Fireworks or gunshots? Here's how to tell the difference

Plus: A parking ticket scam that's too good to be true [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.]( [Was that bang a gunshot or a firework? How New Yorkers can tell the difference.]( [first image]( [Today's newsletter is curated by James Ramsay]( Weather: ☀️ Sunny, highs in the lower 80s. It's Wednesday in New York City, where we've reached peak loud-bang-outside-your-window season. Here's what a chemist specializing in explosives told us about [how to tell the difference]( between the sound of a gunshot (shorter, "sharper") and your neighbor setting off fireworks ("“a cacophony of sound"). And here's what else is happening: - Planning on leaving New York City for the 4th of July? Today at 2 p.m. will likely be [the worst time to hit the road](. - If you're staying in town, [here are the best spots]( to watch tomorrow night's fireworks. - City officials are warning the public about a text message scam that seeks to trick people into paying a fine you'll find laughable: [a $2.50 parking ticket](. - Police said a man was [stabbed and killed]( in the Bronx Tuesday afternoon after his friend got into a car crash and he tried to intervene in the ensuing fight. - The city’s new budget includes $15 million for a program to help nonprofit groups and other "mission-driven" developers buy rundown apartment buildings and [keep the units affordable and rent-stabilized](. - State lawmakers are considering reducing the $15 base fee for congestion pricing in order to convince Gov. Kathy Hochul to unfreeze the program — but experts say that process [could be moot if former President Donald Trump returns to the White House]( and makes good on his promise to kill the tolls. - [Here's what's at stake in the disciplinary trial]( for NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey, who's accused of abusing his authority when he intervened in the arrest of a retired officer who allegedly chased a group of boys with a gun. - A Manhattan appeals court ruled yesterday to disbar Rudy Giuliani for making "demonstrably false and misleading statements" while representing former President Trump in legal challenges to the 2020 election. - New York City’s Board of Elections improperly gave unearned annual leave and unjustified sick leave to one of the agency’s former lawyers who pleaded guilty in 2022 to [allegations that he made interns wrestle shirtless with him]( according to a new Department of Investigation report. - More than 1,400 people showed up at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens last month for [tryouts to become a ball-getter]( at this year's U.S. Open. 500 elite scramblers made the cut. - Staten Island has recorded [a spike in overdoses]( from Xylazine, an animal tranquilizer that's sometimes mixed with fentanyl to make the high last longer. - At a Pride concert in New York City last weekend, [someone allegedly booed]( JoJo Siwa, who responded, "Who the living f**k just booed me? Where the f**k did that come from? Which one of you? Respectfully, f**k you." - Climate change is making New Jersey [especially hot](. - A flight from Detroit to Amsterdam had to land at JFK Airport yesterday after [passengers were served spoiled food](. - Donald Trump's sentencing in his New York hush-money case, which was previously scheduled for July 11, has been delayed after the Supreme Court [ruled that presidents have immunity from prosecution]( for certain official acts. - President Joe Biden is saying [jet lag]( made him forget what he was talking about during last week's debate. - The CEO of Ford is urging Americans to stop obsessing over "monster vehicles" and ["get back in love" with smaller cars]( because the former are too heavy to operate as electric vehicles. - Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is [denying claims that he ate a barbecued dog]( saying it was, in fact, a goat. [“No one gets an NYC parking ticket for $2.50.”]( - A Reddit user on the "smishing" scam that's asking New Yorkers to [PAY A NOMINAL AMOUNT TO CLEAR a supposed PARKING balance]( More from Gothamist [second image]( ['I wonder if it's all worth it': A competitive eater reflects on his 23-year career]( On the eve of the annual Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, veteran pro eater and "food stuntman" Crazy Legs Conti considers what he has left to prove. [At a Queens school, migrant kids gain melodies, and respite from trauma]( In an academic year in which tens of thousands of migrant kids entered the New York City public school system, a musical education and therapy program is helping the newcomers forge new friendships and feel at home in their adopted communities. [We Rely On Your Support]( [Manhattan used to have a ‘Little Syria.’ A new tour revisits the enclave.]( Asad Dandia, a New York native and tour guide at the Museum of the City of New York, worked with local historians, preservationists and residents to unearth some of the forgotten history of the "Lower West Side" and its former "Little Syria" enclave. [You can swim for free at NY state parks this summer]( The state is waiving entry fees for swimming pools at state parks across New York for the rest of the season as part of a new "Get Offline, Get Outside" campaign meant to encourage kids to play outdoors. [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.