Early Addition: Are there actually less rats?

Also, crackdowns on weed bodegas continue. [View this email in a browser.]( [Get a T-Shirt When You Donate!]( Gothamist relies on your support to make news available to all. This month only: You'll get a t-shirt when you become a member. [Donate Now]( [Rat complaints in NYC fell 15% vs. a year ago. But are we just getting used to them?]( [first image]( [by Emily Nadal]( It’s Tuesday in New York City where [rat complaints may be down overall from this point last year]( but some neighborhoods saw their vermin numbers go up. Rat sighting reports in Astoria nearly doubled from 95 to 181, while over on the Upper West Side and Central Harlem, complaints have decreased. Either the rats are disappearing or we're learning to live in harmony with one another. Here’s what else is happening: - Unlicensed weed bodegas outnumbering licensed shops in NYC 250-to-1, and Gov. Kathy Hochul is [investing resources in taking them down]( while the rollout of legal cannabis continues to struggle. - New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has said he'll shut down the state government before giving in to the legislature on a bold plan to cut seniors' taxes in half, but there may be a deal on the table. We'll ask him about it [when he returns to WNYC]( for "Ask Gov. Murphy" at 7 p.m. tonight. - A [tourist submarine went missing]( while on a dive to see Titanic wreckage with five people aboard Sunday. A search and rescue operation is still underway. - The number of retail jobs nationwide is growing but in NYC, the [retail job market is shrinking]( even though the economy overall has recovered almost entirely from the pandemic. - The National Hurricane Center can currently only track a storm’s hurricane potential five days out, but [a new technology will soon allow the weather service]( to do so with a seven-day outlook. - At least [five subway stabbings and slashings]( occurred over the weekend, including four on or near the 4 train. - A graduate student [made a remarkable discovery]( after stumbling upon archival records and maps that showed the site of the largest known slave auction in the United States. - The NYPD is investigating [multiple incidents of vandalism]( to a Pride flag display outside of the Stonewall Inn in three days. - Cooking meat or fish is not allowed [in this $5,750 Brooklyn apartment.]( - No car? No problem. Here are [nine easy getaways from NYC]( accessible via public transit. - Cults don’t usually do well in metropolitan areas, but in the 1960s and 70s [one was thriving on the Upper West Side.]( - While the Sullivanians had a period of success in the city, they did eventually collapse — [a chronology Gothamist documented in 2016.]( - A public school chess program is [helping migrant children gain valuable skills]( while also allowing them to build community. - Age really may be nothin’ but a number. Studies consistently show that [older adults who feel younger live longer,]( have higher life satisfaction and lower dementia risk among other positive health outcomes. - An area of Rockaway that was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy just got a [new storm-resistant street with “porous pavement,]( a move the city says will reduce flooding. - Seeking virtual validation from your crush on social media in the form of likes and comments can [cause some very real mental distress.]( - GrubHub [opened a rest stop]( for delivery workers in SoHo Thursday as part of a partnership with e-bike rental company JOCO. The rest stop has bathrooms, phone charging stations, hot and cold water fountains, and lounge chairs. “Controlling rats requires work by many agencies to achieve a single goal: run the rats out of town!” - Pedro Frisneda, Deputy Press secretary for the city's health department on [DEALING WITH NYC'S RAT PROBLEM.]( More from Gothamist [second image]( [Thousands gather for the 2023 Coney Island Mermaid Parade]( Mermaids, mermen, merfolk with nonbinary or fluid identities and mer-ry celebrants of nearly every imaginable description lined Surf Avenue in Coney Island Saturday morning for the 41st Mermaid Parade. ['It’s the secret sauce' — Trusted community groups drive up NYC voter turnout, report finds]( Trusted community groups are one of the keys to unlocking higher participation rates in New York City elections, in some cases even doubling turnout, according to a new report released Monday from a coalition of civic-minded donors. [We Rely On Your Support]( [In NJ, an ambitious plan to study slavery reparations starts on Juneteenth]( A social justice organization in New Jersey is observing the Juneteenth holiday by taking on the question of reparations for Black residents of the state. [Newark will fine landlords for ‘unconscionable’ rent increases over 5%]( Newark, New Jersey officials will limit yearly rent increases on newer construction and owner-occupied units to 5% – testing the limits of a state law that bans “unconscionable” rent spikes but doesn’t define how much is too much. [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.