NYC NOW - Morning Headlines: Correction Officers’ Comp Claims Soar, Wynn Drops Hudson Yards Casino Plan, and Fleet Week Begins with Tragedy

Episode Date: May 20, 2025

New York City’s Department of Investigation says workers’ comp claims by correction officers cost the city more than $340 million last fiscal year. Meanwhile, Wynn is pulling out of its bid to build a casino in Hudson Yards as a major housing project in the neighborhood moves forward. Federal officials are also investigating a close call between two planes at LaGuardia Airport. Plus, Fleet Week kicks off tomorrow with the annual Parade of Ships, following a deadly crash involving a Mexican navy ship over the weekend.

Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news in and around New York City from WMYC. It's Tuesday, May 20th. Here's the morning headlines from Tiffany Hanson. New York City's Department of Investigation says workers' comp claims by city correction officers have ballooned in recent years, costing more than $340 million in just the last fiscal year. That's more than claims for all other mayoral agencies combined. DOI Commissioner Jocelyn Stalber says the, quote, excessive claims prompted a new report with policy recommendations and a continuing investigation. Three officers, including one, still on the job, were arrested today, on Monday, rather, in a related fraud case.

The correction officer's union says the report reflects a rise in assaults on staff who supervised detainees accused of violence. The gaming company Wynn says it's withdrawing a bid for a casino in Hudson Yards after facing. political opposition. At the same time, a major housing development from the related companies is moving forward in the neighborhood. The project would build 4,000 departments. Eric Botcher represents the area in the city council. He says related agreed to make at least 400 of those affordable and to create six and a half acres of open park space. We've won significant concessions from the applicant in the last week that are really meeting almost all the community's demands. One community group that has opposed the project seems to have signed on,

Brenz of the High Line says many of its concerns have been addressed. Federal officials are investigating why two planes got dangerously close on a runway at LaGuardia Airport earlier this month, despite the airport being equipped with an advanced surface radar system that's designed to help prevent such close calls. Both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board said they are investigating the May 6th incident. A Republic Airways jet had to abort takeoff because the United Airlines plane was still taxiing across the runway. Fleet Week is normally a time for celebration here in New York City,

but this year's event comes with a morbid backdrop after a Mexican Navy ship crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge over the weekend, killing two sailors and injuring more than 20 others. The event kicks off tomorrow morning with the annual parade of ships starting in New York Harbor around 745. NJ Transit Service is back this morning. After the end of a historic strike from the state's train operators union, you can find information about the first train times of the day at NJ Transit website. As for the roads and rails, otherwise so far clear this morning, weather-wise, we're looking at a fair sky, 50 degrees, with a high near 70 and sunshine. Thanks for listening.

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