NYC NOW - March 28, 2024: Morning Headlines

Episode Date: March 28, 2024

Get up and get informed! Here's all the local news you need to start your day: The MTA’s plan for congestion pricing, which will charge drivers $15 to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street, has officially been approved by the MTA board. WNYC’s Stephen Nessen reports the incoming fee has some drivers fuming. Meanwhile, elected officials in Brooklyn are calling for more oversight of the private companies picked to manage public housing complexes, after one of them was fired late last year.

Welcome to NYC Now. Your source for local news in and around New York City from WMYC. It's Thursday, March 28th. Here's the morning headlines from Michael Hill. The MTA's plan for congestion pricing, which will charge drivers $15 to enter Manhattan below 60th Street, officially has final approval from the MTA board. WNYC Stephen Nesson reports the incoming fees has some drivers,

fuming. In the traffic choked streets of lower Manhattan, where a reporter can walk faster than traffic moves, Borough Park driver, Jason Lopez, stews in his sedan. I think they rob it everybody for 15 bucks a day. He says he often picks up family in the city, but at that rate, he might stop. It's really not worth it. Is it going to deter you from driving into the city? Yeah, it definitely is.

I'd rather take the ferry now. Well, that's the goal, I guess. I guess. The MTA says, that's the point. believes the tolls could reduce traffic in Manhattan by 20 percent. Elected officials in Brooklyn are calling for a more oversight of the private companies picked to manage public housing complexes after one of them got fired late last year. Pinnacle City Living was running day-to-day operations at the Hope Gardens campus in Bushwick

until a developer accused them of doing a bad job and replaced them. In a letter to Congress member Nidia Velasquez, the developer says Pinnacle staff was alienating residents, jeopardizing housing subsidies, and failing to control cost. A Pinnacle spokesperson disputes those claims. Velasquez says the decision caught her off guard. She and other local leaders say it's hard to get information from the private companies. The air quality is moderate now due to particle pollution, but expected to improve as the day goes on. There are low amounts of tree pollen in the air right now. Taking a look at your forecast, 47 with light rain. opening day for baseball today, but the Mets have been postponed.

They'll open their series, open their season tomorrow at MetLife Stadium right there at City Field, that is. The Mets will open their season tomorrow in the afternoon, early afternoon. The Yankees played in Houston at 410. We have periods of rain today, a high near 52, and then tomorrow cloudy, then becoming sunny, mid-50s, and gusty. 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.