NYC NOW - May 15, 2024: Morning Headlines

Episode Date: May 15, 2024

Get up and get informed! Here's all the local news you need to start your day: Edafe Okporo, a Nigerian refugee and LGBTQ activist, is running for an Upper Manhattan seat on the New York City Council, WNYC’s Giulia Heyward reports. Meanwhile, new good cause protections for tenants are now in effect across the five boroughs. Additionally, transit officials have announced plans to deploy 60 new electric buses in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island this fall.

Welcome to NYC Now. Your source for local news in and around New York City from WMYC. It's Wednesday, May 15th. Here's the morning headlines from David First. A Nigerian refugee and LGBTQ activists says he's running for an upper Manhattan seat in the New York City Council. WNYC's Julia Hayward has more. Duffy Okporo left his home country where homosexuality is criminalized, for a better life in NYC.

He was able to make a name for himself after he started the city's first shelter for LGBTQ asylum seekers in 2018. Okpura tells WNYC that he's now running for a seat in the city council. And if I'm elected, I will fight for you. Your voices will be heard in CTR.

And from Upper West Side to Washington Heights, my doors will always be open. Okpora will run against Councilmember Shana Brayou and next year's primary. Abraeu says he's looking forward to the competition. New good cause protections are now in effect for tenants across the five boroughs. And as WNYC's David Brand reports, many of our listeners have been reaching out to share their experiences.

Ronnie Sepsi's been living in her Bushwick apartment for six years. She says she and her roommates want to stay, but their landlords refusing to give them a new lease without a good cause. I haven't cited anything about us like breaking our lease or not being good tenants or anything like that. So we've definitely been doing our part, so they don't really have anything against us that they could, like, pull. Sepsi says they're planning to challenge the landlord and housing court. The property owner didn't respond to requests for comment. Other tenants we talk to say they've mentioned good cause and got their rent hikes lowered. But some say landlords are pointing to

rising costs to justify rent increases. 60 new electric buses are hitting the streets of Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island later this year. That's according to transit officials who say routes and neighborhoods that have struggled disproportionately with bad air quality will be the first to get the buses. Queensland President Donovan Richards says providing the emissions-free vehicles is a matter of environmental justice. For the most marginalized communities, like communities in Astoria, Asma Alley, to Southeast Queens all the way down to the Rockaways. Today, we are taking a major step in reversing that injustice. The MTA says another order of more than 200. electric buses is expected to hit the streets late next year. And we're dealing with a lot of rain

this morning. 60 degrees fog, mist, rain, periods of rain through the day today and a pretty steady temperature just getting up to a high of 62 today. This is 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 podcasts. See you this afternoon.