NYC NOW - Morning Headlines: Columbia Student Detained by ICE, Long Island City Rezoning Plan, and Parts Recovered from Hudson River Helicopter Crash

Episode Date: April 15, 2025

A new court filing reveals immigration officials detained another Columbia University student, Mohsen Mahdawi, a green card holder from the West Bank, possibly over his role in pro-Palestinian protests. Meanwhile, city officials want to rezone parts of Long Island City to build 14,000 more homes, sparking concern from longtime residents. Plus, federal investigators have recovered key components from the Hudson River helicopter crash that killed six people.

Welcome to NYC Now. Your source for local news in and around New York City from WNYC. It's Tuesday, April 15th. Here's the morning headlines from Michael Hill. A new court filing shows another Columbia University student is in immigration custody this morning. Immigration agents picked up green card holder Mosen, Maudawi, in Vermont. This is according to a document, his lawyer filed. is a legal resident of Vermont and originally from the West Bank.

His lawyer says they believe immigration and customs enforcement detained Madawi for taking part in pro-Palestinian campus protests last year. The Trump administration has not confirmed this or commented on his detention. Columbia University professor Joseph Howley says he knows Madawi. He has someone who has always spoken out loudly and clearly for a vision of peace and justice and communal liberation of everyone. is one of those people who will explain to you that when we say free Palestine, we mean equal rights and freedom for everyone in the land.

Mandabe's attorneys says his client appeared for his naturalization interview and agents arrested him. The high rises along the waterfront in Long Island City have made the neighborhood synonymous with new housing. WN.C's David Brand reports and a plan to add even more apartments to LIC. Maria Vermache moved to Long Island City 30 years ago and says she loves its transformation. But she's miffed by a city plan to add 14,000 new homes. Where? How are they going to add more apartments in this? I bet we have a lot. City planning director Dan Grodnick says he gets the surprise. But there's actually an entire area that has been untouched. He says many blocks just east of the waterfront are zoned for low-rise

manufacturing. Soon, the city will begin the review process for a plan to allow new apartment buildings. City Council could vote on it this fall. Authorities say they recovered critical components from the helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River last week, killing the family of five from Spain on board and their pilot. The National Transportation Safety Board says divers retrieved the main and tailroaders, transmission and roof beam from the Bell 206 L4 helicopter. New York helicopter tours operated the aircraft which had no black boxes and had not been inspected in more than five weeks. Our forecast now. 52 and partly cloudy in Manhattan right now. Chances of afternoon showers and thunderstorms today, mostly cloudy, 66 for a high, windy and gusty. And then tomorrow, mostly cloudy, cooler, 53.

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