WORLD WORLDWIDE USA New York NY New York City NYC the city THE CITY News Journal Update - E-bike fires, Council overrides vetoes, NYCID walk-ins

 

Dear New Yorkers,

Hazardous e-bike batteries are being charged and repaired in residential buildings across the boroughs.

Examining FDNY data on the locations of these fires, THE CITY found that they often erupt within structures where people live.

That’s backed up by recent inspections. Last June, the day after a raging fire caused by exploding lithium-ion batteries killed four residents living above a Chinatown e-bike shop, FDNY inspectors began spot-checking locations where multiple e-bikes were being charged and stored across the city.

What they discovered was disturbing: three out of four e-bike charging locations cited for dangerous conditions were within residential buildings. Often, multiple batteries were being improperly charged on floors just below where residents live and sleep.

They found batteries plugged into extension cords. Dozens of batteries charging in one spot. Retail stores without required fire suppression systems.

As the number of e-bikes and e-scooters in New York City multiplied during and after the pandemic, the number of fires triggered by the lithium-ion batteries that power these devices rose dramatically from 30 in 2019 to 268 in 2023.

Read more about the fires, and see where they’re located across the five boroughs, here. And you can find THE CITY’s guide to safely charging e-bike batteries — including downloadable fliers in Spanish and English to help keep your neighbors safe — here.

Weather scoop by New York Metro Weather Wednesday's Weather Rating: 3/10. This may shock you, but it's cloudy once again. Drizzle clears out this morning but clouds remain, with high temperatures near 40° F. An isolated ray of sunshine is possible near sunset. The vibes remain gloomy.

Our Other Top Stories

Yesterday, the City Council voted overwhelmingly to override Mayor Eric Adams’ vetoes of two bills — one to ban solitary confinement in jails and another to require more NYPD reporting. After a weeks-long public campaign by Adams to keep them from becoming law, the Council overrode both of his vetoes on 42 to 9 votes, easily clearing the two-thirds support needed. New York City’s Department of Social Services canceled all walk-in appointments to get IDNYCs after migrants queued up in long lines. In some instances, they waited overnight in frigid temperatures for a card. One employee said more than 200 people had snaked around the block each night for weeks hoping to get a walk-in appointment, with some even setting up tents for warmth. The employee said they often encounter people confused about what the ID can be used for: “The message they hear is more like, ‘You need this to succeed here.” But as of Tuesday, there were no available appointments — and some worried that the English-only website would be difficult for new arrivals to navigate.

Things To Do

Here’s what’s going on around the city this week.

Thursday, Feb. 1: The opening reception for The Ways of Langston Hughes: Griff Davis and Black Artists in the Making, an ongoing New York Public Library exhibition of photographs of Langston Hughes with students, writers, visual artists and performers. Free from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. Saturday, Feb. 3: Hands-on History: Victorian Valentines, an arts-and-crafts event for all ages that uses reproductions of historic patterns in Valentine’s Day card-making. Free from 1 to 4 p.m. at King Manor Museum in Rufus King Park in Queens. Saturday, Feb. 3: An in-person book giveaway for anyone over the age of 10. Free (pre-registration required) from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Brooklyn Book Bodega.

THE KICKER: The Brooklyn Museum has a newly renovated educational center for its classes and community programs, reports BK Reader.

Thanks, as always, for reading. Make it a great Wednesday.

Love,

THE CITY

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