit north of West Point. The mountain offers some of the best hiking trails within a couple hours of the city. We've brought our dog before my husband and I.

I love to see the views of the Hudson River from the top of the mountain. There are multiple trails on Storm King. They vary a little bit in difficulty and lengths. A lot of them are pretty vertical. So if that's the challenge for you, you might want to consider a different hiking location or just taking it easy on the way up. I'm Sean Carlson, host of all things considered here on WNMI. One of my favorite things to do every summer,

like I make a point to do it as soon as it is nice enough, is traipsering around the beach at Fort Tilden in Queens. Now, the beach itself is great there. It's less crowded than other beaches in the Rockaways. There aren't any lifeguards there. But what I really like to do is hike on the trails behind the beach. As the name implies, Fort Tilden used to be an old army installation. So there's a lot of old bunkers and stuff that are still back there.

They're half overgrown. They're covered in graffiti. There's shorebirds that nest in the area. You can spend a lot of time exploring and climbing all over the bunkers. Just be sure to stay in the areas that you're allowed to. There are signs there that do tell you where you're not supposed to go because those shorebirds are rare. Some of the vegetation is rare as well. So just stick to where you should go.

My name is Audrey Cooper. I'm the editor-in-chief here at WNYC. And for our family, the summer really starts with the New York Philharmonic concerts in the park. They have them in every borough. It's so much fun. You get to have a picnic, listen to a free concert, and at the end, there are fireworks. But the most fun I've ever had in the summer, for my birthday one year, we rented jet skis and went on a jet ski tour of the harbor and the East River. You drive the jet ski around the Statue of Liberty, and they do give you a chance to jump into the water behind her and go for a brief swim.

I did not do that. My husband did. It gets pretty choppy out there, so you do bounce up and down a little bit. But to be under the Brooklyn Bridge on a jet ski is like, it's a view you don't see very often. And as long as you stay away from the fairies, you'll have a great time. My name is Reggie Vikram, and I'm the editor of the magazine shows that you hear on WNYC. And on my summer bucket list is the New York Liberty at Berkeley's Center. Women's basketball, it's having a moment, as you might have heard, with Caitlin Clark joining the pros.

But the Liberty have been around for over 20 years since I was a kid, and right now they're one of the top teams in basketball. WMBA season, it goes from May until the fall. So it's become a summer tradition in the city. You see every type of family you can think of in an environment that feels very safe and a place that you can take children. And you haven't lived till you've seen their mascot, Ellie the Elephant, dancing in the stands with the fans. I'm Bridget Bergen, senior politics reporter. And one of my favorite ways to mark the start of summer is to get up nice and early and go to my favorite. spot on the Rockaway Boardwalk. If you get there before the crowds, you can go to Brothers at the

concession stand on Beach 106th Street and get what I consider to be the world's most perfect egg sandwich. It's got a little pesto, some microgreens, a little cheese, some egg. First of all, I consider the egg sandwich among like the high art forms of breakfast food. Like I really love egg sandwiches. But this one, it is special. It is clearly made with love. And then you can stake out either a spot on the beach or, you know, sit at one of the picnic tables. But make sure you have a view of the ocean, because if you're really lucky, you'll see a pot of dolphins or maybe even a whale breach. It's amazing what you can see when you watch the water. And it makes for an absolutely blissful summer morning. To learn more about other fun activities, check out 24

low-budget ways to love New York City this summer on our news website, Gothest. Thanks for listening to NYC now from WNIC. Shout out to our production team. It includes Sean Boutich, Amber Bruce, Abe Carrillo, Audrey Cooper, Owen Kaplan, Liora Noam Kravitz, Jared Marcel, Jen Munson, and Wayne Schullmeister, with help from all of my wonderful colleagues in the WNYC Newsroom. Our show art was designed by the people at Buck, and our music was composed by Alexis Quadrato. I'm Sean Carlson.

Have a great weekend. See a Monday.