Evening Roundup: Atlantic Avenue Could Get Major Upgrades Under Rezoning Plan, Newark Airport’s Short-term Fix, Possible NJ Transit Strike May Impact Concert...

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Janae Pierre: Atlantic Avenue could get major upgrades under a new rezoning plan Newark Airport's short-term Fix, how a possible NJ Transit strike may impact concertgoers, New Jersey Democrats running for governor debate immigration and magic in Brooklyn. From WNYC, this is NYC NOW. I'm Jenae Pierre.

A major upgrade could be in the works for a roughly 20-block stretch of Brooklyn's Atlantic Avenue. Two key City Council panels passed a rezoning plan this week. Officials say it allows for 4,600 new housing units in Crown Heights and Bed Stuy and would create about 2,800 long term jobs. Alongside the plan, the committee's approved more than $215 million in community investments. Those include upgrades to playgrounds as well as the Franklin Avenue Station on the A and C lines. The proposal now heads back to the City Planning Commission before a full council vote.

Federal officials are expected to meet this week with major airlines on a plan to temporarily reduce the number of flights at Newark Airport amid ongoing disruptions. In the meantime, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says he has a plan to fix the decades old equipment that's plagued air travel in and out of Newark Airport in recent weeks. He says the Air Traffic Control Center in Philadelphia relies on copper wires. Those will soon be replaced with modern fiber optic cables. Still, Duffy says it's a short-term fix.

Sean Duffy: We're using equipment that looks like it's off the Apollo 13 set and so today we have high speed fiber, but when it comes into the TRACON we do slow it down so it can be can be used by the old equipment.

Janae Pierre: TRACONs are the facilities that guide planes through American airspace, but they all rely on technology that dates back to the 1970s. Duffy is blaming a lack of investment in new equipment by previous administrations to the outages and delays in Newark.

A potential NJ Transit engineer strike is already disrupting the plans of concertgoers this week. WNYC's Sean Carlson has more.

Sean Carlson: Popstar Shakira is set to perform at MetLife Stadium on Thursday and Friday, and NJ Transit says there will be no train or bus service to the venue. That's because the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen could go on strike as early as 12:01 AM on Friday. The union is calling for higher pay for its members. They say it lags behind other commuter rails. NJ Transit says its offer is competitive even if it's not quite MTA money. They said coach bus service will be available from Port Authority if you're headed to MetLife from New York. It's a busy season at MetLife. Beyonce's Cowboy Carter tour is coming up right after Shakira's.

Janae Pierre: In New Jersey, Democrat candidates vying for the governor's seat sparred over the Trump administration's immigration policies and how far they'll go to strike them down. More on that after the break.

Five Democratic candidates vying to be New Jersey's next governor made their case to voters at a forum hosted by WNYC and NJ Spotlight News Monday night. Candidates laid out their plans for opposing President Trump's aggressive immigration enforcement policies. WNYC's David Brand has more.

David Brand: What should the modern Democratic Party look like in New Jersey? That's a big question facing the party's primary voters and Democratic candidates themselves. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka says the state needs a progressive governor who will aggressively stand up to President Trump.

Ras Baraka: You want people to acquiesce, to hide in the middle, to run under this veil of, "I'm working with the president of the United States." The reality is we need to protect families, we need to protect immigrants, we need to protect democracy.

David Brand: Baraka was arrested protesting outside a federal immigration detention center in Newark last week. Federal officials accused Baraka of trespassing. Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop has a similar view. He says current Governor Phil Murphy and legislative leaders should get behind a bill limiting cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration agents. It's called the Immigrant Trust Act.

Steve Fulop: It speaks to the values of the state of New Jersey. It speaks to how you view the immigrant community.

David Brand: But Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill says courts would rule the measure unconstitutional and that could end up backfiring.

Mikie Sherrill: We will open up vulnerable people to more attacks in the court when they overturn this. And by the way, if this goes up to the Supreme Court, which it likely will, then that overturns other states' mandates.

David Brand: Other moderate candidates also opposed the measure. Former Senate President Steve Sweeney says he opposes sanctuary policies.

Steve Sweeney: All you're doing is giving false hope to people that they are safe. They're not safe.

David Brand: Congressmember Josh Gottheimer voted in favor of a federal law that allows immigration agents to deport people accused of low-level crimes, which made him a target of criticism from the other candidates, but he says he thinks he can level with the president.

Josh Gottheimer: You say, "I don't think so, Trump. You're not coming in here and rounding up innocent undocumented people."

David Brand: But it's about more than just Trump. The candidates also sparred on local issues top of mind to New Jerseyans, especially transportation. NJ Transit engineers could go on strike Friday. Route 80 is pockmarked with sinkholes and reoccurring meltdowns at Newark Airport are grounding flights. Sherrill says it's a triple whammy.

Mikie Sherrill: We have a transit disaster at almost every level right now.

David Brand: All five candidates say if they were governor right now, they'd be at the bargaining table 24/7 to prevent a rail strike. Here's Sweeney.

Steve Sweeney: New Jersey Transit doesn't run well to start with, so we cannot afford to have a strike.

David Brand: But they have different strategies to fund mass transit. Phillips says he would block a plan to widen the New Jersey Turnpike and invest the cash in public transportation instead.

Phillips: It's a $12 billion boondoggle.

David Brand: Then there's the Garden State's highest in the nation property taxes. All of the candidates are pushing plans to consolidate and share services. Here's Gottheimer.

Josh Gottheimer: 564 municipalities and what happens? They all pay Wawa prices instead of Costco prices. No one negotiates separately for salt on the roads, for their insurance by town.

David Brand: One notable absence on stage was Teachers' Union president and former Montclair mayor Sean Spiller. He's also running for the Democratic nomination but didn't qualify to take part in the forum under rules set by the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission. The state's primary is June 10th.

Janae Pierre: That's WNYC's David Brand. Question, do you believe in magic? Well, a local magician has, poof, turned an empty Brooklyn storefront into a speakeasy magic venue. Abracadabra. WNYC's Hannah Frishberg reports.

Hannah Frishberg: There's a strange new storefront on Court Street in Carroll Gardens. The sign says Precision Clock and Watch. Step inside and you'll find a lobby outfitted with various esoteric old timey delights like vintage suitcases. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, you'll find magician Greg Dubin swallowing needles and performing card tricks for a small but transfixed audience.

Greg Dubin: Watch. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "What if I'd magically removed the ball from cup two?" Would you like it under cup A or C?

Participant: A.

Greg Dubin: You sure?

Hannah Frishberg: Dubin was born in Florida and has been living in Carroll Garden since 2003. He's been a full-time magician for seven years and has long dreamed of opening his own venue. He decided the empty storefront that had long been home to neighborhood bar PJ Hanley's would be the perfect spot.

Greg Dubin: It was an empty space not doing anything. I had this vision of the facade being a clock and watch repair shop, and I did it and it worked.

Hannah Frishberg: The show often sells out.

Greg Dubin: I just didn't realize that there was such a desire in this area for things for grownups to do without their kids, something cool to do in the neighborhood.

Hannah Frishberg: Carroll Gardens resident Christy Polanti met Dubin next door at Luana's Tavern in early 2024. She's now seen the show three times.

Christy Polanti: We think it's really cool to have because it was a great excuse to get all of our friends to come to our neighborhood and hang out with us instead of us going to the suburbs and hanging out with them.

Hannah Frishberg: Windsor Terrace resident Jasper Stoddard was at the show last week.

Jasper Stoddard: I liked the sort of DIY feel, like how he was doing all the tech just on his phone and kind of made a joke of that.

Hannah Frishberg: Dubin says he's also been doing some guerrilla marketing, posting signs around the neighborhood warning people not to give him their watch.

Greg Dubin: It feels like this is the culmination of my entire life's work as a magician and as just like living in this neighborhood and getting to know all these people.

Hannah Frishberg: Tickets to Dubin's show start at $50.

Janae Pierre: That's WNYC's Hannah Frishberg. Before we go, a quick correction. In today's midday episode, we ran a story about the Rikers Island jail coming under the control of an independent receiver. In it, we misstated the specifics of those who died in corrections custody. So far this year, five people have died in city jails or just after release. Read more about it at our news site, Gothamist. Thanks for listening to NYC NOW from WNYC. I'm Jenae Pierre. We'll be back tomorrow.

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