WORLD WORLDWIDE US USA - New York NY - New York City NYC - the city - THE CITY - Online news journal UPDATE - Quest for a Bronx birthing center, AI chatbot still public

 

Dear New Yorkers,

Eight years after New York passed a law intended to create birthing centers — alternatives to hospital labor and delivery — the borough with the city’s worst worst maternal mortality and morbidity rates still lacks one.

“Birthing centers exist in other parts of the city. And guess what? They work,” Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson said in her 2023 State of the Borough address. She vowed to “create a Bronx birthing center to achieve the health equity and the justice that we know that our women deserve.”

At these freestanding facilities, people with low-risk pregnancies can have babies and receive holistic pre- and post-natal care in an alternative to a hospital ward. And the need for more maternal care options looms large in The Bronx, where the childbirth deaths of Amber Rose Isaac and Elaina Boone in borough hospitals have brought widespread attention.

But more than a year after Gibson’s announcement, there’s still no birthing center in the borough and advocates say there isn’t much progress toward opening one.

Read more about why Bronx residents and the doulas who work with them are seeking more birthing options in The Bronx here.

Weather scoop by New York Metro Weather Wednesday's Weather Rating: 0/10. HORRENDOUS weather continues, with rain (occasionally heavy), and temperatures only reaching the mid-40s. Strong wind gusts up to 60 mph are possible tonight. If there is a redeeming quality to this day, I can't find it. There are no vibes.

Our Other Top Stories

Last week, an investigation by The Markup, co-published with THE CITY, revealed that a New York City government AI chatbot that was launched to great fanfare last fall frequently advises businesses to break the law. Yesterday, Mayor Eric Adams said the chatbot would remain public — even while, since last week’s investigation, its website has been quietly updated with disclaimers about its accuracy. A top advisor to the mayor, meanwhile, compared the technology to the early days of MapQuest: “Bad things were happening,” she said. “But now MapQuest is almost perfected. Same thing.” On the latest episode of FAQ NYC, Albert Fox Cahn of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project details the problems with the mayor’s plan to deploy “weapons detectors” (which are really just metal tube detectors) in the subway system. Plus, the hosts discuss the NYPD’s hyper-aggressive new approach to its perceived enemies on social media, and more. Listen here. The presidential primary is done — but wait, there’s more! The next election date, June 25, is for primaries for all state-level seats — the state Assembly and Senate — as well as Congressional contests.

Reporter’s Notebook

Shut Flushing Pool Strands Swimmers Again

The Flushing Meadows Corona Park Aquatic Center has closed for renovations — again.

When the Olympic-caliber pool reopened in early 2023, after a three-year closure that was supposed to last “at least six weeks,” Department of Parks and Recreation officials anticipated that the $67 million facility would close again in 2025 for repairs on its crumbling roof.

But the center suddenly shut its doors Sunday for repairs to an entirely different problem: faulty panels on the pool’s movable floor. The Department told the Queens Chronicle last week that the pool will now be closed for at least six weeks for the movable floor repairs.

— Haidee Chu

MTA Looking for Company in Grand Central

More than a year after the opening of the Long Island Rail Road’s new East Midtown hub, the MTA is ramping up its search for tenants in the retail corridor deep beneath Grand Central Terminal.

The transit agency on Tuesday issued a request for proposals for a developer to fill and operate the 25,000-square-foot retail concourse that has remained largely vacant since Grand Central Madison opened in January 2023.

“This is the moment to go back out to the retail world and say, ‘Let’s do business,’” said Janno Lieber, MTA chairman and CEO, pointing to weekday ridership that has grown to 66,000 at the station carved out 150 feet beneath Grand Central Terminal.

The 32 retail units connecting to two levels of tracks have remained empty, with just a few carts in the corridor selling coffee and cupcakes, Lieber said, as retailers waited to see how post-pandemic ridership would develop. Construction on the 700,000 square-foot rail hub was nearing completion when COVID hit.

— Jose Martinez

Things To Do

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

Saturday, April 6: First Saturday, featuring a celebration of National Poetry Month with music, artists and activists. Free from 5 to 10 p.m. at the Brooklyn Museum. Saturday, April 6: Nature in the City, a celebration and exploration of the way NYC’s landscape has changed over time. Free with admission from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Museum of the City of New York. Monday, April 8: Watching the solar eclipse in NYC? Try Green-wood Cemetery, which is hosting a celebration with astronomers, music and food vendors or the many viewing events hosted by Urban Park Rangers across the boroughs, all starting at 1:30 p.m. Don’t forget your glasses!

THE KICKER: Start getting your team together for a citywide scavenger hunt hosted by the Street Vendor Project, to take place in May across the boroughs. Registration is open now.

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

Love,

THE CITY

PS. Love THE CITY? Our nonprofit newsroom runs on support from readers like you. Donate here.

Want to view Scoop in your web browser? Click here.

THE CITY's work is made possible, in part, through the support of our sponsors. Interested in becoming a sponsor of THE CITY? Contact us here.  Copyright © 2024 THE CITY, All rights reserved.