Adams, NYPD offer cash rewards after Central Park monuments vandalized during protests

Plus: It's time to get Real IDs [View this email in a browser.]( Gothamist relies on your support to make local news available to all. Not yet a member? [Consider donating and join today.]( [Adams, NYPD offer cash rewards after Central Park monuments vandalized during protests]( [first image]( [Today's newsletter is curated by James Ramsay]( Weather: 🌧️ Rain early, then more showers and thunderstorms possible this afternoon, with highs in the mid 80s. It's Wednesday in New York City, where Mayor Eric Adams has pledged $5,000 of his own money as a reward for information that leads to the arrest of people accused of vandalism during pro-Palestinian protests this week. Adams, who suggested that the [demonstrators who wrote graffiti on two Central Park monuments]( hate America, said his award will be combined with $10,000 from the NYPD and Crime Stoppers. Here's what else is happening: - A [16-year-old boy was fatally shot]( in SoHo on Tuesday afternoon, the NYPD said. - The New York State DMV said [less than half of New Yorkers]( have received the new federally-required Real IDs ahead of the May 7, 2025 deadline. - Two state lawmakers say they're introducing a bill to expand New York's just-approved basement legalization plan after the current pilot program doesn't include much of Queens, [where 40% of the city's basement units are located](. - A judge in Western New York yesterday knocked a proposal known as the Equal Rights Amendment — which would add new constitutional protections for reproductive rights and against discrimination — [off the state's November ballot](. (Supporters of the measure are expected to appeal.) - The teachers union said yesterday that hundreds of New York City public schools have enough space to shrink class sizes to comply with a new state law — [provided that Mayor Adams hires several thousand new instructors](. - A Queens man accused of fatally shooting NYPD Detective Johnathan Diller in March has [pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges](. - New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy wants to tax the richest corporations in New Jersey to save NJ Transit but is hitting resistance in the state Legislature. We'll ask him about that and the student protests around New Jersey, [tonight on "Ask Governor Murphy" at 7 p.m. on WNYC](. - We'll also take your questions for the governor — [submit them using this form](. - A federal judge yesterday ordered New York City officials to [come up with a plan over the next two weeks]( to finally make half of the city's yellow cabs wheelchair accessible — something that was supposed to be accomplished by 2020 under the terms of a settlement. - Manhattan prosecutors are dropping charges for video game streamer Kai Cenat for allegedly inciting a riot in Union Square with his Playstation giveaway last summer after [Cenat posted an apology on Snapchat]( and paid $55,000 in restitution. - [Here's a satisfying time-lapse video]( of road crews cleaning up I-95 in Connecticut after a fuel truck caught fire and wrecked the interstate last week. - In other Connecticut news, meet the Darien college student who may or may not be informing the FBI after facing charges of [running a multimillion-dollar UPS return fraud scheme](. - Newsday has a good piece honoring the [grand and sometimes mafia-adjacent banquet halls]( of Long Island. - Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard said he [listened to "New York State of Mind" on repeat]( while running a 100k trail race in Oregon. - ...should've gone with Baby Lasagna's "[Rim Tim Tagi Dim]( in our opinion. - The hairless Sphynx cat: here for a weird time, [not for a long time](. - 👟 Do you run in New York City — and have advice for those looking to start? [Gothamist wants to hear from you for a story]( [“In spite of the unpopular notion that people don't want to say it, I want to say it: I love America.”]( - Mayor Eric Adams responding to [GRAFFITI BY PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTERS IN CENTRAL PARK]( More from Gothamist [second image]( ['It's very hard': Businesses near Columbia University are taking a hit]( Interviews at more than 10 stores, restaurants and street carts on the blocks surrounding the Morningside Heights campus revealed that street closures, police activity and tight restrictions on access to university buildings have caused a drop in income for many local vendors. [Meet some of the NYC Catholics who want to change the Church]( Although their Sunday Mass wouldn’t pass muster with the Vatican, Call to Action's services represent the kind of Catholic Church they hope to see one day: one that advocates for all marginalized people, openly welcomes gay and transgender parishioners, and encourages female leadership. [We Rely On Your Support]( [‘I regret it': NY Gov. Hochul says she ‘misspoke’ about Black kids in the Bronx]( “Right now, we have young Black kids growing up in the Bronx who don’t even know what the word 'computer' is,” the governor said on Monday during a moderated discussion at a Milken Institute conference in Los Angeles. [WNYC will cohost New Jersey Senate Democratic primary debate on May 13]( Candidates Patricia Campos-Medina, Larry Hamm, and Rep. Andy Kim will face off in a debate moderated by WNYC's Michael Hill. The event begins at 6 p.m., with video livestreamed at wnyc.org. [Instagram]( [Instagram]( [Facebook]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Twitter]( [New York Public Radio] [WNYC]( | [WQXR]( | [NJPR]( | [GOTHAMIST]( [WNYC STUDIOS]( | [THE GREENE SPACE]( Copyright © New York Public Radio. All rights reserved. 160 Varick Street, New York, NY 10013 [TERMS OF USE]( You can update your [PREFERENCES]( or [UNSUBSCRIBE]( from this list.