NYC NOW - September 27, 2023: Midday News

Episode Date: September 27, 2023

Senator Bob Menendez has pleaded not guilty in federal court today to three counts related to bribery and corruption. Meanwhile Rex Heuermann, the man charged with the Gilgo Beach killings is back in court today two months after his initial arrest for a status hearing. Also, the Adams Administration wants to boost government resources available for the city's nightlife scene. Plus, for the last six years the MTA has allowed a small group of people in the Access-a-Ride program to take as many trips as they want, whenever they want, using an app-based taxi service for $2.75. But last month, the agency killed the program. WNYC’s Stephen Nessen reports on what happened next.

Welcome to NYC Now. Your source for local news in and around New York City from WNYC. It's Wednesday, September 27. Here's the midday news from Lance Lucky. As you've been hearing on WNYC, Senator Bob Menendez has pleaded not guilty in federal court to three counts related to bribery and corruption. Federal prosecutors allege the New Jersey Senator accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars

from three associates. and in exchange leaked sensitive information to Egypt, smoothed the way for aid in arms deals, and tried to interfere with criminal investigations. They say raids on the Menendez House and a safe deposit box last year, seized $550,000 in cash, gold bars, and a Mercedes-convertible.

Menendez says he is innocent and won't resign, despite calls for him to do so by leading Democrats in New Jersey and several Senate colleagues. The man charged with the Gilgo Beach killings is back in court today, two months after he was arrested. Rex Hewerman will be in a New York court for a status hearing where the judge can check in with the attorneys on the status of the upcoming trial.

Hewerman faces three counts of first-degree murder in connection with the killings of three women. He's pleaded not guilty. The Adams administration wants to boost government resources available for the city's nightlife scene. Officials were at City Hall yesterday testifying in favor of moving the Office of Night Live from the mayor's entertainment office to the city's small business services department or SBS. Julie Menon is the city council member. sponsoring the bill. It has become abundantly clear that the resources available through the Department of Small Business Services are better suited to support the needs and growth of this office. SBS officials said they'd be able to help bars, club, and restaurant owners navigate the regulations

and permits necessary to operate in the city. Sixty-one degrees now, just a few clouds in near 65, 55 overnight. This is WNYC. For WNYC, I'm Michael Hill. For the last six years, the MTA has allowed a small group of people in the Access a Ride program to take as many trips as they want whenever they want using an app-based taxi service. Each ride costs $2.75, but last month, the agency killed the program. WNYC Stephen Nesson reports on what happened next. The sun is rising as 41-year-old Christy-Cruy.

Cruz Cullins leaves her Kipps Bay apartment building on her pink-trimmed, motorized wheelchair. How are you? Good morning. This is my family. She's with her husband, Detwan Cullins, who's also in a wheelchair. Their seven-year-old daughter, Trinity, walks alongside them. Our first stop is going to be from here to West 1-29th Street in Harlem. And then... That's where Trinity goes to school. She has to be there at 7.20 a.m. It's more than 100 blocks away, and the nearest accessible subway station is 20 minutes from their home. So Cruz Cullins opens the Uber app on her phone to order a taxi. So currently, they've allocated a driver, and there is a five-minute window for us to wait and have someone pick us up.

Cruz Cullins was one of 1,200 accessory ride users chosen for an MTA pilot in 2017. She got used to taking as many on-demand taxi rides as she wanted for the same cost as a subway ride. But in early August, the MTA changed the rules, saying the program cost too much and served too few people. Now, Cruz Cullins only gets 25 trips per month, and the MTA will only cover the first $40. After that, she has to pay the rest. If we do 25 trips per month for me specifically, we're talking a doctor's appointment, we're talking about getting to work, and we're also talk a mile transporting her to school. So that's not enough. When I speak with Cruz Collins, it's the second week of school, and she's already used about

half her trips for the month. Oh, that's us. Brittany, your hug? Her husband, Dayton, can't join because there are no taxis with room for two wheelchairs. See you later, okay? Safe travels. The driver lowers a ramp and carefully buckles Cruz Collins' wheelchair. Thank you.

MTA officials say they have a good reason for ending the unlimited rides program. Unfortunately, when it was launched, there was really no plan for data collection, no plan for expansion, and no budget set for this pilot. That's the MTA's vice president of paratransit, Chris Pangalienin, speaking at a board meeting in June. So the lack of structure has gotten us to where we are today with the issues that we're trying to address with phase two. Pangelan says the MTA was spending about $16 million a year. And of the 1,200 people in the program, he says about 40 of them were super users spending half the money. Still, it's a drop in the bucket compared to the half a billion dollars the agency spends on paratransit services each year.

Back on our way to Harlem, I asked Cruz Collins how she feels about the change. Angry. Very angry. It was just like, how could you make these changes? I don't think they realize that people with physical disabilities are active in the community. We have lives, we have family, we work every day. Traffic is light, about half an hour, we pull up near Trinity School. Yeah, this is fine. Because if you go farther into the block,

there's no accessible ramp to let me out. Trinity gives her mom a hug and she bounds into school. Cruz Collins now needs to get to her job in downtown Brooklyn from Harlem. Fortunately, she can take the subway. She can take the subway. This is J Street Metro. I check in with Cruz Collins this Monday, as the first full month of limited rides comes to a close.

It turns out she didn't run out of trips, as she feared, but Uber has been boosting prices due to the bad weather. The $40 subsidy for her trip isn't enough for her to get around. So they take public transit. Trinity hitches a ride on Cruz Collins' wheelchair for the 20-minute journey to the nearest subway. station, and they just hope the elevators are in service. Stephen Nesson, WNYC News.

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 podcast. We'll be back this evening.