NYC NOW - July 23, 2024: Morning Headlines

Episode Date: July 23, 2024

Get up and get informed! Here's all the local news you need to start your day: A Queens dad was sentenced Monday for his role in giving his 16-year-old son a car in 2023 before the boy obtained his full driver’s license. The teen crashed the vehicle while speeding, killing his 14-year-old passenger. WNYC's Samantha Max reports. Meanwhile, New Jersey delegates to the Democratic National Convention are endorsing Kamala Harris as the Democratic presidential nominee. Plus, New York State Sen. John Liu is urging the MTA to consider commuters' concerns about a major redesign of bus routes in Queens.

Welcome to NYC Now. Your source for local news in and around New York City from WNYC. It's Tuesday, July 23rd. Here's the morning headlines from Michael Hill. A queen's dad who gave his 16-year-old son a BMW before the boy got his full driver's license was sentenced yesterday for his role in the 101 mile-an-hour crash that killed his son's 14-year-old passenger. Deputy at my C Samantha Max reports.

Sean Smith pleaded guilty to misdemeanor child endangerment and will spend three years on probation. He and his wife are also taking parenting classes. Keisha Francis's daughter, Fortune Williams, died in the 2023 crash. Francis says the boy's parents put both her daughter and their son in danger. I wish they would never think about giving him that car. Because if they didn't give him that car, my daughter was, still be here right now. The teen driver is also facing criminal charges. New Jersey delegates to the Democratic National Convention are giving their thumbs up to Kamala Harris as the Democratic presidential

nominee. In a video call last night, all but two delegates agreed to cast a ballot for the vice president. The two holdouts remain uncommitted. Representative Andy Kim was among those who cast a vote for Harris. Well, look, look, I think right now it's just, you know, there's a lot of energy for a generation of leadership and the contrast that Kamala Harris has with President Trump, with former President Trump, is just so stark. Kim is running to succeed New Jersey's convicted senior Senator Bob Menendez. The Garden State's 145 member delegation includes the governor, Democratic members of Congress, other elected officials, as well as district delegates, and at-large members.

A New York State Senator is putting pressure on the MTA to listen to commuters' concerns about a major redesign of bus routes in Queens. State Senator John Liu represents parts of Northeastern Queens. He sent a letter to MTA CEO and chairman General Lieber yesterday. Many of the changes that constituents and Queens residents see seem to be more along the lines of cost cutting rather than actual service improvement. Lou's letter says the elimination of certain stops and the rerouting of others would make some commutes longer and more costly. an MTA spokesperson pushback against the Senators claims the agency says the redesign plan will provide increased and better bus service. 72 with showers now, slim chance of afternoon showers and thunderstorms, mostly cloudy and 84 on this Tuesday.

Thanks for listening. This is NYC now from WNYC. Be sure to catch us every weekday, three times a day, for your top news headlines and occasional deep dives. And subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You see you this afternoon.