November 20, 2024: Morning Headlines

Title: November 20, 2024: Morning Headlines [music]

Announcer: Listener-supported WNYC studios.

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Janae Pierre: Welcome to NYC NOW, your source for local news in and around New York City, from WNYC. It's Wednesday, November 20th. Here's the morning headlines from David Furst.

David Furst: Police say an NYPD officer is expected to survive after being shot last night in a confrontation with a robbery suspect in Jamaica, Queens. Officials say 57-year-old Gary Worthy fired at a pair of officers and struck one in the thigh. Police then fatally shot him. A bystander was also injured but is expected to survive. Mayor Eric Adams was at Jamaica Hospital last night to visit the officer and bystander.

Mayor Eric Adams: This is just another stark reminder of the danger that men and women of the NYPD run towards every day. I say it over and over again. They run towards dangers and our officers did just that.

David Furst: Police say Worthy had a violent criminal history and was on lifetime parole. Authorities linked the suspect to multiple recent robberies involving gunfire. The police investigation is ongoing. Rents and home prices in New York City are rising faster than wages. The nonprofit Fiscal Policy Institute analyzed Census records from 2019 to 2023 and found median rents rose by 18% while incomes only nudged up by 11.5%. Economist Emily Eisner says the report demonstrates the need to build more homes and ensure a portion is affordable for low and middle-income New Yorkers.

Emily Eisner: Creating new housing is essential for tackling the affordability crisis, but it will not alone reduce housing costs, especially in the near term.

David Furst: A City Council committee is voting tomorrow on Mayor Adams's plan to update zoning rules to allow for up to 100,000 new homes. Legislation recently passed by the New York City Council will help clean up dirty, damaged, or defaced newspaper boxes on the city's sidewalks. City Council member Erik Bottcher says he drafted the bill after repeat calls from residents complaining about the eye sores.

Erik Bottcher: We get calls from constituents who are really sick and tired of looking at beaten up, graffitied, broken, tipped-over plastic periodical boxes on the sidewalk.

David Furst: The legislation will require the boxes to contain contact information for their owners. Residents can use that information to report any issues. The bill is now headed to Mayor Adams, though there has been no indication as to whether he will sign the measure. 54 degrees, mostly cloudy with a high near 60 today. More rain expected tonight. Showers could be heavy at times. We'll have a low of 49 degrees tonight. This is WNYC.

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Janae Pierre: Thanks for listening. This is NYC NOW from WNYC. Be sure to catch us every weekday, three times a day for your top news headlines and occasional deep dives, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. See you this afternoon.

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