WORLD WORLDWIDE USA New York NY New York City NYC thecity THE CITY News Journal Update - THE CITY SCOOP: Con Ed Asks New Yorkers to Conserve Energy During Heat Wave

 

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If you know anyone who might like this newsletter, send it to them. If this was sent to you by someone else, subscribe here — it's free!  Dear New Yorkers, Yesterday, Con Ed reached out to customers with a request to limit energy use between 2  and 10 p.m. That’s to avoid outages as New Yorkers blast their air conditioners and strain the grid. The heat, along with high demand for electricity, can overtax the equipment in Con Ed’s system. In times of extreme heat, there’s not a lot of leeway. Air conditioning is necessary to stay healthy and comfortable during the hottest days. But bumping up the temperature in your apartment a few degrees and holding off on running power-guzzling appliances can help ensure the electricity system’s reliability. “We recommend setting your air conditioner units to 78 degrees or the lowest of the cool settings,” New York City Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol said Thursday. Fun fact if you’re looking for alternative ways to beat the heat: While it’s technically illegal to bust open the fire hydrant on your block, the legal way is to get the FDNY to do it for you. You can put in a request to open a hydrant and if it's approved, a member of the fire department will come to fit itwith a spray cap and return that same day to close it up.  To request a spray cap fitting, go down to a firehouse and fill out a short form. You can find your nearest firehouse on the 311 Firehouses page. You must be over 18 years old and bring your ID with you. The FDNY told THE CITY it has distributed more than 1,400 spray caps so far this year. Read more here. Some other items of note: Do you have questions about preparing for climate change and extreme weather in New York City? Join THE CITY at our next Open Newsroom event on Thursday, August 3, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Queens Public Library. A panel of experts will be there to answer your questions. Can’t make it? We got you. Email your questions to ask@thecity.nyc with “CLIMATE” in the subject line and we’ll send answers. You can also share your stories and photos with the team here.  Gov. Kathy Hochul announced heightened affordable housing goals yesterday for the first residential tower at the World Trade Center, after local advocates pressed for more low-rent apartments at the publicly owned site. Hochul said that one-third of the 1,200 units planned for a 900-foot-tall high-rise dubbed 5WTC will be set aside at below-market-rate rents. They are for applicants earning between 40% and 120% of the New York area’s median income — or between $50,840 and $152,520 for a current household of three.  Carecube, a Brooklyn-based physicians group that charged some people $100 for COVID-19 tests that should have been free during the height of the pandemic, has reached a settlement with New York State that ensures those people will get refunds. “This predatory behavior was unjust and illegal, and I am pleased that New Yorkers who were wrongfully charged will get their money back,” Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. A United Federation of Teachers chapter representing school therapists stood alone in rejecting its union’s tentative contract agreement with Mayor Eric Adams earlier this month — and now says UFT leadership is pressuring it to accept the deal in a revote. Hey, Scoop subscribers: We’re a small nonprofit newsroom and could use your help in figuring out how best to serve you. Your insights aid our mission in helping New Yorkers across the five boroughs engage in civic life. Consider taking our 10-minute survey — and helping shape the future of our newsroom. As an added incentive, we’re giving a $100 gift card for Bluestockings Cooperative Bookstore to one respondent. For the latest local numbers on COVID-19 hospitalizations, positivity rates and more, check our coronavirus tracker.  Weather scoop by New York Metro Weather Friday's Weather Rating: 2/10. An excessive heat warning remains in effect for heat index values near 100° F later today. It is slightly less terrible than yesterday — with no storms and marginally improved humidity — but still mostly terrible outside. The vibes remain low. Things To Do Here’s what’s going on around the city this week. Saturday, July 29: Learn to ride a bike in Van Cortlandt Park, at a free event hosted by the Parks Department. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free.  Saturday, July 29 and Sunday, July 30: The 12th annual New York City Poetry Festival, featuring headliners Danez Smith, Franny Choi, Saeed Jones and torrin a. greathouse. Governors Island, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days. Free or sliding scale.  Sunday, July 30: Latin American Foto Festival Closing Block Party. Portraits, exhibition tours in English and Spanish, family-friendly activities and games, face painting, arts and crafts, sports, and more. Bronx Documentary Center, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Free. THE KICKER: “If you live with a devil, you find out there’s a god” — Sinead O’Conner, who died this week at 56. The words are featured in an artists’ tribute to the late, legendary Irish singer on Great Jones Street in Lower Manhattan. Thanks, as always, for reading. Make it a great Friday. Love, THE CITY P.S. If you liked something about today's newsletter, or didn't, let us know at zshah@thecity.nyc