NYC NOW - Midday News: AG James Joins Opposition to Trump’s Federal Worker Buyout Plan, Sinkhole Shuts Down I-80 in NJ, Alternate Side Parking Suspension, and Lessons from Recent Brush Fires

Episode Date: February 10, 2025

New York Attorney General Letitia James and New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Plakin are among 21 attorneys general opposing the Trump administration’s federal worker buyout plan, warning it could disrupt essential services like veteran healthcare and child care. Meanwhile, a massive sinkhole has shut down all eastbound lanes of I-80 in Wharton, NJ, marking the second such collapse at the same exit in recent months. Also, New York City is extending alternate side parking suspensions through Tuesday for snow removal. Plus, NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue shares what can be done to prevent brush fires in the city.

Welcome to NYC now. Your source for local news in and around New York City from WNYC. It's Monday, February 10th. Here's the midday news for Michael Hill. New York Attorney General, Tish James, is part of a coalition of Attorney General seeking or showing support for federal workers. WMIC's Tiffany Hanson has more. In an amicus brief filed yesterday, James joined New Jersey's Attorney General Matthew Platkin,

and 19 other attorneys general in opposing the Trump administration's controversial federal employee buyout plan. The brief supports a motion by the unions representing more than 800,000 workers, arguing the buyout plan could harm critical services such as health care for veterans and child care. The brief also warns that thousands of federal jobs could be lost. The lawsuit argues that the buyout plan caused widespread confusion and dismay among federal employees. A massive sinkhole is grinding morning traffic to a halt in the suburbs of New Jersey. The State Department of Transportation says all eastbound lanes are closed. This is at Interstate 80 at exit 34 in Wharton.

This is the second sinkhole to open up at this exact exit in just the last few months. A 40-by-40-foot sinkhole stopped traffic back in December. State officials say the collapse of an abandoned mine shaft underneath the highway caused the December sinkhole. not yet clear what caused today's sinkhole. New York City is suspending alternate side parking again tomorrow for snow operations. Alternate side parking is suspended today for clearing up the snow, both days, though we still must pay the parking meters. 36 and cloudy right now, sunny and 36 for a high. Tomorrow, slim chance of afternoon snow, mostly cloudy mid-30s, snow likely overnight Tuesday to Wednesday, 1 and 2 inches, and then another storm Wednesday into Thursday.

Stay close. There's more after the break. NYC. On WN.W.N.I.C. I'm Sean Carlson. Brush fires are not just a problem on the West Coast. Last fall, New York City and New Jersey, like most of the country, faced abnormally dry conditions. New York City firefighters responded to more than 200 brush fires in a span of just two weeks between October and November, setting a record. So what lessons were learned during the historic drought? Well, joining us now to talk more about it is NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donahue.

Commissioner, can you just start by telling us about the extent of the damage to the city's green spaces due to the drought last year? Yes, absolutely, Sean. And thank you. So about 41 acres experienced the busch fires. 10 different major parks had fires in them. So it was definitely expansive and quite alarming, obviously, for those of us in the city, both residents around parks. but also for the Parks Department to see that kind of very quick and very sudden impact from brush-eyers. Do we know how much it costs, all told, the damage? We don't have an estimate of cost, no, Sean, in terms of damage. But for us, it is really about how do we come in, how do we make sure that we're fortifying those areas? How are we working with our great partner organizations in individual parks to rebuild, re-nourish these areas?

That leads us right to the next thing we want to ask you about. How can we be better prepared for brush fires next time? Thank you. And it's such a good question. And it's something that we work on continually. I mean, you know, we have a longstanding and terrific group, our natural resources group, our forestry division. That's what we're continually focused on. We're focusing on making sure those areas where we can.

We're addressing species like phragmites and mugwort and clearing the areas that would be potentially. for brush fires. But so much of what we experienced was what you said earlier. It was the driest October on record in New York City. You had conditions that were very difficult and conducive to these sudden bursts of fires. Queen's Council member Shaker Christian introduced a bill that would require the Parks Department to develop a plan to take additional measures to mitigate wildfires in parks by October of this year. What do you think of that, Bill? You know, we're always Shaker, Councilman McChrishnan, has been a great partner of ours. We work closely with the Parks Committee of the City Council, and we will work with them in terms of this bill and how it's

crafted. We are all for, you know, there is a task force that's been formed already with FDNY, with our partners at the requisite city agencies. It's something we're looking closely at, of course, and wanting to make sure we are implementing best practices going forward. Now, on an individual level, just as a New Yorker or New Jersey, whoever might be going through the parks, what can we do on an individual level to prevent rush fires in New York City parks? Such a good question. I mean, one is following our rules. No open flames. Only grill and designated barbecue areas. Be careful of debris. You know, things like fireworks or things that are not allowed in parks, open flames. When you do grill, be careful where you're deposed. disposing your hot coals, things like that. Really important to just follow the rules, be cognizant of just the important, sacred really nature of our forest and that we need all New Yorkers to be participants and cognizant of their care. We also have lots of volunteer opportunities

that are on our website. And after the fires, that was something that was so heartening for us in the department to see. It's the number of people that reached out and said, what can do. How can we help? And there are lots of opportunities to help in parks across the city, whether it be helping us with planting trees, planting brush and bushes, and, you know, really helping with that reforestation effort that will be going on. And we think that volunteering is, we know it's not only good for us in our parks, it's great for building communities. And there's a lot of good work to be done. Yeah, that's true. We're going to change gears now a little bit, Commissioner. As you well know, there's been a lifeguard shortage over the past few summers.

The parks recruitment season is currently active right now. I know it's about to snow again. It is. It is. Maybe not something people are thinking of summer. Absolutely. Right now. Yeah. So the parks recruitment season is currently active to certify lifeguards to work at beaches and outdoor pools this summer. How is that going? Has training begun yet? Training has not begun yet, Sean. We are in a period right now of qualifying exams. What we do first, and these qualifying exams are going to be going on through mid-March in every borough is bring in as many people as possible to take those qualifying exams. So that's the first step. And then those who pass the qualifying exams, then move into training. And that is 40 hours of training

with the Parks Department to then become a New York City lifeguard. Have to give a plug. It's a great job, $22 an hour plus $1,000 retention bonus. And you are doing such an important public service for the city. And so we are, and I'm so glad you brought it up because we are looking to recruit and bring in as many people as possible to take those qualifying exams. Before we get off the lifeguard issue, can you just talk about why there was a shortage in the first place? Absolutely. I mean, like so many things coming out of the pandemic, people's lives changed, what they wanted to do for work changed. You know, our lifeguards, our core group of lifeguards really come from two segments. They were lifeguards that returned every year,

and then there were ones that new recruits that came in. And some of those returning lifeguards had job changes, life changes, moved on to something different. And you have to also understand it's a really difficult job. It's a, you know, six-day-a-week job, no telephone, no working from home, right? It's a job that you have to really, really want to do and really be committed to. And the workforce we know has changed. Coming into an office every day, you're showing up, a beach or a pool every day is not something that everyone wants to do. But we know and we're emphasizing just the importance of it in terms of just giving back to the city. Great job. You're outside. You're in the sun. You're in beautiful locations. Really important job.

One park in Westchester County shut down. They found in that park 12 dead Canada geese in a pond and it's due to concerns about bird flu everyone's hearing about, right? And we just reported that more than a dozen birds at the Queens and Bronx zoos died of suspected bird flu? What is the Parks Department doing to monitor the bird population? You know, obviously it's an evolving situation, Sean, and it is something that we're going to be closely following. It's a Department of Health guidelines. The city is working closely with the State Department of Health, Department of Agriculture, something will be monitoring closely and working closely with those entities and following their directive. Now, as we said, of course,

stark contrast to being a lifeguard at a pool or a beach, but it is forecasted to snow yet again. Does the city have any role in keeping parks specifically safe? Absolutely. I mean, the Parks Department has an important role in keeping the city safe. And we have crews that are out and we're working collaboratively with Office of Emergency Management and the Department of sanitation and all the relevant city agencies. We at the Parks Department lend some of our staff to DSNY for deployment. We're going to make sure what we always do is make sure headquarters, paths in and around parks, path to subways are cleared, important focus. And we'll have staff on starting 7 a.m. Sunday morning all through the day to make sure that it's safe and easily accessible to get into our parks.

Okay. We have a really hard-hitting question here to take us out here, Commissioner. Do you have any tips for best sledding in the city's parks? And do you know of any out-of-the-way spots that people really go to? That is such a good question, Sean. I love that one. There are so. so many great areas across the city for sledding. You know, anyone in Brooklyn knows that Prospect Park has all of those great sledding hills, but all across the city, you know, Cretona in the Bronx, Pellon Park, Van Cortland, anywhere that there's a good, you know, what we find is anywhere there's a bit of an incline, people will use it and their kids will be out, you know, first thing in the morning, sledding.

And that's what we want. We love to see that. there hasn't been enough snow lately. I know, I know. A little bit of snow. And we see it, you know, the slightest bit. You've got kids out sledding first thing. You've got people who get out there, you know, their skis.

It's tremendous in the city when you see even just a little bit of snow. Hopefully we'll have enough for some sledding. We'll see you out there. Hope so. That was NYC Parks Commissioner, Sudanahue, Commissioner. Thanks so much for joining us. Thanks for having me. Thanks for listening.

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