Newscast 250424

For Columbia Radio news, I’m Zhuoya Ma.

A 19-year-old suspect, Joseph Kling, was arrested earlier today in connection with the wildfires burning in Ocean County, New Jersey. Kling is accused of starting a bonfire on wooden pallets inside a wilderness area and then leaving without fully extinguishing it. 

The New Jersey forest fire service says it continues to make progress in stopping the wildfires. The service says the fire is now 50% contained. The fire started on Tuesday morning, and it has burned roughly 15 thousand acres as of today. This could be the state’s biggest wildfire since 2007.

AND Smoke from the wildfires has drifted into Manhattan. New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation has issued an air quality advisory for the five boroughs, Long Island, Westchester and Rockland counties. We are advised to limit strenuous outdoor activities.

New York City lawmakers scheduled to vote today on several bills that aim to limit the use of helicopters in the city. That is a response to the flight crash which happened on the Hudson river two weeks ago. Our day reporter Oona Milliken will provide more details on that. 

Four British families, along with other families from the United States and Canada, protested outside the Meta office located in the East Village. They believe social media harmed their children’s mental health, and that some were even driven to suicide. 

Meta responded and shared its goal of keeping teens safe online, having recently introduced "teen accounts" with enhanced protections. Parents say they want meta to create an easier and more accessible reporting system, and to help children using the platform correctly identify dangerous online situations.

For all the working parents out there - today is the 33rd annual “bring a kid to work day”. The event began right here in New York City back in 1992. Parents invite their children to step into their professional working world for a day. 

It’s a chance for kids to see what their parents do beyond school drop-offs and dinner time, giving them a behind-the-scenes look at adult life. The theme for this year is “For a new generation”. 

It's a super sunny day, with a high today of 77 and a low of 53 degrees. However, be cautious, as the air quality is low.

Zhuoya Ma, Columbia Radio News.