You're kind. You're generous. You're a mark for charity scammers.

Plus: Mayor says undocumented New Yorkers aren’t owed due process [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.]( [You're kind. You're generous. NY and NJ warn you're a mark for charity scammers.]( [first image]( [Today's newsletter is curated by James Ramsay]( Weather: ⛅ Sunny this morning, then cloudy later, with highs in the lower 40s. It's Wednesday in New York City, where it's high season for charity scams. The New York state Division of Consumer Protection this week urged caution to would-be donors, noting that charity scams are most prevalent around the holidays since people are motivated both by generosity and the end-of-year deadline for tax deductions. [Here's how to protect yourself from getting conned](. And here's what else is happening: - A Manhattan jury [will continue deliberating today]( in the case of Daniel Penny, the former Marine facing charges for fatally choking Jordan Neely on a subway. - Police say they're searching for the person who [shot a 50-year-old man]( near the New York Hilton Midtown Hotel on 6th Avenue this morning. - Mayor Eric Adams yesterday [incorrectly asserted]( that undocumented immigrants are not entitled the right to due process under the U.S. Constitution, aligning himself with a notion previously expressed by President-elect Donald Trump. - New [bus lanes and pedestrian safety upgrades]( are now in effect on 96th Street in Manhattan. - That said, Mayor Adams has so far [failed to install the amount of bus lanes required]( by a 2019 law — and a half-dozen 2025 mayoral hopefuls rallied this week to call him out on it. - Still confused about the details of congestion pricing and who gets a discount or exemption? The MTA today is hosting its first of [eight public webinars on the tolling program](. - Queens Borough President Donovan Richards is [hosting a public hearing tomorrow]( for residents to weigh in on the proposed casino near Citi Field. - A group of Jersey City tenants living in rent controlled apartments claim their landlord’s employees [placed rancid smelling fish in a vacant unit]( earlier this year as part of an effort to force them out of the building so the owner could raise the rent. - Mayor Adams confirmed yesterday that [he won't veto the bill]( banning broker fees for most tenants. - The most recent count of homeless youth in New York City found 418 individuals who were unsheltered, [more than twice the amount]( identified the previous year. - Central Park and Prospect Park [won't be holding official firework shows]( for New Year's Eve because of the drought. (Prospect Park is doing a drone light show instead.) - Maybe [the best pizza]( is in Jersey City. - Unionized Forbes magazine employees walked out yesterday — [on "30 under 30" publication day]( — to protest their low wages. - "Brain rot" is Oxford's [word of the year](. - Lamb Chop dolls are [the "it" toy for dogs](. - Weed [is fashion](. [“The Constitution is for Americans. I’m not a person that snuck into this country. My ancestors have been here for a long time.”]( - Mayor Eric Adams, arguing that [UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS ACCUSED OF CRIMES SHOULD BE DEPORTED BEFORE THEY EVEN STAND TRIAL]( More from Gothamist [second image]( [Grand Central Madison named 'World’s Most Beautiful Passenger Station' interior]( The transit hub received UNESCO’s 2024 Prix Versailles Interior Award for its "innovativeness, creativity, reflection of local heritage and ecological efficiency" in a recently opened or renovated station. [5 NYC tree-lighting ceremonies that aren’t Rockefeller Center]( Brooklyn’s 300-year-old Lott House in Marine Park has been hosting an annual tree lighting for well over a decade. [We Rely On Your Support]( ['A bad day at Disney' — Roosevelt Islanders say their tram is overrun with tourists]( Roosevelt Island residents and workers are petitioning the city to give them priority boarding on the popular tram that runs from Manhattan to the tiny enclave — claiming it’s become so overrun with tourists that they can’t use it as a reliable means of transportation anymore. [What you need to know as NY’s Real ID deadline looms]( Come May 7, 2025, all New Yorkers will need to present a federally approved form of identification — such as a Real ID, Enhanced ID or passport — if they wish to fly domestically or access certain federal facilities. [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.