NYC NOW - Morning Headlines: Third Death in Harlem Legionnaires’ Outbreak, and NYC Opens First Shelter for Trans and Gender-Nonconforming People

Episode Date: August 6, 2025

A third person has died in connection to the ongoing Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Harlem. City health officials say 67 people have been diagnosed since late July. Meanwhile, a Harlem resident who recovered from a previous Legionnaires’ infection shares their advice for others. Plus, New York City has opened the nation’s first city-funded shelter specifically for transgender and gender-nonconforming people experiencing homelessness, located in Queens.

Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news in and around New York City from WMYC. It's Tuesday, August 5th. Here's the morning headlines from David First. The New York City Department of Health says a third person has died of Legionaire's disease in the city, tied to an ongoing cluster of the illness in and around Harlem. The department now says 67 people have been diagnosed with Legionnaires in or near the neighborhood since late July. Legionaire's disease is a type of pneumonia caused by a bacteria which grows in warm water. It thrives in places like cooling towers and air conditioning systems.

Officials say if you live or work in the area and are experiencing flu-like symptoms, you should contact a health care provider immediately. Meanwhile, a Harlemite who got sick with Legionnaire's disease in 2018, has some advice for New Yorkers affected by the latest outbreak. WNYC's Samantha Max reports. George Yates says he hadn't heard of Legionnaire's disease seven years ago when he came down with a bad cough and a fever that wouldn't go away. It wasn't until he went to the hospital that he realized it was more than just a case of the flu.

Yates says he felt better after about a week in the hospital. He says anyone who feels sick should get medical help like he did. You can't ignore what your body's telling you. If your body is not getting rid of a fever, then it could be serious. So I decided to go in and thank God I did. Yates sued the owner and operator of a cooling tower. He says caused his illness and won an undisclosed amount of money.

New York City is opening the first homeless shelter for transgender people in the country. W1.YC's Karen Yee has more. The shelter is located in Queens and will serve 150 homeless people who identify as transgender or gender non-conforming. The city says it's a way to better serve a population that is more likely to be. homeless. Sean Ebony Coleman is the CEO of Destination Tomorrow, the nonprofit that will manage the shelter. He says the facility is a huge investment by the city at a time when the trans community has been targeted by the Trump administration. We are now in a climate where it's almost okay to disregard, disrespect and dehumanized trans people. Coleman says the Long Island City

Shelter will have an on-site psychiatrist, offer housing help, and culinary classes. And it will make sure people's gender identity is respected. Right now, 72 degrees, expecting a high of 81 today, mostly cloudy skies, widespread haze. Tonight, mostly cloudy with a low of 68. 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.