Plagued by staff shortage, NYC agency fails to make determinations in most discrimination cases

Plus: Updates on 2nd Ave subway and the war on rates. [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.]( [Plagued by staff shortage, NYC agency fails to make determinations in most discrimination cases]( [first image]( [by Emily Nadal]( It’s another Thursday in New York City, where the agency responsible for enforcing anti-discrimination laws has been plagued by staff shortages and is, in some instances, prematurely closing cases without fully investigating allegations. [Read the story here.]( Here’s what else is happening: - The MTA [released renderings of plans for the extension]( of the Second Avenue subway line to East Harlem, and while the makeover will bring a much-needed transformation to the area, it also means years of construction disruptions and requires the MTA to seize property through eminent domain. - Are we finally getting our rat problem in check? The number of rodent sightings reported to 311 in June [fell 21.2% compared to last year,]( so the city seems to think so. - Join Gothamist next Wednesday at the Greene Space for a [discussion and celebration of women in hip-hop]( as the genre commemorates its 50th anniversary this year. - Two Newark firefighters [died while fighting a blaze on a cargo ship]( at Port Newark on Wednesday night. - A YES network cameraman at Yankee Stadium was injured yesterday after he was [hit in the head with a ball]( thrown by Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson. - Police are searching for two suspects they say [vandalized two synagogues hours apart]( in incidents that are being investigated as hate crimes. - Elevator outages at New York City Housing Authority buildings continue to happen despite the [total number of incidents having gone down]( as NYCHA plans for major upgrades to elevators across the system. - A Brooklyn man who fatally shot a 38-year-old father of three during a gun battle sparked by an argument at the 2019 Old Timers’ Day event in Brownsville was [sentenced to 32-and-a-half years in prison on Wednesday.]( - The victim's mother, who lost two children to gun violence, spoke with Gothamist about what it means to [get justice for one of her sons as she continues to fight for the other.]( - Hospitals across the country who [spent big on hiring nurses]( during the height of the pandemic are now having a hard time trying to stay financially afloat. - Bloomfield College, a struggling, private liberal arts school in New Jersey that serves mostly Black and Latino students, is [officially merging with Montclair State University]( to save it from shutting its doors. - While the city has been monitoring the endangered piping plover population since the 1990s, a new pilot program in Queens is working to go even further to protect the birds by [roping off nesting areas on the beach of the Rockaways and having volunteers stand guard.]( - Documents show officials administered Narcan, the opioid-reversing drug, four times to a Rikers Island detainee before bringing him to Elmhurst Hospital [where he died on July 4th.]( - An NYC Department of Health survey found a generational divide on [views of seniors across different aspects of life]( including one data point that shows 29% of younger people believing seniors shouldn’t be allowed to work compared to just 7% of older folks who said the same. - Netflix is expanding their offerings from movies and T.V. shows to the restaurant business with a [new cafe, Netflix Bites, debuting in Los Angeles.]( “There's an incredible amount of need for New Yorkers to have their discrimination issues taken seriously and investigated robustly, and there’s just not enough people. - Attorney, who did not want to be identified because they still work in human rights law, on [ISSUES PLAGUING THE CITY COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS.]( More from Gothamist [second image]( [NYC's air quality after July 4th fireworks was as bad as wildfire pollution]( New York City’s air quality spiked to hazardous levels early Wednesday morning following the Macy’s fireworks display and other Independence Day celebrations, raising questions about whether a beloved annual tradition should continue in the face of growing concerns over air pollution. [Salaam a bigger winner after NYC elections board posts 1st ranked-choice primary tallies]( Counting up results from June’s primary appears to have been a straightforward affair based on the second set of results released on Wednesday by the New York City Board of Elections, which handed a bigger win to Yusef Salaam in a closely watched Council race in Harlem and helped project likely victors in primary contests in Queens and the Bronx. [We Rely On Your Support]( [Mondaire Jones to run for Congress again — but not in NYC this time]( Former Rep. Mondaire Jones is heading back north. Jones, a Democrat, announced on Wednesday that he will make another run for the U.S. House of Representatives next year. But it won’t be in New York’s 10th District, which spans Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn and which Jones unsuccessfully sought to represent in 2022's crowded primary. [Why spotted lanternflies seem worse in New York City this year]( The infamous spotted lanternfly is back for the summer. Some people are reporting that 2023’s infestation feels worse than last year’s, and an environmental scientist said the bugs are ahead of schedule in New York, where peak levels could be reached this year. [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.