NYC NOW - Morning Headlines: NYC Mayoral Candidates Face Off in First Debate, NYPD Gang Database Shrinks but Errors Persist, and Belmont Park Reaches Major Rebuild Milestone

Episode Date: October 16, 2025

New York City’s three mayoral candidates, Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo, and Curtis Sliwa, will take the stage tonight for their first general election debate. Meanwhile, the NYPD’s gang database has shrunk by nearly 40 percent in three years, but a new oversight report finds thousands of people were kept in the system longer than allowed because of programming errors. Plus, at Belmont Park, crews have hoisted the final steel beam, marking a major step in the Long Island racetrack’s full rebuild.

Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news in and around New York City from WMYC. It's Thursday, October 16th. Here's the morning headlines from David First. New York City's three mayoral candidates will make their case to voters in the first general election debate tonight. WNYC's Bridget Bergen has this preview. Democratic nominee Zoran Mamdani will take the stage as the frontrunner. The 33-year-old State Assembly member from Queens saw his lead shrink in a poll last week, the first after Mayor Adams suspended his reelection bid. But Mamdani still leads Andrew Cuomo, the former New York State Governor running on an independent line and Republican Curtis Sliwa by double digits.

Expect to see Cuomo and Slewa take shots at the feasibility of Momdani's affordability agenda, while also trying to distinguish themselves as the best Law and Order candidate. Mumdani will likely try to tie Cuomo to President Trump, since they share some of the same high-profile donors. The debate will air at 7 tonight on WNBC and stream on their website. The NYPD's gang database has shrunk by nearly 40% over the past three years, but a new oversight report finds nearly 6,000 people were kept in the system longer than allowed due to programming errors. City Council member Althea Stevens says tracking people with offering support misses the point.

How is that information helpful if we're not going to provide services to go along with it? Like, that to me doesn't really make sense. The database now holds about 8500 names overwhelmingly black and Hispanic men. The report also found officers failed to notify parents when minors were added. The NYPD says it fixed the errors and calls the database a vital tool for preventing gun violence. Governor Hockel says Belmont Park on Long Island is getting a much-needed transformation. Construction crews hoisted the final steel beam yesterday at Belmont Park, marking a key step and the site's full rebuilt. This is an antiquated facility, its days were numbered.

No one had the vision to take it from the status quo to the future, and everyone here was involved in making that happen. The state-backed project includes a new five-story grandstand, designed tracks and a plan to relocate aqueduct operations to Belmont by 2026. Officials say it will be a world-class sports and entertainment hub that brings long-term benefits to the region. 50 degrees right now, sunny with a high near 60 today. 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. Also subscribe wherever you get your part. We'll be back this evening.