WORLD WORLDWIDE USA New York NY New York City NYC the city THE CITY News Journal Update - THE CITY SCOOP: New Yorkers Agonize as Israel Goes to War With Hamas

 

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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, A CUNY professor born in Israel is worrying about a relative taken hostage by Hamas — and about whether or not she should return to care for her elderly parents. “What is the right thing to do and is there a right thing to do?” she wondered. “I feel very hopeless.” A Palestinian American says her family members in the West Bank can’t speak for fear of being surveilled — and that she was harassed and cursed at this week for being on the street with a Palestinian flag: I’ve been called a terrorist sympathizer whenever I just say Palestinians have the right to exist.”   As Israel, reeling from an unprecedented terror attack, begins a war in the Gaza Strip, New Yorkers with family ties in the region are mourning what’s happened and fearful for what’s next. Read more here.  In other news: City Extends Rat-Proof Garbage Bin Rule to Small Buildings Nearly all residential building owners will have to put their trash into rat-proof containers as Mayor Eric Adams continues to fight his biggest enemy: rats. The new requirement, announced Wednesday by the mayor and Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch but not set to kick in until next fall, applies to any residential building with nine or fewer units. The city is looking for a company to provide the official “NYC Bins” that would be required by the summer of 2026. The change is the latest tactic in Adams’ war on rodents, along with requiring residential trash be put out a later time and making all restaurants and other food sellers put their garbage in rat-proof containers.  Officials on Wednesday said the changes have cut rat complaints to 311 by 20% compared to last summer — although rat sightings hit an all-time high last year after increasing significantly in the pandemic. — Katie Honan Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Victims Honored With Memorial On Wednesday, hundreds of workers, families of survivors, and public officials gathered at a solemn ceremony in the West Village to unveil the long-awaited memorial to the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, which killed 146 garment workers in one of the worst industrial disasters in American history. Located on the building where the fire broke out on the corner of Washington Pl. and Greene St., large metal slabs bearing the names and ages of the victims reflect on mirrored panels on the sidewalk below. Most of the fire’s victims were immigrant young women and girls who labored long hours at the factory for as little as $7 a week. When a lit cigarette ignited a major fire, many of the factory’s roughly 500 workers were trapped: the owners kept fire escape doors locked to prevent breaks and thefts. Some of the victims jumped to their deaths rather than remain in the inferno.  The disaster marked a turning point for workers’ rights in the nation, leading to new standards for factories, fire safety and more. “Today’s dedication is a way to honor those workers who inspired those changes,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Julie Su. – Claudia Irizarry Aponte Some other items of note: Gov. Kathy Hochul has enthusiastically embraced Mayor Eric Adams push to temporarily suspend the city’s decades-old right to shelter — a change the Legal Aid Society warns would “decimate… protections that have defined our city and served as a lifeline for New Yorkers in need.”   The city’s commitment to upgrading or installing pedestrian sidewalk ramps at every street corner in the five boroughs — as required by federal law — is facing some setbacks. The discovery of ramp-free locations that were not previously identified, along with pandemic-driven construction delays, officials say, have combined to push back the completion dates agreed to in a 2019 settlement of two class-action lawsuits that charged the city with not making streets and sidewalks accessible to people with disabilities. In her harshest rebuke of the city's jails to date, U.S. District Court Judge Laura Taylor Swain, who could appoint a receiver to take control of them, wrote that Correction Commissioner Louis Molina's interference with a federal monitor was "unacceptable," warned him and his staff that "they must not interfere with, attempt to influence, or otherwise threaten the Monitor" and gave City Hall one week "to devise a plan that can be implemented immediately to ameliorate the unacceptable levels of harm in the New York City jails." Her order came after the monitor's most recent report found that the "jails remain dangerous and unsafe," with conditions that "have only worsened” on Molina's watch as he's tried to cover them up rather than improve them. Weather scoop by New York Metro Weather Thursday's Weather Rating: 10/10. BACK TO BACK!! Another beauty, with high temperatures near 70 and gorgeous sunshine. Low dew points and a nice breeze will have it feeling great out there all day long. The vibes are immaculate yet again!! Things To Do Here’s what’s going on around the city this week. Friday, Oct. 13: Mi Parque Mi Tierra exhibition features nearly two dozen artworks that explore Latino identity, and the many ways New Yorkers use city parks. Free at the Arsenal Gallery. Saturday, Oct. 14: Autumn Starfest, The Amateur Astronomers Association will host its annual fall stargazing event. Join them in the day to catch a partial solar eclipse and later that night to marvel at the stars and planets. Free in Central Park.  Saturday, Oct. 14: Harlem New York African Restaurant Week, Taste cuisine from across the diaspora and vote for which vendor has the best jollof rice dish. Free general admission with voting tickets starting at $17.74. THE KICKER: Maybe this is one way to get kids away from screens? A new bill backed by Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James would require New Yorkers under the age of 18 to  get parental consent before accessing social media sites — like Facebook, TikTok and YouTube — that use algorithms to create a personalized feed for each user.  Thanks, as always, for reading. Make it a great Thursday. Love, THE CITY P.S. Love THE CITY? Our nonprofit newsroom runs on support from readers like you. Donate here.

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