Speaker 1: Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news in and around New York City from WNYC. It's Wednesday, June 4th. Here's the morning headlines from Michael Hill.

Michael Hill: The air in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut is about to get a little rough. Officials have issued air quality advisories for today as they predict ozone levels to reach unhealthy levels for sensitive groups. Officials say the hot, sunny weather or helps from ground-level ozone, which can irritate the lungs, children, older adults, and people with heart or lung conditions should limit their time outdoors. Some of the smoke is coming from wildfires burning in Canada, which has forced tens of thousands to evacuate. The fires have forced more than 27,000 Canadians to flee their homes. Never in history has there been a one-seat Amtrak train ride between Long island and the mainland United States, but that could change. As WNYC Stephen Nessen reports.

Stephen Nessen: This is a train to Ronkonkoma. That's something Long Island Railroad riders are used to hearing, not Amtrak passengers, but now the National Railroad is pitching a new service that would send three daily Northeast Corridor trains to the island. The trains would stop at Jamaica and Queens, Hicksville and Ronkonkoma. It might not sound like much, but it would mark the first time in history riders could travel between Long Island and places like New Jersey and Washington, DC without switching trains at Penn Station. Amtrak says to make it a reality, it needs new train cars, which are at least five years away from delivery, as well as permission from the MTA to use the tracks.

Michael Hill: The first two debates among the Democratic candidates for mayor will take place tonight. Nine candidates competing in the June 24th primary are set to take the stage. Polls show former Governor Andrew Cuomo leading the field by a large margin. Zohran Mamdani, a Queen's assembly member, is in second place. The two-hour debate will air at 7:00 on WNBC and Telemundo as well as their streaming platforms.

All right. Now, here's our forecast. 62 and sunny. As we said, an air quality alert for New York City, parts of New York State, Connecticut, and New Jersey. It means limiting outdoor activity for folks who are sensitive to pollution. Today's forecast, sunny in 84 with a calm wind, and then tomorrow, partly sunny and warmer all the way up near 90 degrees. On Friday, a chance of some showers, partly sunny and low 80s. Once again, 62 with sunshine. This is Morning Edition on WNYC.

Speaker 1: Thanks for listening. This is NYC Now from WNYC. Check us out for updates every weekday, three times a day for the latest news headlines and occasional deep dives, and subscribe wherever you get your podcast.

Copyright © 2025 New York Public Radio. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use at www.wnyc.org for further information.

New York Public Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline, often by contractors. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of New York Public Radio’s programming is the audio record.