NYC NOW

It’s Primary Day in New York City, with voters casting ballots for mayor, public advocate, city council and more. WNYC’s Brittany Kriegstein is reporting from Brooklyn Borough Hall. Meanwhile, the Adams administration is reversing course on a controversial plan to build affordable senior housing on the Elizabeth Street Garden site. First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro says the city will pursue alternative locations instead.

Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers have already voted ahead of Tuesday’s Democratic Primary Election. Plus, the MTA says it collected $61 million from drivers through its congestion pricing program in May. Also, Mayor Adams announces a new strategy in the city’s war on rats. And finally, a nonprofit-run workforce development program is helping to give people with criminal records a second chance as bike mechanics.

New York City is entering its first heat wave of the summer season, with temperatures expected to remain dangerously high through the week. Meanwhile, the Adams administration is dropping its plan to build housing on the Elizabeth Street Garden, preserving the green space and seeking alternative development sites. Plus, with Primary Day tomorrow, candidates for mayor, comptroller, and public advocate are making their final appeals to voters after record early turnout. WNYC’s Brian Lehrer and senior politics reporter Brigid Bergin have the latest.

New York City is under an extreme heat warning as Primary Day approaches Tuesday, with temperatures expected to top 100 degrees. Officials are urging residents to stay indoors and check on neighbors. Meanwhile, Governor Kathy Hochul has ordered state agencies to stay on high alert after U.S. airstrikes on Iran over the weekend. Plus, major overnight road work begins on the FDR Drive uptown Tuesday night, lasting through mid-August.

While gun violence has risen in public housing across much of New York City this year, East Harlem is bucking the trend. Shootings in the neighborhood’s NYCHA complexes have dropped 30% since 2023, compared to just 7% citywide. WNYC’s Brittany Kriegstein reports on the coalition of police, nonprofits, and community members working together to keep violence down, and why that progress remains fragile.

A federal judge says he’ll order that activist Mahmoud Khalil be released from immigration detention. Plus, New Yorkers are voting early at a rate that experts say may signal a transformative shift in the electorate. Also, a bill has passed in the New York City Council that would require the parks department to install at least 50 new outdoor drinking fountains over the next decade. And finally, NYCHA and a pair of developers are awaiting final approval from the federal government. After that, residents of a senior apartment building will have 90 days to move.

Governor Hochul is urging voters to head to the polls this weekend before dangerous heat hits early next week. Meanwhile, police are investigating threats made against mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. And with the mayoral primary just days away, WNYC’s Brittany Kriegstein spoke with all nine leading Democratic candidates about how they would approach crime and public safety.

A new lawsuit alleges correction officers at Mid-State Correctional Facility beat Harlem resident Messiah Nantwi to death while he was handcuffed, and failed to activate required body cameras. Meanwhile, mayors across New York, including Eric Adams, are pushing back on a bill passed by state lawmakers that limits their ability to block ballot measures. Finally, the Spring Starfest in Brooklyn invites New Yorkers to view distant galaxies through expert-operated telescopes.

Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani is facing backlash for not denouncing the slogan “globalize the intifada,” which critics say promotes violence against Jews. Meanwhile, new details have emerged about Derlis Chusin Toaquiza, a 19-year-old Queens high school student detained by ICE at an immigration court hearing. His legal team says he has no criminal record and was preparing for exams and school activities. Also, an environmental group is pushing for a new policy that’ll allow visitors to swim at the city’s newest beach, if the water is good. And finally, New York City officials are urging residents to prepare for the first serious heat wave forecasted to move in early next week.

A major rezoning of Midtown Manhattan is moving forward after the City Planning Commission approved it. Plus, legislators watered down consumer protection bills before leaving Albany for the year. And finally, progressive candidate Zohran Mamdani’s campaign has been aggressively courting Muslim and South Asian New Yorkers.