No fines for NYC retailers letting AC spew into street

Also, NY lawmakers vow crackdown after Gothamist investigation. [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.]( [NYC is not enforcing a law prohibiting stores from air conditioning the streets]( [first image]( [Today's newsletter curated by Emily Nadal]( Today's weather: 🥵 It's the start of a brutal [heat wave]( today, with temperatures expected to reach 95 degrees. An excessive heat warning is in effect for our area, and severe thunderstorms are on the radar. Stay safe! It’s Thursday morning in New York City where you’re not complaining enough about [businesses letting their cool, air-conditioned breeze spill into the street.]( The city has yet to fine any retailers for violating a 2019 law prohibiting them from opening their doors with their air conditioners running. The Department of Consumer Affairs and Worker Protection says it’s because no one is snitching on the businesses, but come on, who’s going to rat out a place that provides a brief relief from the sweltering heat in these temps? Here’s what else is happening: - After a Gothamist investigation found insurance companies denying buildings coverage if they house tenants who rely on rental assistance, New York lawmakers say they're going to [introduce legislation to crack down on the industry practice.]( - Some migrants are being [sent upstate after being told there’s no more space]( at shelters in the city. - Republican lawmakers in New York are [pushing a bill]( that would ban cannabis smoking in public places, but getting it passed might be a long shot. - The next phase of a law that was signed by Gov. Phil Murphy in February to protect New Jersey temp workers will [take effect next week after a failed effort]( by business groups and staffing agencies to stop the measures from being implemented. - Ground beef sold at ShopRite stores in the tristate area was the cause of a [salmonella outbreak among sixteen people]( six of whom ended up hospitalized. - Attorney General Letitia James [filed a lawsuit against Red Rose Rescue]( an anti-abortion group, in an attempt to stop the organization's members from physically blocking patients’ access to abortion in the state. - A tap dancer was brought to a Queens subway station to [celebrate the one billionth tap]( of an OMNY card on Wednesday. - An investigation by The City found a ring of speculators [preying on homeowners in gentrifying neighborhoods]( who die without wills by low-balling unsuspecting next of kin and flipping properties. - A new relief center with capacity for 1,000 adult male migrants will be [opened on the campus of the Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in Queens]( Mayor Eric Adams said Wednesday. - A ring worn by Tupac Shakur during his last public appearance before he was fatally shot in 1996 [sold for $1 million at a Sotheby’s auction]( way more than the estimated $300,000 bid the auction house was expecting. - Sotheby’s is also auctioning off a pair of Apple sneakers for $50,000. The kicks were [custom made in the 1990s as a one-time giveaway]( for employees at a company event. - Sometimes people start craft projects they don’t finish because of illness or death. But a new organization [connects volunteer “project finishers” with crafts that need some TLC]( to get done. “Hmmm, it’s so nice, I love it. Because when it's humid, like it has been for the last three weeks, it's really nice to walk by and have a little blast of cool.” - Sarah Bonavich, A pedestrian who [ENJOYS THE ILLEGAL COOL AIR FROM A NYC RETAILER ON THE STREET.]( More from Gothamist [second image]( [A probe into illegal donors for Mayor Adams touches a key member of his inner circle: the body person]( In the world of politics, body people are the often unsung personal aides who see to the every need of candidates and elected officials while enjoying an unrivaled level of access and proximity to power. [Crane collapse on Manhattan's West Side injures 12 people]( A crane that partially collapsed into a neighboring building in Hell’s Kitchen left 12 people injured on Wednesday morning. [We Rely On Your Support]( [NYC begins notifying migrants about 60-day shelter stay rule]( City officials said they had sent notices to more than 100 single adult migrants who have been in the shelter system the longest. ['Oppressive' heat to descend on NYC, NJ Thursday through Saturday]( Temperatures across the five boroughs Thursday, Friday and Saturday are forecasted to soar into the high-90s, and will feel like the low-100s. [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.