The helicopter noise is winning

Plus: What to expect if you're leaving NYC this 4th [View this email in a browser.]( Gothamist relies on your support to make local news available to all. Not yet a member? [Consider donating and join today.]( [Patchwork of legislation would do little to curb NYC helicopter traffic, analysis shows]( [first image]( [Today's newsletter is curated by James Ramsay]( Weather: ☀️ Mostly sunny, highs in the mid 80s. It's Tuesday in New York City, where there's been a seventeen-fold increase in 311 complaints about helicopter noise over the past five years. In response, the City Council is considering two bills that would ban non-essential chopper flights from city-operated helipads. Here's why those bills, if passed, [would only stop about 4% of the flights that prompt those 311 calls](. And here's what else is happening: - Planning a trip out of New York City this July 4? Consider not leaving on Wednesday at 2 p.m., [when traffic is expected to peak](. - New York City ambulance workers have started negotiating their long-expired contract, [arguing that their pay is so low]( they’ve struggled to pay for food, transportation and housing. - G train riders this week have been getting into the rhythm of using the shuttle bus alternative as [the train line's summer-long shutdown]( gets underway. - City Councilmember Francisco Moya of Queens has introduced two new bills that would give the city more power to stop [brothels fronting as massage parlors](. - Police said [a man was injured in a shooting]( just blocks from Washington Square Park early Monday morning as crowds from the annual Pride parade dispersed. - Meteor showers, constellations, exceptionally bright planets: [Here's what you'll see]( if you look up at the night sky this month. - Some state lawmakers are asking Gov. Kathy Hochul to revive congestion pricing but [set the tolls lower]( than the planned $15 for passenger vehicles. - NYCHA, pressed for cash, [evicted 62 households]( in the first quarter of 2024, which is more than the eviction total for all of 2023. - AM New York took handheld noise-measuring devices to several major subway stations and determined that [the trains have gotten louder]( over the past decade. - About [110,000 kids]( report back to New York City public schools today for the start of the free Summer Rising program. - "Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, the parent of DVD rental operator Redbox, has [filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection]( - The NDA has overtaken the liability waiver to become the new king of [gratuitous legal contracts](. - Jersey Shore households [love flying flags](. - As the Earth continues to rotate around the sun, a member of One Direction has [gone gray](. [“Uber has gotten so expensive that there’s no difference in cost.”]( - Dan Wallace, a Greenwich Village resident who chooses to [COMMUTE TO JFK AIRPORT IN (NOISY) BLADE HELICOPTERS]( More from Gothamist [second image]( [Where to watch the fireworks in NYC this July 4]( The fireworks, sponsored by Macy’s, will launch from barges on the Hudson River between 14th and 34th streets, making the waterfronts in Manhattan, Hoboken, Weehawken and Jersey City ideal vantage points to watch the show. [How to make sure you don't get stuck with a crappy NYC apartment this summer]( Look for signs on critters. If you can, talk to the current tenant or neighbors. And look up past and current building violations. [We Rely On Your Support]( [NYC voters OK’d racial equity reforms in 2022. Required 'fix it' plans are overdue.]( The administration has yet to finalize a voter-mandated annual report on the "true cost of living" in New York City, which is intended to help guide policies on public benefit programs affecting the economic livelihoods of millions of New Yorkers. ['I wonder if it's all worth it': A competitive eater reflects on his 23-year career]( "I am neither the Tom Brady nor the Kevin Garnett of the Major League Eating circuit," writes Crazy Legs Conti. "At this stage of my career, I’m more like the backup punter or even the ball boy — but my mantra of 'mind over stomach matter' feels less appealing to me these days than it did 20 years ago." [Instagram]( [Instagram]( [Facebook]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Twitter]( [New York Public Radio] [WNYC]( | [WQXR]( | [NJPR]( | [GOTHAMIST]( [WNYC STUDIOS]( | [THE GREENE SPACE]( Copyright © New York Public Radio. All rights reserved. 160 Varick Street, New York, NY 10013 [TERMS OF USE]( You can update your [PREFERENCES]( or [UNSUBSCRIBE]( from this list.