It's summertime in New York City, but that doesn't mean the news is slowing down. The establishment is currently attempting to destroy the guy who just won the Democratic mayoral primary. Masked ICE agents are still kidnapping law-abiding New Yorkers and trying to deport them. And what the hell is going on with adult lap swim?
We're committed to keeping you informed during this sticky, chaotic, glorious season, which is why we're excited to announce that reporter Celia Young is joining us for the rest of the summer.
Celia comes to Hell Gate from Brick Underground, where she covered how fraudsters impersonate real estate brokers and scam unsuspecting renters, the all-too-common practice of housing voucher discrimination, what happens when landlords lie about bedbugs (spoiler: not much), and why your landlord doesn't have to tell you if your building's hallway is infested with the creepy critters. (Yeah, that one surprised us too!)
You may also know Celia from her work at Commercial Observer, where she covered the Amazon and Starbucks union drives, Gotham's burgeoning legal weed economy, and the real estate industry's cozy relationship with certain noxious New York politicians.
Her writing has appeared in the New York Times (yikes!), where she explained why New York City's fast-food retailers are ripping out their seating, and the New York Groove, where she chronicled a year she spent embedded with a local Indiana Jones cosplay group. (Dudes rock.)
When she's not investigating bad landlords or sprinting to a City Council meeting, Celia enjoys catching a movie at Film Forum (or any other union-friendly theater).
Celia, who is filling in for a staffer while they take some long-planned leave, will be covering all kinds of New York City news. Contact her with any tips and tidbits, especially about housing, deed scams, and labor, at celia@hellgatenyc.com. You can also follow her on Bluesky or that other website.
And to our subscribers: We're able to hire Celia for the summer because of you. Thank you for supporting Hell Gate's worker-owned local journalism.
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