FEI LU, BYLINE: From Columbia Radio News, in New York, I’m Fei Lu. On Wednesday, NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force arrested a man believed to be responsible for multiple physical assaults against Asian victims in Brooklyn. The victims include a 77-year-old man, a 65-year-old woman, and a 32-year-old woman. NBC New York’s Pei-Sze Chang interviewed Leona Lau in Midwood, Brooklyn.
LEONA LAU: We just walk around, even though you know that guy happen on 11 o'clock in the morning. Is not 11 pm, you don't feel safe at all. Terrible. Like we are all senior.
LU: As of Thursday, there have been 37 reported incidents of Anti-Asian attacks in New York, compared to zero reported attacks last year.
Members of the right-wing provocateur group Project Veritas stormed into Columbia Journalism School's Pulitzer Hall today. As Cat Smith reports, they demanded a meeting with a professor.
CAT SMITH : James O’Keefe is the founder of Project Veritas. He arrived at Columbia with an entourage of seven and a video camera.
JAMES O’KEEFE: Have you heard of Project Veritas?
SMITH: I’ve heard of Project Veritas before.
O’KEEFE: Then I’m sure you know who I am.
SMITH: O’Keefe said he came to speak with Professor Bill Grueskin. Grueskin writes for the Columbia Journalism Review. O’Keefe said the professor had reached out to his lawyer to discuss the group’s ongoing defamation lawsuit against The New York Times.
SMITH: So you came down here to talk to them in person?
O’KEEFE: Yeah, you have a problem with that?
SMITH: The group apparently did not have an appointment, and they left the building as security arrived. Cat Smith, Columbia Radio News.
LU: Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that starting Monday, New York City schools will need to follow new guidelines before going remote. Schools can only conduct 10 days of remote classes if there have been four or more COVID-19 cases in multiple classrooms.
BILL DE BLASIO: We believe this new approach is going to keep everyone safe but also keep schools open a lot more steadily through April, May, June.
LU: Previously, schools could switch to remote operations if there were only two confirmed cases.
New Yorkers’ access to COVID 19 vaccines continues to improve: people aged 75 and older can now access 26 vaccine sites without an appointment, when accompanied by an eligible escort. And qualifying adults over 65 can also request free transportation to and from vaccine sites in the city.
Good news for beach lovers: New York City’s public beaches will be reopening on May 29th, just in time for Memorial Day. Outdoor pools will also reopen on June 26th.
It’s a sunny day in the city, with highs of 66 degrees in the afternoon, and lows of 46 degrees at night. Friday’s looking cloudy with colder temperatures.
For Columbia Radio News, I’m Fei Lu.
Correction
April 9, 2021
A previous version of this story said Professor Bill Grueskin wrote articles about Project Veritas in the past. In fact, Grueskin mentioned the group in one article. The earlier version also incorrectly pronounced his name.