🌱 Lithium-Ion Batteries In Garbage Truck Fires + Parking Lot Lawsuits

Good morning, New York City!

• "Hazardous" lithium-ion batteries are leading to fires in garbage trucks.
• A Lower Manhattan parking garage gets hit by three lawsuits.
• NYC ComicCon ticket details.

But first, today's weather:

Partly sunny. High: 60 Low: 47.

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Here are the top five stories in New York City today:

1. Lithium-ion batteries have increasingly been causing fires in New York City garbage trucks, causing the Sanitation Department to raise the alarm. While no one has been injured in a truck fire, officials are concerned they put sanitation workers at risk. Lithium-ion batteries should be disposed with other hazardous material, not with general trash or recycling. (Gothamist)
2. The NYPD's Early Intervention Program, which is supposed to identify cops that have the potential to get into "serious trouble," has flagged the service records of 1,132 officers since it began in August 2020. About 54 percent of them had been involved in cases that were not prosecuted. (New York Daily News)
3. The owners of the parking garage that collapsed in Lower Manhattan two weeks ago now faces three lawsuits–two from survivors and a class-action suit asking for $100,000 in damages. One survivor described living through a deadly earthquake in Haiti, and more recently "running for his life after the building started shaking." (New York Daily News)
4. Victims of a mass-shooting on a subway train in Brooklyn more than one year ago are still suffering from psychological trauma. Ten people were injured but none were killed when a man fired 33 shots last spring. (subscription/The New York Times)
5. Mayor Eric Adams and the NYPD are providing 500 AirTags to vehicle owners in the Bronx's 43rd precinct, where they say there have been a high number of car thefts. The tags can be hidden anywhere inside a car and will alert a driver if property has been taken without their consent. (AMNY)

New York City pic of the day:

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Today in New York City:

• La Roche-Posay to Host Free Skin Cancer Screenings for Melanoma Monday (8 a.m.)
• Italian Film Festival opening night (7 p.m.)
• Comedy Show! The Last Drop - Union Hall (7:30 p.m.)
• Geeks Who Drink Trivia Night at Farside Tavern (8 p.m.)

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From my notebook:

• Comic Con New York City might not be until the fall, but there's important registration deadlines for fans coming up. (NBC New York)
• Thousands participated in the annual "9/11 Memorial and Museum 5K Run/Walk" on Sunday morning, which is meant to follow the route from Wall Street that was taken by many first responders on September 11, 2001. (AMNY)
• That wasn't the only run in the city yesterday–about 9,000 runners took part in an all-female half marathon in Central Park. (Pix 11 New York)
• Melinda Person has been elected to a three-year term as head of the New York State United Teachers union. (Spectrum News NY1)

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Featured events:

• NYC Book Launch: Jason Reynolds’s MILES MORALES SUSPENDED (May 2)
• White Collar Week: Margaret Love, Former U.S. Pardon Attorney (May 2)
• Our Bar: "SMASH" (May 2)
• Legal and Justice Pathways Seminar (May 3)
• Salsa Night at The William Vale | Brooklyn, NYC (May 3)
• We Have Fun: A Free Weekly Comedy Show (May 3)
• Montclair History Center Herb & Heirloom Tomato Sale (May 4)
• Wine Enthusiast’s Sip of South America Tasting Event (May 4)
• The Super Crazy Funtime Show (An interactive comedy game show) (May 5)
• NYC Cinco De Mayo Sombrero Jewel Yacht Party Cruise Skyport Marina 2023 (May 5)
• FLOTUS to Help Celebrate Italian Americans at NOIAW's Annual Awards Luncheon (May 6)
• Bringing Back Branscombe to the Upper West Side (May 6)
• Concert: Bringing Back Branscombe to the Upper West Side (May 6)
• Latin Vibes NYC Cabana Yacht Party Cruise Skyport Marina 2023 (May 6)
• AbracaDRAGra! - The Magic Drag Show : NYC (May 6)
• NYC Hip Hop vs Reggae® Jewel Yacht Party Saturday Night Skyport Marina 2023 (May 6)
• I'll Build a Staircase to Paradise - The Life of Bunny Mellon with Mac Griswold (May 7)
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You're all caught up for today! See you all tomorrow for your next update.

— Dashiell Allen

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming New York City Patch newsletter? Contact me at patchnyc@patch.com