NYC NOW - Morning Headlines: NYC School Bus Companies Threaten to Halt Service, Mamdani Faces Questions About His Age, and Trump Policies Undercut NJ GOP Candidate’s Solar Push

Episode Date: October 21, 2025

A fight over New York City school bus contracts is intensifying with a coalition of bus companies threatening to halt service next month unless their contracts are extended. Meanwhile, mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani is confronting questions about his age as his campaign weighs revealing key appointments before Election Day. And in New Jersey, Republican gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli is calling for more rooftop solar panels even as his top supporter, President Trump, rolls back federal incentives for renewable energy.

Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news in and around New York City from WNYC. It's Tuesday, October 21st. Here's the morning headlines. I'm Jene Pierre. A fight over New York City school bus contracts is heating up and could have big consequences for students and their families. A coalition of bus companies now say they'll have to halt service next month if officials don't extend their contracts ASAP. They want a five-year extension of their current deals. But parents have been complaining about poor service for years.

Some parents and city officials say any new contract must include improvements. The city has been extending old contracts on a month-to-month basis while negotiations continue. Schools Chancellor Melissa Avis Ramos says a move by bus companies to disrupt service would be in bad faith. Some 150,000 students rely on the yellow buses. As he seeks to become the city's young. youngest mayor in over a century, Zoro Mamdani is confronting questions about his age. WNYC's Elizabeth Kim reports. Mamdani poked fun at his age last week with a cheeky video.

This weekend, I'll be making a change. I'm turning 34. And I'm committing that for every single day from here on out, I will grow older. But behind the scenes, his campaign has had serious debates about how to address concerns about his age. Sources say Momdani is discussing whether to reveal some of his top appointments before the election. It's the latest sign a transition process is underway for the mayoral frontrunner. A Momdani spokesperson says the candidate is focused on winning the race. In New Jersey, solar industry experts say they see a contradiction between Republican gubernatorial nominee Jack Shidorelli and his most consequential backer, President Trump.

WMYC's Mike Hayes has more. On the campaign trail, Chidorelli says he wants to expand the number of solar arrays on warehouse roofs to drive down skyrocketing electricity prices in the state. But the Trump administration has cut federal subsidies that made installing solar more affordable, among other measures. Lyle Rawlings is president and CEO of New Jersey-based solar company, Advanced Solar Products. Trump has been vocal about and has actually set out to hurt or kill solar energy. The Chittarelli campaign did not respond to a request for comment. A look at your forecast now. The air quality is good today. It's 52 degrees. It'll be mostly sunny on your Tuesday with highs in the mid to upper 60s.

There's a chance of overnight showers tonight expect flows around 55 degrees. Thanks for listening. This is NYC Now from 3. WMYC. Check us out for updates every weekday, three times a day, for the latest news headlines and occasional deep times, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. We'll be back this evening.