🌱 NYC Crime Up; Shootings, Murders Down + 'Extreme Heat Days'

Good morning and happy weekend NYC! It's a little rainy in the morning but otherwise looks like a lovely day ahead. In the news–crime rates were up but murders and shootings were down last month, COVID-19 is spiking, and people applying for a concealed carry gun license in New York will need to have their social media accounts reviewed.

First, today's weather:

Showers, mainly early. High: 79 Low: 66.

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

1. Overall crime rates spiked in the month of June in The Big Apple, while shootings and murders were both down by over 24 percent. That mixed news is overshadowed by a bloody July 4th weekend, that saw 43 shootings, with 58 people shot and seven killed. NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell blamed the overall rise in crime on bail reform, which criminal justice advocates blasted as "scapegoating" the issue. (New York City Patch) The NYPD has also seen an exodus of thousands of police officers leaving the force in the past year, leaving over one thousand positions empty–partially due to increased fears over crime. (Gothamist)
2. COVID-19 positivity rates are as high as they were in mid January, during the worst of the winter omicron wave. That's prompting city public health officials to once again recommend that all New Yorkers wear masks while indoors. There's currently no mandate in place. (New York City Patch)
3. Just one day after Mayor Eric Adams announce the city would crack down on the use of fake and obscured license plates, a reporter for Gothamist observed an NYPD officer in an apparently personal vehicle appearing to break that very same rule. The officer, traveling in a white van, was driving on the FDR with a blue surgical mask covering its back plate. (Gothamist)
4. The number of "extreme heat days," when the high temperature reaches over 90 degrees, is only going to increase in coming decades due to climate change, new data shows. The number has already increased by 7 from 1979 to 2020. Extreme heat is the number one "weather-related killer in the U.S." (New York City Patch)
5. People applying for a concealed carry gun permit in New York will need to have their social media accounts reviewed when a new law goes into effect in September. The measure is being applauded by many, but some experts are concerned it could infringe on free speech. (Associated Press)

New York City pic of the day:

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Today in New York City:

• Open Urban Farm Volunteer Drop-In Day - Randall's Island (10 a.m.)
• Central Park North Woods Walk - 3mi (10 a.m.)
• July NYSoM Hunger No More - Tompkins Square Park (noon)
• Much Needed Love: Design and Textile Panel (1 p.m.)
• Tantra Speed Date - New York (In-Person Speed Dating!) (5:30 p.m.)

Crime and safety corner:

• A bodega worker stands accused of fatally stabbing a dangerous customer in his Hamilton Heights store. Many New Yorkers, including the mayor, believe the worker, Jose Alba, was acting in self-defense and should not be prosecuted. (New York City Patch)
• A man, Kenneth Walker, 67, disappeared from his home in Queensbridge Houses in Long Island City on Thursday morning. Anyone with tips is encouraged to contact NYPD's Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).(New York City Patch)

From my notebook:

• Rents aren't the only thing "skyrocketing"–the cost to purchase property in Manhattan is as well, with the average sales price so far this year standing at $2.1 million. (New York City Patch)
• New York is doing a (relatively) good job at saving its rescue animals! Eighty-six percent of cats and dogs in state shelters were rescued in 2021, according to a survey. (amNY)
• A new statue in DUMBO — a giant "&" symbol — aims at bringing neighbors together. (Time Out NY)
• NYC is bringing back car-free Summer Streets, filled with games and biking, on Augut 6, 13, and 20 from 7 a.m. - 1 p.m.! (NYC DOT via Facebook)
• You can take a tai chi class on The High Line Tuesday morning. (The High Line via Facebook)

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You're officially in the loop for today. See you all tomorrow for another update!

— Dashiell Allen

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