NYC NOW - May 8, 2024: Morning Headlines

Episode Date: May 8, 2024

Get up and get informed! Here’s all the local news you need to start your day: New York State Senator Julia Salazar has expressed concerns that a newly passed law, which sets rules to legalize some basement apartments, excludes neighborhoods in dire need of safe basement housing. In other news, local vendors near Columbia University report that the cancellation of the school’s main commencement ceremony next week has negatively impacted their businesses.

Welcome to NYC Now. Your source for local news in and around New York City from WMYC. It's Wednesday, May 8th. Here's the morning headlines from Michael Hill. New York State Senator Julia Salazar says a recently passed law setting rules to legalize some basement apartments leaves out neighborhoods that most need safe basement housing. All we can do now is act immediately to ensure that that they, are included in the pilot.

Salazar says she's introducing another bill to allow the city to regulate basements in East New York and Cypress Hills in Brooklyn and parts of Western Queens, where residents died in basement floods during Hurricane Ida. She says the program will allow the city to set clear safety standards and inspect basements. A measure included in the new state budget last month lets the city set rules for legal basement apartments, but only in certain parts of New York City. Housing experts say there may be a half million people living in basements in the five boroughs. Graduation normally brings lots of businesses to the business to the shops and restaurants near Columbia University around this time of year,

but campus is mostly shut down, and the main commencement next week has been canceled after weeks of protests against the war in Gaza. Now, many local vendors say they're struggling. Johnny George Law at V&T Italian restaurants says fewer. students have been coming in to eat. He's bracing for a major impact around graduation when the restaurant would typically be busy with celebratory meals. I understand what's going on, so I understand what they did that. But, yeah, it definitely doesn't help.

Other nearby businesses say there have been some economic benefits from the protests. In fact, the local print shop says more people have been coming in to make copies because the campus libraries are closed. Columbia's graduation ceremony had been scheduled for May 15th. The New York Rangers just keep on winning. They're up to no games in their best of seven Stanley

Cup playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes. Last night at the Garden it took, though, two overtimes to win once again four to three. That's six straight playoff wins for the blue shirts this spring. In hoops tonight at 8 o'clock, the Knicks take to the Garden Hardwood for game two against the

Indiana Pacers. They won the first game of the series on Monday night. 65 with clouds, Now showers likely and maybe midday thunderstorms gradually becoming sunny today. And a high, yes, another warm one, 82 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.