NYC Evening Roundup: Unemployment Benefits Increase, Iconic Delicatessen Owner Dies, Landlord Fined for Illegal Water Fees

Unemployment Benefits Increase

• 📈 New York State has increased the maximum weekly unemployment benefit to $869, up from approximately $500.
• 🤝 Governor Kathy Hochul celebrated the increase with labor leaders, emphasizing its profound impact on hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers.
• 💰 This change is a result of New York State paying off a $7 billion unemployment insurance debt to the federal government.
• ✅ Recipients are expected to see the new rates reflected in their checks starting next week.

Passing of Saul Zabar

• 💔 New Yorkers are mourning the death of Saul Zabar, the longtime owner of the iconic Upper West Side gourmet Jewish food market, Zabar's.
• 🥖 Zabar, who passed away at 97, inherited the business from his parents and continued its legacy of offering smoked fish, bagels, cheeses, and rugelach.
• 🕰️ He had reminisced about the city's changes since the deli first opened in 1934, recalling when trolley cars ran on Broadway.
• 🥯 Governor Hochul described Zabar's death as a great loss for New York City and anyone who enjoyed Zabar's famous bagels and lox.

Landlord Penalized for Illegal Water Fees

• ⚖️ One of New York City's largest landlords has been fined $3.1 million for illegally charging tenants for water.
• 💧 This penalty will go towards reimbursing nearly 2,000 households who were charged these fees over the past several years, primarily in rent-stabilized apartments.
• 🏠 The investigation, first broken by WNYC's housing reporter David Brand, uncovered that the LeFrak Organization charged tenants for water, sometimes hundreds of dollars a month, which is prohibited by state rules for rent-stabilized apartments.
• 📝 Tenants will receive a rent credit and 9% interest on the money previously paid.
• 📢 Governor Hochul stated that the state will not allow landlords to increase costs with illegal fees like these water charges.
• ❓ Questions remain about tenants who were evicted after being charged, and those in buildings sold by the landlord in recent years.

Tenant Advice on Water Charges

• 🗣️ Tenants in rent-stabilized apartments who are charged for water should first speak to their landlord or management company, pointing out that state rules prohibit such charges.
• 📩 If that fails, tenants can file a complaint with the state's housing agency, the Division of Homes and Community Renewal.
• 💡 Essential services like heat and repairs are also covered by these rules, and landlords should not charge tenants for them.

Other Incidents

• 🔪 A man is in police custody after allegedly stabbing a female employee at a Manhattan beauty supply store in the Flat Iron District.
• 🩹 The woman is expected to survive, and an NYPD officer sustained a slash to the hand during the incident.
• ⚠️ The suspect has not yet been charged or identified.