Morning News: New Report Shows Most NYC Seniors Lack Retirement Savings, NJ Transit Strike Looms, and Extended Sunsets

Title: Morning News: New Report Shows Most NYC Seniors Lack Retirement Savings, NJ Transit Strike Looms, and Extended Sunsets

Janae Pierre: Welcome to NYC NOW, your source for local news in and around New York City from WNYC. It's Monday, May 12th. Here's the morning headlines from Michael Hill.

Michael Hill: A majority of New York City's oldest residents say they don't have any retirement funds. WNYC's Karen Yi reports, an increasing number are living in poverty.

Karen Yi: More than half of New Yorkers 70 years or older aren't reporting any retirement income. That's according to the think tank, the Center for an Urban Future. The group found poverty rates among seniors are climbing at a much faster rate than the overall older adult population. Michelle Bethea is 69 years old. She lives in Manhattan and worked 30 years as a legal assistant before retiring.

Michelle Bethea: I always looked forward to retirement. That was the sick part. I said, "I can't wait till I retire," and then I said, "Oh my God."

Karen Yi: She says she doesn't know how she would survive without her daughter bringing her groceries and a city-funded program that delivers hot meals to her door.

Michael Hill: A potential NJ Transit rail strike could hit this Friday, and officials are asking riders to get ahead of the chaos starting today. WNYC's Catalina Gonella has more.

Catalina Gonella: The union representing engineers rejected a contract offer, and a strike would halt service for more than 350,000 daily commuters. Starting Monday, Metro-North conductors will be cross-honoring west of Hudson tickets on the Hudson and Harlem lines. The Port Authority is planning extra buses and staff at the Midtown terminal, along with a free airport shuttle from Newark Penn Station to the AirTrain. Officials are strongly encouraging customers to stay home if possible or start planning their alternate routes before Friday.

Michael Hill: Hey sun lovers, New York City has officially crossed the 8:00 PM sunset mark. That means from now through mid-August, the sun will set after 8:00 at night. The National Weather Service says our days will keep getting longer with the summer solstice bringing sunsets 8:31 on June 21st. Don't let the breezy temps fool you. Meteorologists warned that the sun's UV rays are already strong enough to burn. Felt that this weekend, so enjoy the light, but remember the sunscreen. We're at 58 right now. We have some sunshine. Sunny and 74 for a high today with a light wind, and then tomorrow cloudy and 72, but we begin a stretch of day and night shower chances all the way through Saturday.

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Janae Pierre: Thanks for listening. This is NYC NOW from WNYC. Check us out for updates every weekday, three times a day, for the latest news, headlines, and occasional deep dives, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

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