NYC NOW - October 23, 2024: Morning Headlines

Episode Date: October 23, 2024

Get up and get informed! Here’s all the local news you need to start your day: Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso is urging the City Council to pass New York City Mayor Adams’ housing plan, calling it a key step toward addressing the city’s housing crisis. Meanwhile, the MTA is launching a new anti-violence campaign reminding riders that transit workers are human beings. Also, the Whitney Museum will offer free admission to visitors 25 and younger starting mid-December.

Welcome to NYC Now. Your source for local news in and around New York City from WMYC. It's Wednesday, October 23rd. Here's the morning headlines. I'm Junae Pierre. Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso is pleading with the city council to pass Mayor Eric Adams' housing plan and not to turn the page on what he deems a chance to begin tackling New York's housing crisis. Ragnos told council members Tuesday that the proposal to change zoning regulations citywide,

known as city of yes, is just the beginning of what lawmakers can do. You're trying to cram everything into this one proposal. I see this proposal as a chapter of a larger book. Unfortunately, I just want to say, unfortunately, I just don't think the city wants to write the book. This mayor is not going to write a book, but this chapter is still valuable. Critics of the plan have voiced a range of concerns. including skepticism that the plan would do enough to make housing more affordable. In a rally before the hearing,

First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres Springer said, City of Yes was a, quote, generational chance to move the needle. The MTA is rolling out a new anti-violence campaign, reminding transit riders that subway and bus drivers are fellow human beings. New posters are going up in subway stations and on buses with photos of the people behind the will. Demetrius Christlo is the, interim president of New York City Transit. He says it won't stop all violence, but it's a start. It's not going to change those who suffer from mental illness, but it is going to change the

behavior of those who don't see them. They see them for the function that they do, but not for the person that they are. The agency says there have been 30 assaults on MTA workers this year from January through June. That's down from 52 assaults during the same period last year. It's a felony to assault a transit worker. Officials at the Whitney Museum say it'll be free for all visitors 25 and younger, starting in mid-December. It's been free for visitors 18 and younger for more than a decade. This year, it also started offering free admission on Friday evenings and second Sundays. A spokesperson says the free programs have more than doubled the museum's average attendance. That's dropped the average age of the visitor by 10 years and roughly doubled the share of

visitors who are people of color. The new free admission for people 25 and under is intended to expand on that progress as the museum works to build a new generation of visitors. And now a look at your forecast. It's 61 degrees. It'll be mostly sunny today with highs around 74 and partly cloudy sky is expected tonight with the lower round 57. There's a slight chance of sprinkles overnight. Thanks for listening. This is NYC now from WNYC. Be sure to come 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.