NYC NOW - Midday News: Judge Dismisses Mayor Adams' Federal Case, MTA Vows Subway Security Boost, and a Queens Casino Plan Gains Senate Support

Episode Date: April 2, 2025

Mayor Eric Adams’ federal corruption case is officially over, after a judge dismissed the case with prejudice. Meanwhile, the MTA says it’s ramping up subway security after two teens attacked a conductor. Plus, Queens State Senator John Liu is backing Steve Cohen’s casino plan near Citi Field in exchange for a pedestrian bridge called the Flushing Skypark.

Welcome to NYC Now. Your source for local news in and around New York City from WNYC. It's Wednesday, April 2nd. Here's the midday news from Michael Hill. Mayor Adams' criminal case is officially over. Judge Dale Ho issued an order this morning dismissing the case for good with no chance of charges being brought back in the future. A federal grand jury indicted Adams last year for federal corruption.

Prosecutors say he accepted flight upgrades and illegal campaign donations in exchange for political favors. Adams pleaded not guilty and has vehemently denied any wrongdoing. President Trump's administration directed prosecutors to ask a judge to dismiss the case. The MTA is pledging to beef up security on subway trains after a pair of teens allegedly broke into a conductor cab and attacked a transit worker. MTA chair General Lieber says one of the suspected teens has already been arrested. and faces multiple charges. It's not acceptable when our conductors are attacked. Anybody, any MTA employee attacks, we're going to go crazy and making sure you go to jail.

Lieber says he wants new train cars to have more advanced security measures such as biometric devices that can only allow conductor caps to be unlocked with a fingerprint or face scan. The NYPD says the duo punch the 51-year-conductor and stolar keys. keys used to access sensitive parts of the subway system. They say the conductor was not seriously hurt. Taking a look at your forecast now. We're at 46 with sunshine, partly sunny today with a high near 49 degrees, and then tomorrow drizzle and showers in the morning,

then a chance of showers through the afternoon as well, with a high of 70 degrees. This is WNMI. Stay close. There's more after the morning. the break. I'm Sean Carlson for WNYC. A controversial proposal to build a casino in Queens has won a powerful backer. State Senator John Liu says he supports New York Mets owner Steve Cohen's Metropolitan Park proposal in exchange for the billionaire's pledge to build a highline-inspired

pedestrian bridge backers are calling flushing Sky Park. Senator John Lou joins us now to talk about his decision and the next steps forward. Senator, thanks so much for coming on. Yeah, thanks for having me, Sean. So tell us to start about the legislation that you'll be introducing. So first and foremost, we know that there are three casino licenses that the State Gaming Commission will be granting, most likely by the end of this year. And there are about a dozen companies who are posing or putting bids in for those three licenses. Steve Cohen and his partners, they have a proposal. that cannot proceed without being able to use the very large parking lot next to the Mets Stadium.

That parking lot, which is an asphalt lot, is technically parkland. They need state legislation that authorizes the use for other purposes, such as commercial and specifically a gaming facility. So I've agreed to put in the bill that would authorize the use of that parkland for other uses. Now, we know how hard it is to build something in New York. The flushing Sky Park is a whole other project on top of the casino development. So what happens if the efforts to build the park doesn't take off?

I'm very happy that Steve and his partners, they agreed that connectivity with flushing, my area of New York City, to their site, which they call Metropolitan Park, It's very important. Flushing has been cut off from the Metropolitan Park area or whether a Mets Stadium is also known as Willsett Point. For generations, because we have this Flushing Creek, which is why this sky park is very important. For 20 years, something like this has been envisioned for Flushing and Willis Point. I expect this crossing to actually become a destination in itself. But if for some reason, and they're not able to complete this Sky Park, then they have committed to paying $100 million for the, for fixing up the infrastructure of Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Now, most of the proposed Metropolitan Park site isn't in your district at all. It's in the neighboring district. It's represented in the state senate by Jessica Ramos.

She is opposed to the casino, and your bill directly contradicts what she thinks is best for her district. So does that give you any pause in moving forward with such a... massive undertaking? Senator Ramos has the lion's share of the site in question. Part of the site in question is a much smaller piece is in my district. But I think most people understand that a project of this magnitude is not a local project per se. It has a tremendous amount of impact not only in that immediate area. It certainly would have a huge impact on flushing,

which is the area that I represent. Now, Senator Ramos has been very conscientious about listening to her constituents, and she opposes the use of that park land as part of this casino proposal based on the constituent feedback that she's gotten. Similarly, I've also listened to my constituents, and for the most part, the lion's share of my constituents are very much in favor of this proposal. All of my community boards have voted, have passed resolutions in support of the proposal. The city council itself as a whole, including the city council members representing this area,

they've, I think it was a vote of something like 40 to 2, only 2 against, that would allow the use of this land as a gaming facility. So I think there's broad support, but I certainly respect Senator Ramos in her position. I think it's a principal position. But at the end of the day, my position is mine, and it's based on my understanding of what my constituents want. Have you spoken with Senator Ramos since you came out in favor of Metropolitan Park? Oh, yes. I worked very closely with Jessica.

We've known each other for a long time. and I understand where she's coming from, and I believe she understands where I'm coming from. Casinos don't have the best track record in terms of bringing benefits to the neighborhood they're built in, and that includes on things like home values. There's decades-old economic data from the National Association of Realtors.

That indicates casinos have, quote, an unambiguously negative impact on neighboring property values. Is this casino what your constituents want, and do you believe that it is in your district's best interest, given that data? That's a very good thing. good point. And if I had my druthers, there'd be no casinos anywhere. Certainly not in New York.

The reality is that there are going to be three casinos in the New York City area, including Nassau County and Westchester, potentially including Nassau County and Westchester. And I think the potential harm that comes from casinos is not something to be sneezed at. But it's a reality that these three licenses are going to be granted in this region. And I'm trying to do what I think is best for the long term of my community. And I think this is the way to go. What do you say to the argument that casinos are effectively a aggressive tax on the poor, taking advantage of people who are financially desperate to make money?

I would not disagree with that. so is the lottery, which I'm against as well, and so are most sales taxes and property taxes. That's a part of our economy. I wish we can eliminate everything that is regressive. But on the other hand, there are studies and lots of experts who cite the huge number of jobs that would be created. they're not low-paying jobs, they're not minimum wage jobs, they're actually relatively highly paid. The major unions are very much in support of this proposal for the very fact that good high-paid jobs would be created. And the Cohen team has pledged a huge amount of preference for local hiring.

So it would be job opportunities for the immediate area. Just in terms of the actual procedure to get these things built, what does have to happen next in the process? So specifically for the Cohen proposal to proceed, this bill that I'm introducing this week has to become law. That law then allows the use of that 50-acre parking lot next to Met Stadium. Once that is achieved, Cohen can then submit. his proposal to the State Gaming Commission, and then the State Gaming Commission will decide which of the 11 proposals will get one of the three gaming licenses that are designated for the downstate area. If Cohen wins one of those three gaming licenses, then he's going to proceed with this project,

including the construction of the Sky Park, including an overhaul of the subway station, the seven-train subway station in front of the Met Stadium, and a number of other amenities that he's promised. That's State Senator John Lou from Queens. Senator Liu, as always, thanks so much for joining us. Thanks for having me. Thanks for listening.

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