NYC NOW - March 11, 2024: Midday News

Episode Date: March 11, 2024

Police officials in New York City say the number of subway stations with a heavier police presence may be increasing soon. This comes just days after Governor Kathy Hochul deployed the National Guard and State Police to the subway system to assist with mandatory bag checks. Meanwhile, Governor Hochul might not be on the ballot this year. But as WNYC's Jon Campbell reports, she's vowing to hit the campaign trail. Plus, police are looking for at least three suspects in connection to a string of e-bike robberies in Harlem last month. Finally, on April 8, we’ll be treated to a rare solar eclipse. WNYC’s Michael Hill chats with reporter Rosemary Misdary about the best ways to enjoy the cosmic show.

Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news in and around New York City from WMYC. It's Monday, March 11th. Here's the midday news from Michael Hill. We're heading into week two of National Guard soldiers assisting the NYPD with random back checks and bag checks, that is, in subway stations. And officials say the number of stations with heavier police presence, well, that may be increasing soon. NYPD chief of transit, Michael Kemper, spoke with Pixel-Even news. We're doing upwards of 18, 20 stations a day as we sit here right now. And with the mayor's announcement and the governor's announcement, that's going to expand to even greater numbers.

The governor's not said how long the military will be present in the transit system. And New York Governor Hockel is not on the ballot this year, but as WNIC's John Campbell reports, She is vowing to hit the campaign trail hard anyway. The Democratic governor's been acting as a surrogate for President Biden's campaign on cable news. And she's been jabbing House Republicans on border security, blaming them for tanking a bipartisan deal in the Senate. Basil Smichael is a Columbia University lecturer and former executive director of the New York State Democratic Party. He says that all makes sense, since a handful of swing seats in New York could determine which party controls the House. He's going to be representing the state of New York in this election in a way that Democratic governors haven't had to in a long time.

A spokesperson for Hockel says she'll be, quote, working around the clock to elect Democrats this year. Police are looking for at least three people in a string of e-bike robberies across Harlem last month. NYPD officials say the men brandished guns and knives and nine different incidents, stealing e-bikes, cell phones, and carrier bags and cash from victims who appear to be. delivery cyclists. Police say one of the victims of 41-year-old man was seriously injured when a suspect stabbed him in the back while trying to steal his cell phone. Police said the other victims, all men in their 20s and 30s were not hurt. Stay close. There's more after the break. The biggest celestial event in years will be visible in our skies next month in broad daylight.

On the afternoon of April 8th, we can treat ourselves to a rare solar eclipse. WNYC's Rosemary Midsdary joins us to share tips on how to enjoy the cosmic show from New York City, for instance. So, Rosemary, what time of day is this eclipse happening? It starts around 210 in the afternoon. You'll see the moon near the sun, and it'll solely move into position over the sun. By 3.25 p.m., it'll be covering 90% of the sun. be the climax of the eclipse. The whole thing will last about two and a half hours. So how rare is this? For New York City, it's pretty rare. Eclipse has occurred every couple of years, just not here in New York City.

The last solar eclipse was about seven years ago. Listeners may remember crowds on sidewalks and in parks, with solar viewers looking up. The next one won't be for another 20 years. Tell us more about what we'll actually see when we look up at this time. As I mentioned, it's not a full eclipse. but pretty close. Here's Jackie Faridy, the astrophysicist at the American Museum of Natural History. If you're watching at the beginning,

it's nothing, it's nothing, it's nothing, and then all of a sudden, in comes the moon, moving at a nice, beautiful clip, and it starts to look like the Death Star, from Star Wars, across the face of the sun. I love that description.

I do too. The sky will get darker, but not pitch black, because just ten, percent of the sun is still very bright. It will look more like a hazy day. If you don't know that there's an eclipse going on, you might not realize it, but it will be dark enough to confuse wildlife. You might see birds roosting or even hear crickets chirping. What's the safest way to look at the sun and I know we're not supposed to look at the sun? You're definitely never supposed to

look directly into the sun without eye protection. It can lead to blindness. For a few dollars, New Yorkers can purchase solar glasses. It's those paper ones. And you can get them from a trusted source, like a camera shop or a scientific supply store. They have them at Atorama and at B&H. But keep in mind that if you see a solar viewer, especially online, that says NASA approved, I wouldn't buy it because NASA doesn't approve of solar glasses. And there are a lot of counterfeits out there. And if you are going to view the sun, you better buy your solar glasses now because there's selling out really fast. But if you decide to use a telescope or binoculars, you need to also add solar filters to those. And if you do use those, you can get an up-close view of the sun.

You can see the storms on the sun. You can also even see the solar flares, which are a beautiful, hot pink color. A lot of people will be looking at the sun, but you spoke to one New Yorker who will be listening to the sun? What's that all about? You have that right, Michael. One Upper West Side resident, Ryan. Khan is planning to not only watch the eclipse, but also listen into it from PRI on Hudson River. So I'm just going to set up where I'm at a thing that plugs into my computer that allows me to listen to radio waves, have a couple antennas that are wide, receive over a wide range, and just listen to different interesting frequencies from a cosmic perspective.

What on earth does the sun sound like, Rosemary? Normally we can't hear the sun because space is a vacuum, so sound waves. can't reach the earth. But using radio astronomy, we can hear it. This is the humming sound of the sun. There's also the sound of solar winds. And the sun even has storms. So Khan will watch and listen from the Hudson River. What are the best places to view the eclipse? You just need to be able to see the sun and you're good. Parks, waterfronts, and roofs are great spots. The American Museum of Natural History and Greenwood Cemetery are holding public events. They would be giving away solar viewers and experts will be on hand with

telescopes. The eclipse is a great time to nerd out on the sun or just to take a look. You won't have any other chance to see it for another 20 years. The next eclipse is August 23rd, 244. WNYC Health and Science reporter Rosemary, Rosemary, hope the weather forecast stays nice and clear so that we can all see the eclipse next month. I hope so too, Michael. 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. Also subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. We'll be back this evening.