Photo of kayakers in the Hudson River by @matissefanatic.

May 1, 2017 Weather: Sunny, with a high of 71 degrees.

Notices:
A special Vice news presentation at Lincoln Center and more local events on our calendar.

This Sunday is also the annual Hippo Playground Spring Fair near 91st Street in Riverside Park and they’re looking for volunteers. “An Upper West Side institution, The Hippo Playground Spring Fair features pony rides, bouncy castles, petting zoo, games, prizes, food, entertainment and more.”

News:
Two articles came out over the past few days examining segregation in Upper West Side public schools. Both the Times and The Atlantic looked at the choices that parents make, with the Times examining the area in the West 90’s and The Atlantic taking a closer look at PS 191 on 61st street.

A new lawsuit says the MTA is discriminating against disabled riders by failing to have elevators and electric lifts, making it virtually impossible to use the system. “The plaintiffs, a group of disability organizations and disabled residents who brought the lawsuits as a class action in state and federal court, say that the city’s subway system is one of the least accessible public transportation systems in the United States, with the lowest accessibility rate — 24 percent — among the country’s 10 largest transit systems.”

Speaking of the MTA, its failure to upgrade its antiquated signal system is a big reason why service continues to deteriorate. “The signal system is the hidden, unglamorous backbone of the subway, controlling when trains can move down the tracks. But it is so outdated that it cannot identify precisely where trains are, requiring more room between them. And when it fails, trains stop, delays pile up and riders fume.”

Lead levels were above acceptable limits in at least one faucet at 83% of NYC public schools after retests. “The city’s Education Department said every outlet where a sample exceeded the threshold had been turned off and would be turned on again only after it was replaced and new tests found levels below 15 parts per billion.”