NYC NOW - Evening Roundup: MTA Marks Billionth Ride of the Year, Broadway Musicians Authorize Strike, and Advocates Call for Prison Oversight

Episode Date: October 14, 2025

MTA Chair Janno Lieber called the system’s billionth ride a milestone and says it's another sign of growing post-pandemic ridership. Meanwhile, Broadway musicians are one step closer to potentially walking off the job in the next few weeks. And finally, advocates for people incarcerated in New York State are pushing Gov. Hochul to sign a bill that would expand prison oversight and require more cameras.

The MTA marks its billionth ride of 2025. Broadway musicians authorize a strike. And advocates for incarcerated people continue calls for prison oversight. From WMYC, this is NYC now. I'm Jene Pierre. MTA leaders are celebrating a subway milestone. The system just counted its one billionth ride for the year. MTA chair Jan Al-Lieber says it's a disoing.

another sign of growing post-pandemic ridership. This is one of the best markers for charting New York City's comeback, because every year we're hitting it earlier and earlier. In 2022, the MTA hit the billion rider milestone a couple days before the new year. In the last two years, they reached it in November. While the MTA says hitting the milestone in October is a positive sign, subway ridership is still far short of what it was before the pandemic. The subways see about 4 million rides per weekday now, and that's down from more than 5.5 million back in 2019.

Residents of the Penn South co-op could be getting a tax break. Governor Kathy Hochle cleared the way for a tax cut after she signed a bill Tuesday, allowing the city to reduce Penn South shelter tax from 10% of rent to 5%. This could result in savings upwards of $500 in tax savings for every household in Penn South. How does that sound? How does that sound? That's what we're doing. Hockel and state lawmakers had already approved a similar change for Mitchell Lama housing earlier this year. But Penn South and its 2,800 units were left out since it was created under a different housing program more than 60 years ago. Now, it's up to the city council to give final approval for the tax break. Broadway musicians are one step closer to potentially walking off the job in the next few weeks.

WMYC's Brittany Crichton has more. Many of Broadway's biggest shows could soon be in trouble. The union that represents Broadway musicians is still struggling to come to an agreement with the Broadway League over higher wages, better health care coverage, and protections from layoffs. 98% of musicians in the union voted to authorize a strike

if their demands aren't meant this week. Broadway actors are also considering a strike over health care and other issues, which could be a big problem for the city's theaters as holiday season ramps up. The Broadway League has declined to comment. In Albany, there's a push to expand prison oversight. More on that after the break.

Advocates for people incarcerated in New York State are pushing Governor Hockel to sign a bill that would expand prison oversight and require more cameras. WMYC's Jimmy Vilkine has more about their campaign. Rosemary Rivera says she was basically raised. in New York's corrections system. I graduated from Rikers Island to Bedford, to, you know, went through the system. She says a corrections officer

once punched her so hard in the face she flew across a room. She watched officers ignore another prisoner's pleas for medical care. She remembers how she was categorized and labeled. So juvenile delinquent youth offender, then I was labeled a criminal, then I was labored a career criminal,

then I was labeled a danger to society. Now, the 57-year-old activist is talking about her experience to a group of prison chaplains. There are about three dozen people sipping coffee from cardboard cups at a hotel near the Syracuse airport. Rivera hopes they'll join her campaign to end prison violence. We are going to need the moral authority. We're hoping that we can get an omnibus package. She's talking about a bill state lawmakers approved in June. The legislation was a response to the recent beating deaths of two people incarcerated in state prison.

M. Messiah Nanchwe and Robert Brooks. Rivera knows Brooks's father, Robert Ricks. She introduced him to Eric Schneiderman, a former state attorney general who resigned in 2018 after romantic partners accused him of abuse. In the first conversation, Robert said, with just palpable sincerity, I truly believe that my son died so that others may live. The new campaign is a return to advocacy for Schneiderman, who was never charged, but expressed remorse. He says that, the pending legislation would add more people to the watchdog Commission on Correction. The new members would include someone who was formerly incarcerated as well as a public health professional.

Raphael Marte is a minister in Plattsburgh who also volunteers as a chaplain in North Country correctional facilities. He says prison culture needs to change, but the law would be a good first step. More laws and more regulation, can I change your heart? Yeah. Period. However, there are ways to bring accountability. Another key part of the bill requires more cameras be installed in prisons.

Three of the guards involved in Brooks's beating are now on trial. They say their actions didn't cause the prisoner's death. Special prosecutor William Fitzpatrick told jurors that footage from body-worn cameras will show otherwise. You will witness on tape this depravity firsthand. It will be gut-wrenching. It will be almost beyond belief that these three men sworn to protect Robert Brooks and do their duty treated him with such depravity. Governor Hoko condemned the deadly incident.

So did Corrections Commissioner Dan Marticello. He says he doesn't have a position on the bill, but that the governor supports installing cameras in all state prisons. She's now provided me over $830 million as it pertains to the installation of fixed cameras. we have at least 17 facilities, either in design, construction, or upgrades. Hockel won't say whether she'll sign or veto the bill. She's grappling with a staff shortage across the state's prison system, which was made worse by a three-week strike earlier this year.

The union representing corrections officers says it doesn't have a position on the bill. State officials say the governor is trying to negotiate changes to the legislation. Schneiderman says Brooks's father won't support a watered-down bill. I've told her people that I would have. would love to have Robert Ricks at a bill signing with her. But it's not going to happen if the bill is no good. He'll keep up the pressure until then. Hoco has until the end of the year to act on the bill.

That's WNYC's Jimmy Vilkine. New York State is the second largest Apple producer in the country, right behind Washington State. Amelia Tarpie is a program and publicity manager for GrowNYC Green Markets. We recently joined her at the Union Square Market for a tour of the Apple stands where shoppers can find some of the best varieties. The Empire Apple, it's actually dubbed New York State's favorite apple. It's super sweet.

It's a red apple. It sort of has like a waxy sheen on it. Sometimes a little splash of green in the mix. I'm just going to take a bite of this one. You can hear it. Mmm. Next I want to talk about golden russet apples. These are a really fun heirloom variety.

They actually were first discovered in like the early, 1800, so they've been around a long time. They're kind of like this golden color, and then they have this russetine on it, it's in the name. Russetine is this phenomenon that happens in apples where it kind of develops almost cork-like texture on the skin.

It doesn't make for a good commercial apple because people see that and they get a little freaked out by it, but oftentimes it means that there's really good flavor there. Another newer apple variety that a lot of our orchards have started growing recently, has a really fun name. It's called Luda Crisp. And, you know, it's an apple variety that actually was developed in Ohio, and apparently

in no relation to Luda Criss, but it's a, you know, fun connection. Amelia Tarpie is a program and publicity manager for Grow NYC Green Markets. She said apples are priced at about three to four bucks a pound these days, and you can find mixed bags for about $5 a pound. Get the good ones in season while you can. Thanks for listening to NYC now from WMYC. I'm Jena Pierre. be back tomorrow.