NYC NOW

New data in New Jersey shows that the number of residents legally carrying handguns has grown exponentially. Also, there’s a new project analyzing New York State’s historical involvement in the practice of lynching. WNYC’s Michael Hill speaks with the creator of the initiative, NYU Associate professor Rachel Swarns, and student journalist Samantha Dondelinger to learn more. Plus, New York City community groups have been raising money to buy apartment buildings and give tenants more control of where they live. Now, one Brooklyn organization is the first to actually do it. David Brand reports.

A Brooklyn family is reeling after a man stabbed and killed a 19-year-old woman and hurt her twin sister at a bodega two blocks from their home in Park Slope. Meanwhile, following a series of subway shootings this year, ex-NYPD detective Felipe Rodriguez offers safety tips if you find yourself near an active shooter in the subway. Governor Kathy Hochul recently ordered 750 National Guard troops throughout the subway, but that's not the only measure she's taking to improve safety in the network. Hochul is also is sending more mental health support into the subway system to help the unhoused. WNYC's Stephen Nessen accompanied one of the outreach teams.

Get up and get informed! Here's all the local news you need to start your day: New Jersey State Attorney General Matt Platkin says he will not defend a lawsuit against the county line, a controversial ballot system giving preferential treatment to some candidates. Meanwhile, the Adams administration is looking to trim funding to New York City’s Anti-Discrimination Watchdog Agency by a half-million dollars. Plus, several teams from the tri-state area are going to the NCAA basketball tournament.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams is calling on the state to give him more power to force hospitalizations of people with severe mental illnesses after a subway shooting Thursday in Brooklyn. WNYC’s Janae Pierre and Brittany Kriegstein discuss the latest. And finally, WNYC’s Ryan Kailath stopped by the north east regionals for competitive college acapella.

MTA Chair Janno Lieber says the city needs to keep getting guns off the street after Thursday’s subway shooting, where a man was shot in the head with his own weapon. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of New Yorkers insured through Aetna could soon lose access to New York Presbyterian’s vast network of hospitals and doctors. Plus, residents of a Lower East Side community say they’re fed up with years of delays on an MTA project on the M line. Finally, Willets Point, Queens, is poised for a transformation, including a new soccer stadium, a school, and thousands of affordable housing units. WNYC’s Arun Venugopal has the latest on the project.

Police say a suspect is in custody after a man was shot in the head with his own gun inside the Hoyt-Schermerhorn subway station on Thursday after a fight with another rider. Meanwhile, the New Jersey State Legislature is withdrawing a bill that would overhaul the state's open records laws, responding to pressure from a wide range of groups. Plus, New York City Schools Chancellor David Banks says the education department will increase efforts to ensure children who sell candy on the subways are going to school.

Some Elected officials and legal organizations are publicly denouncing Governor Hochul's decision to deploy 750 National Guard troops into the city's subway system. Also, the city’s medical examiner has ruled the deaths of 5-year-old twins as homicides. And finally, a look at how New York City is addressing fires caused by lithium-ion batteries in e-bikes and scooters.

More than 200 police officers in New Jersey are getting new training after an investigation by the comptroller’s office found that an earlier training encouraged practices that violated state laws. Meanwhile, a new Siena poll shows almost half of New Yorkers are paying more every month for childcare than they were two years ago. Also, Roosevelt Island is set to get its own mini-forest. Plus, New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams focused on the housing affordability crisis in her State of the City address Wednesday. WNYC’s Sean Carlson spoke with Adams about her vision. And finally, the musical “Six” just celebrated its 1,000th performance on Broadway. It narrates the lives of Henry VIII’s six wives. WNYC’s Precious Fondren visited the Lena Horne Theatre to understand why the show has such staying power.

New NYPD data show the number of New Yorkers applying for gun licenses in the city more than doubled last year. Meanwhile, New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams is proposing that Aqueduct Racetrack in Southeast Queens be converted into housing. Plus, the city Parks Department says it has secured a $117 million federal infrastructure grant to convert a defunct elevated Long Island Rail Road line in Queens into a park.

Mount Sanai is locked in a billing dispute with United Healthcare, one of the region’s largest health insurance companies. Also, PS. 55 in Staten Island has been accused of throwing out hundreds of books covering topics like race and LGBTQ themes . WNYC’s Jessica Gould reports. Plus, starting this week, Muslims across the region are marking the holy month of Ramadan. It comes as some mosques in the local West African community are sheltering and feeding migrants. But now, they're struggling to pay their bills. WNYC’s Arya Sundaram has more.