NYC NOW - Morning Headlines: Mayor Adams Swipes at Maryland Senator, Drug Deaths Fall in City Shelters, and Council Considers More Water Fountains in Parks

Episode Date: April 23, 2025

Mayor Eric Adams appeared to take aim at a U.S. senator from Maryland who met with a man the Trump administration deported in violation of a court order. Meanwhile, drug-related deaths in New York City shelters dropped 17% last year, according to a new city report. Plus, a new City Council bill would require the city to regularly review access to drinking fountains in public parks.

Welcome to NYC now. Your source for local news in and around New York City from WNYC. It's Wednesday, April 23rd. Here's the morning headlines from Michael Hill. New York City Mayor Eric Adams took an apparent swipe at the Maryland Senator who met with Kilmar-Abrego Garcia, the man the Trump team mistakenly and in violation of a court order deported to El Salvador. I won't have a tequila drink with a gang. The statement is an apparent reference to Senator Chris Van Holland of Maryland. Van Holland traveled to El Salvador to visit Abrago Garcia who lives in Maryland. The Trump administration meant to Briego Garcia was mistakenly deported and a judge said he has no criminal history. During the visit, Salvadoran officials placed drinks on the table and what Van Hollen said was a choreographed setup. The mayor's office did not elaborate on the mayor's comments, but the remark came at a news conference with the mayor directly beside the Trump administration.

Borders are Tom Holman. The number of drug-related deaths among New Yorkers living in city shelters dropped by 17% last year. That's according to a new annual report from the city, WNMC's data reporter Joe Hong explains the decline. The drop mirror is a national trend, but it also comes at a point when New York City's shelter population nearly doubled since 2022 due to the influx of asylum seekers. The Department of Social Services says it's offering naloxone and fentanyl testing. strips to prevent accidental overdoses. Shanice Dobson is a harm reduction specialist for the agency. Everything is sitting around the person.

What is it they want to do and how they want to do it, which in terms gives a better outcome because the clients are feeling more empowered. At the same time, deaths among homeless New Yorkers who don't use the shelter system rose last year. More drinking fountain soon could pop up near City Parks. A new bill from Manhattan Councilmember, Gail Brewer, would require regular reviews of where the city needs to place those fountains. Brewer says it's part of a broader public health push. The aspect is stop sugary drinks and drink water, but you can only do it if you

have places for people to drink from. Brewer is also behind another plan to expand access to school playgrounds during evenings and weekends. Also, Bronx Council member, Kevin Reiler, is pushing a bill to open up more indoor gyms for basketball when the weather turns bad. 56 and clear right now, mostly sunny today in a high of 76. Thanks for listening. This is NYC now from WMYC. Catch us every weekday three times a day for your top news headlines and occasional deep dives. And subscribe wherever you get your podcast.

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