🌱 NYC Audubon Society To Change Names + Kelp Farming In Brooklyn

Good morning, New York City! Here's what's new:

• The NYC Audubon Society's name is changing.
• A drug-resistant fungus is spreading in the city.
• Could kelp farming remove carbon from toxic waterways?

But first, today's weather: A couple of showers. High: 64 Low: 46.

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

1. NYC's chapter of the Audubon Society, a bird wildlife conservation group, is dropping the name John James Audubon from its title. A resident of Washington Heights during the 19th century, Audubon enslaved Black people and wrote critically about emancipation, according to the Society, which plans to craft a new name that "is inclusive and welcoming to all New Yorkers." (New York City Patch)
2. Candida auris, a drug-resistant and potentially fatal fungal infection, is spreading rapidly in the New York City area, with the region making up 50 percent of all cases nationwide, according to the NYC Department of Health. "Infections usually occur in patients who have been admitted to a hospital or nursing home for another reason and often have other serious medical conditions," the Health Department's site reads. (New York City Patch)
3. New York City's public hospitals are facing a budget deficit of over $100,000, which NYC hospitals president and CEO Dr. Mitchell Katz said is partially due to the high price of temp nurses that have been filling in for full-time nurses, many of whom left their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Temp nurses tend to be paid at higher rates. (Gothamist)
4. Four million dollars will go towards a program to organize tenants in rent-stabilized apartments, which in many instances are lacking in repairs, to fight "bad landlords," according to the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, which is seeking local nonprofits to collaborate in its efforts. The program is an expansion of a De Blasio-era pilot. (AMNY)
5. Researchers are farming kelp, a type of seaweed, in some of New York City's most toxic waterways, such as Brooklyn's Newtown Creek, in order to fight climate change. While it would be too polluted to eat, some believe the kelp could absorb carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus from raw sewage and runoff. (THE CITY)

New York City pic of the day:

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Today in New York City:

• Equinox Debuts Hip Hop Pilates Series with Fotografiska NYC to Celebrate 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop (8 a.m.)
• SRFF 2023 — 10th anniversary edition Closing Awards Night (5 p.m.)
• Hard Rock Hotel New York National Puppy Day 'Yappy Hour' & Adoption Event (5:30 p.m.)
• Salsa Thursdays at Time Out Market New York (6 p.m.)
• Empowered: A Transformational Women's Evening (6 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Some New Yorkers are once again upset at the new "We heart New York" ad campaign, which states "We heart the Churro Lady" in an Instagram post, despite actual women selling churros facing fines from the city. (Eater NY)
• An Upper East Side politician is asking her constituents to help her design a sign telling dog owners to please stop leaving dog poo on the sidewalks. (Upper East Side Patch)
• A seven-mile bike path and waterfront park could soon be coming to the Bronx along the Harlem River, thanks to a federal grant. (AMNY)
• The New York State legislature doesn't want to restore the press's access to its chambers, which has been partially cut off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (New York Post)
• A cow escaped from a Canarsie, Brooklyn slaughterhouse on Wednesday, briefly making a run through the neighborhood. (Gothamist)

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