A NYC teen investigates why her peers still vape

Plus: Annex where Anne Frank hid to be recreated in NYC [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.]( [Why do we vape? A NYC teen investigates the trend among young people]( [first image]( [Today's newsletter is curated by James Ramsay]( Weather: ☀️ Sunny, highs in the upper 50s. It's Wednesday in New York City, where even teens who love to vape admit that the side-effects are horrible. Eli describes the nicotine high as "so painful — like a brain freeze, but five times more." Nadi says she fears "popcorn lungs" and has a "cough that literally won't go away, so I'm scared of cancer." And Radio Rookies reporter Nora says that before she quit, she herself had "difficulty breathing" and would "get nauseous, start shaking, get very hot and start sweating." For WNYC, Nora investigates why vaping products — which are illegal to sell to people under 21 — [still have such a hold on her peers](. And here's what else is happening: - Mayor Eric Adams yesterday appointed Chauncey Parker as deputy mayor for public safety [after his close confidant, Philip Banks, resigned]( amid the federal probes into the administration. - Outgoing New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan said he's leaving the job this Friday, [months earlier than expected](. - The Elizabeth Street Garden in Nolita could be [evicted as soon as Thursday]( as the city moves ahead with plans to use the space for an affordable housing complex for seniors. - Democratic congressional candidate Mondaire Jones yesterday [once again denied that he was attacking Gov. Kathy Hochul]( when he expressed his desire for a Democratic governor who is a "political animal" and not a "little b**ch." - Mayor Adams is allowing building owners to purchase carbon "offsets" or seek financial relief in lieu of making legally-mandated emissions reductions. [Climate advocates worry these are harmful loopholes](. - The family of a 41-year-old NJ Transit conductor who died after her train struck a downed tree [plans to sue the transit agency and the state]( for alleged neglect. - The NYPD said subway surfing [arrests are up]( this year amid a concerted crackdown. - Supporters of City Councilmember Susan Zhuang, who was arrested earlier this year for allegedly biting a cop at a protest over a Bensonhurst homeless shelter, [showed up to cheer outside her court hearing]( yesterday. - Delta is [pausing flights between JFK Airport and Tel Aviv]( because of security concerns around Israel. - Hell's Kitchen's once-neglected Pier 97 has now officially reopened with [cool wooden lounge chairs and a nifty playground](. - Photographer Andrea Modica has a new book of [portraits of moody Catholic school girls]( in Bay Ridge in the '80s. - Former Pitchfork staffers have created a new [writer-owned music journalism site]( called Hearing Things. - [Check your bags]( at the gate, it'll save your shoulders. - The hat is [actually vintage]( [“The garden is a beautiful place but there's a great beauty to be able to house New Yorkers.”]( - Mayor Adams on the decision to [EVICT THE ELIZABETH STREET GARDEN IN ORDER TO BUILD AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR SENIORS]( More from Gothamist [second image]( [Anne Frank House to recreate annex where Frank hid for years for NYC exhibition]( An exhibit that recreates the “secret annex” – where Anne Frank and her family lived in hiding from 1942 to 1944 before they were discovered by Nazi police – will open at the Center for Jewish History in Union Square in January. [Homelessness, mental health and subway safety: How Hochul and Adams faced the trifecta in NY]( The overall impact of the surge in subway policing and homeless outreach remains unclear, with some advocates calling for more data on long-term outcomes for those whom the city seeks to help. [We Rely On Your Support]( [For Indian Americans in NY and NJ, a 2024 election cycle unlike any other]( If elected, Vice President Kamala Harris would become the first South Asian to be U.S. president. And on the Republican side, the election cycle saw Indian representation early on, with Vivek Ramaswamy and Nikki Haley mounting attention-getting challenges to former President Donald Trump. [Upper West Sider says smoke from wood-fired pizza joint makes life 'Dickensian']( Neighbors of the popular Motorino Pizzeria on Columbus Avenue say they haven’t been able to crack open their windows since the wood-fired pie joint opened about seven 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.