NYC NOW - June 26, 2023: Morning Headlines

Episode Date: June 26, 2023

Get up and get informed! Here's all the local news you need to start your day: A week after a tragic Chinatown e-bike shop fire, officials introduce new battery charging stations. Starbucks workers citywide strike over LGBTQ+ decoration policy disputes. In sports, NY Liberty's Breanna Stewart is the new captain for the WNBA All Star game.

Welcome to NYC Now. Your source for local news in and around New York City from WNYC. It's Monday, June 26th. Here's the morning headlines from Kerry Nolan. Less than a week after four people were killed in a fire that broke out at an e-bike repair shop in Manhattan's Chinatown, elected officials are rolling out new charging stations for the batteries used by thousands of delivery workers. Mayor Eric Adams and Senator Chuck Schumer announced yesterday that one 173 e-bike charging stations will be built outside 53 at Nica complexes.

Schumer says the stations are much safer than the ones that caused last week's deadly blaze. He also says they're more efficient. Usually it takes six, seven hours to charge, but these are really strong charges. It's going to be a lot shorter so many more people can use them. Many delivery workers currently charge their e-bike batteries inside their homes or cramped shops across the city. Fires, fires, rather, from the batteries have caused 71 injuries and 13 deaths this year alone, according to the FDNY. That's up from 40 injuries and two deaths at this time last year. Nearly 3,500 workers at Starbucks locations, including here in the city, are on strike,

over what their union says is a clash over decoration supporting LGBTQ-plus causes. The company denies its banned any displays and accused the union of using misinformation as a tactic in labor talks. The union has tried to establish a foothold at Starbucks and over 300 stores nationwide of petition to hold union elections. Those efforts have slowed in recent months with pushback from some workers. New York Liberty superstar Brianna Stewart is receiving yet another honor. The Libs Forward has been named a captain for the WNBA All-Star Game.

It'll be Stewart's fifth all-star appearance, but her first since joining the liberty for this season. The game itself is July 15th in Las Vegas. That's the home of the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces. At the moment, air quality is moderate, according to air quality.gov, if you're unusually sensitive to particle pollution, you may want to spend less time outside today. We've got some unsettled weather for the next few days. Fair skies right now, but we do have a chance of showers and thunderstorms this morning, a better chance this afternoon with highs today in the lower 80s. Those showers will linger into the evening and the overnight with lows in the upper 60s.

And right now it's 72 degrees under fair skies in New York City. 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.