WORLD WORLDWIDE USA New York NY New York City NYC thecity THE CITY News Journal Update - THE CITY SCOOP: ‘Batman Killer’ Conviction Voided — Now He’s Suing

 

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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, When Ricardo Jimenez was freed from state prison last July after serving 16 years as the so-called “‘Batman’ killer,” his wife and one of his sons greeted him at the gate. “We all started crying in the car like three babies,” he told THE CITY. “Seeing that sun, it was a whole different story.” Jimenez’s release was the culmination of a saga spanning more than three decades. He served those years for the 1989 Bronx murder at a multiplex sparked by a fight over popcorn before a midnight “Batman” screening. Its latest twist? A federal lawsuit filed yesterday that accuses the Bronx district attorney and NYPD detectives of relying on the testimonies of a key witness doing a lengthy stint in federal prison and a jailhouse informant to wrongfully put Jimenez behind bars. “These jailhouse informants know how the system goes,” Jimenez added. “They know how to work it.” Former Bronx DA Robert Johnson and current Bronx DA Darcel Clark repeatedly opposed his appeals despite evidence showing most witnesses interviewed identified someone who looked very different from Jimenez.  Read more here. In other news: New Safety Plan Proposed for McGuinness Boulevard A plan to implement safety redesigns on McGuinness Boulevard in Greenpoint inched ahead Monday after the Department of Transportation’s plan for the street got kicked back to the drawing board under pressure from City Hall chief of staff Ingrid Lewis-Martin and a community group with ties to the powerful, politically connected Argento family. On Monday, DOT and other city officials presented a revamped vision for the street to a handful of Greenpoint residents and community advocates, THE CITY has learned. The new plan combines parts of two proposals first presented to the local community board last year. Members of two feuding groups with alternative views for the street were present — Make McGuinness Safe and Keep McGuinness Moving. Leaving the dangerous street as is, DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez told those gathered, is not an option. — Gwynne Hogan City Nurses Poised to Get Raises City Health + Hospitals nurses are poised for a big raise this year. On Monday, an arbitrator awarded NYSNA nurses working at city hospitals a five-year contract guaranteeing roughly $32,000 in raises for full-time nurses — putting them on par with their peers in the private sector. The contract, which is pending an endorsement by the union members, also streamlines staffing ratio enforcement rules and creates a “pool” system to reduce the city’s reliance on travel nurses. “I was elated. I was emotional,” Alizia McMeyers, a NYSNA H+H executive council member and registered nurse, told THE CITY. “Because many people did not believe that this would be a win. And we are very grateful that this was such a huge win.”  — Claudia Irizarry Aponte Some other items of note: Delivery workers have filed lawsuits against DoorDash, claiming that their wages have been withheld. The 13 cases submitted in the past week to the city Department of Consumer and Worker Protection fall under a new law requiring weekly payments. Workers say they have been unfairly locked out of their accounts. The Port Authority Bus Terminal’s much-awaited multibillion-dollar makeover will lead to at least one loss: Astro’s Community Dog Run, tucked alongside a bus ramp overpass west of the intersection of 10th Avenue and West 39th Street. It has been a sanctuary for dogs and their owners for about 25 years. Members paid a modest annual fee to receive a key to the volunteer-managed wedge of open space. It is now set to close by the end of the year. In the latest episode of the FAQ NYC podcast, hosts Christina Greer and Harry Siegel dig into New York City’s collapsing right to shelter, the unlikely companies the Adams administration is paying to provide services to migrants, and much more from another jam-packed week in the five boroughs. 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, Aug. 3, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Queens Public Library’s central branch. 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. 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 Wednesday's Weather Rating: 10/10. WE CAN'T BE STOPPED! High temps in the low 80s, very comfortable dew points and lots of sunshine with a light breeze. Again. Clouds and humidity start to increase tonight, but we'll deal with that later. The vibes are still immaculate out there! Things To Do Here’s what’s going on around the city this week. Friday, Aug. 4: Singer-songwriter Indigo De Souza performs in the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! concert series with opener Vundabar. Lena Horne Bandshell, Prospect Park. Doors open 6:30 p.m. and the show starts at 7:30 p.m. Free. Sunday, Aug. 6: Last day to catch the Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park production of “Hamlet” at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Ticket information here. Free. Sunday, Aug. 6: An outdoor screening of “Wakanda Forever.” Dr. Charles R. Drew Park, Queens, 8:45 p.m. Free. THE KICKER: A new, design-focused high school — launched with the Pratt Institute and Bank Street College of Education — is opening in Downtown Brooklyn this year. The new school is public and part of District 13. Thanks, as always, for reading. Make it a great Wednesday. Love, THE CITY P.S. 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