Why oysters aren't surviving in New York Harbor

Also, NYC's new effort to prevent youth homelessness. [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.]( [Effort to restore NY Harbor's oyster population encounters problem: They keep dying]( [first image]( [Today's newsletter curated by Emily Nadal]( Weather: ☀️☁️☔ We have several potential weather conditions in store for us today: cloudy, sunny, maybe a little rain? Expect a high of 87 degrees. It’s Friday morning in New York City where [oysters in New York Harbor keep dying.]( Ever wonder how Pearl Street in Manhattan got its name? It’s an ode to a time in the city where oysters were abundant in our waters, and oyster shells paved the city’s streets. That oyster population was all but gone before the folks at the Hudson River Park Trust and Billion Oyster Project started working to restore it as a way to purify the city’s waterways. But they’re facing a problem: many of the oysters placed in the water don’t survive. Much of the oyster death can be attributed to pollution, cold winters and predators. But one of the biggest challenges to the project is that oysters tend to flourish in the presence of other oysters, and there just aren’t enough of them to be a self-sustaining population yet. Here’s what else is happening: - NYC launched a new program which [provides one-time payments for young people]( to pay overdue rent or find new living arrangements in an effort to prevent youth homelessness. - A potentially drunk driver [plowed into a Lower East Side park]( last night, killing three people and injuring eight others. - Three New York state entities, the MTA, Riverbank State Park, and the Port Authority, top the list of customers who are [seriously delinquent on water bills](. Together, they owe a whopping $76.5 million in overdue payments. - This year’s Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest champion is [Patrick "Pat" Bertoletti]( from Chicago who took home the coveted Mustard Belt by eating 58 hot dogs in 10 minutes. - A fellow New Yorker won the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest women’s division competition. [Miki Sudo ate 51 hot dogs]( and buns in 10 minutes, setting a new record. - Mayor Eric Adams wasn’t too happy with the state of Times Square when he last visited the area. So earlier this week, [he vowed to improve it.]( - Covid cases in New York are on the rise. The city averaged nearly 700 cases a day during the week ending on June 22. [Here’s what else you need to know.]( - It’s been a year since the launch of Threads, Meta’s answer to Elon Musk’s X. But the platform is [still struggling to establish a distinct identity]( and attract content creators. - The entire 11-member congressional delegation of New Jersey is [urging the federal government to investigate]( a number of commuter meltdowns NJ Transit and Amtrak riders have experienced recently. - Speaking of New Jersey’s congressional delegation, there are [11 Democrats running]( in a special primary election on July 18 to replace the late Rep. Donald Payne Jr. - A new protected bike lane on Washington Bridge, which connects Manhattan to the Bronx, [just opened]( after many construction delays. - July 4 may be over, but that doesn’t mean fireworks are stopping in the city. [Here are some tips to help keep your dog calm.]( - Romantasy books, or novels that combine romance and fantasy, [are really hot right now]( with many readers getting into the genre with the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. - "There's no good answer to the cat dilemma,” [says one bioethicist]( in regard to whether cats belong outside on leashes. - One way to [deter carjackers]( may be to get a stick shift vehicle. [“There are challenges of just working in the most urban estuary on the planet with a lot of boat traffic, pollution, zero visibility and a lot of strong currents."]( - Meredith Comi, coastal resilience and restoration practitioner for the Urban Coast Institute at Monmouth University, on [THE CHALLENGES OF RESTORING NYC'S OYSTER POPULATION.]( More from Gothamist [second image]( [Electric Citi Bike rides are about to get pricier, company announces]( Lyft, the parent company, said it didn’t factor in some changes to costs when it set rates in December. [How to avoid and survive dangerous rip currents at NYC's beaches]( Gothamist spoke with swimming experts and a veteran lifeguard on what New Yorkers should do to stay safe if they’re caught in choppy waters. [We Rely On Your Support]( [More trucks roll through NY, NJ ports after Baltimore bridge collapse]( The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore caused a spike in the number of trucks rolling in and out of New York Harbor's seaports. [Outside a Midtown hotel, devotees pray for the Dalai Lama's recovery]( The spiritual leader has been staying at the Park Hyatt since undergoing knee surgery. [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.