TikTok trend causing spike in car thefts; deadly fires due to neglect, e-bike policies; plus more

We are supported by our readers. Consider donating to fund the local reporting you rely on. [View in Browser]( Thursday March 30, 2023 [Donate now]( ADVERTISEMENT [Deadly fires at NYC public housing caused by neglect, e-bike policies, investigators say]( [A photo of NYCHA's Jacob Riis Houses]( [The city's Department of Investigation said "NYCHA needs to improve its fire safety procedures across the board."]( ADVERTISEMENT More Stories From Today [A row of brick apartment buildings with fire escapes as a high rise looms in the background.]( [NYC rent board weighs landlord costs and rent increases]( [The nine-member Rent Guidelines Board will hold a series of public meetings before making its annual decision.]( [Sample social media app interface on mobile phone showing shared video content.]( [Mayor Adams and NYPD warn about TikTok trend causing a spike in car thefts]( [Software glitch allows people to easily break in to Kias and Hyundais.]( [A page from the 2019 U.S. Medicare Handbook in Washington]( [It's official: NYC inks deal with Aetna on new Medicare Advantage plan for 250K retirees]( [Some 250,000 municipal retirees and their dependents will be automatically enrolled in the plan in September, unless they opt out.]( [Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Mayor Eric Adams met for a private dinner on Saturday, according to one attendee at the same dinner.]( [AOC joins Mayor Adams, other lawmakers for private Gracie Mansion dinner]( [Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson and Councilmember Tiffany Cabán of Queens also attended. The dinner appears to be part of recent shift by the mayor to being more diplomatic with fellow Democrats he's criticized in the past.]( [New York state officials are planning to transfer the majority of New York’s 8 million Medicaid beneficiaries to the new drug plan.]( [Safety-net health providers, NYC officials make final plea against NYRx drug pricing reform]( [Opponents are concerned a new drug pricing plan for Medicaid, set to take effect Saturday, will limit funding for health care programs meant to help low-income people.]( [Williamsburg Charter High school Junior Denae Tucker sings at a rally to end gun violence weeks after a shooting outside her school.]( [Brooklyn high school where two students were shot during dismissal rallies to end gun violence]( [After Nashville, students call for attention to the gun violence that punctuates their daily lives but doesn’t make national news.]( [An external rendering of the new, hybrid Governors Island Ferry.]( [NYC wants your help naming the new hybrid Governors Island ferry]( [The vessel will be the first of its kind to hit New York Harbor and will serve up to 1,200 passengers at a time.]( [A woman with long black hair holding a camera]( [Celebrating hip-hop at 50, a BAM series amplifies women's voices]( [Members of The Anomolies, an all-female crew that made waves in the ‘90s underground hip-hop scene, help BAM illuminate the power of poetry and storytelling.]( [Study co-author Devora Najjar near local beekeeper Ralph Gaeta’s rooftop hives in Astoria, Queens]( [What honeybees can reveal about a neighborhood’s germs — from Queens to Brooklyn to Tokyo]( [A new study proposes that honeybees could help humans make decisions about the health of their urban surroundings.]( [A photo of Funktional Vibrations (2015) © Xenobia Bailey, NYCT 34th Street–Hudson Yards Station. Commissioned by Metropolitan Transportation Authority Arts & Design.]( [Bringing the cosmos underground: celebrating public art created by women for the NYC subway]( [A virtual tour highlights a selection of subway art by women, from Yoko Ono’s sky paintings at 72nd Street to Faith Ringgold’s ode to Harlem at 125th Street.]( [Three people pose for a photo in a park. Two are holding clipboards.]( [Meet New Yorkers who ‘keep democracy going’ one signature at a time]( [They carry clipboards for candidates who want to represent you.]( [Aaron Judge celebrates his first home run of the season]( [Extra Extra: Aaron Judge is on pace to hit 162 home runs this season]( [Because he knocked one out in the first inning of the season, here are your end-of-day links: Ferry workers need a raise, someone is "swatting" Westchester high schools, TV show plots are too confusing and more.]( ADVERTISEMENT [Support Us]( Follow Gothamist on [Gothamist on Facebook]( [Gothamist on Twitter]( NYPR Network [WNYC]( [Gothamist]( [WNYC Studios]() [NJPR]( [WQXR]() [New Sounds]() Copyright © New York Public Radio, 160 Varick St., New York, NY 10013. All rights reserved. [Terms of Use]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe]( from this list.