State Politics
NYC sends emergency alert– 30 minutes late
On Friday morning, a 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit the area near Tewksbury, NJ. The quake was felt in New York City, where it surprised many citizens who were not as used to earthquakes as those on the West Coast. However one of the most interesting stories of the response came in the form of the emergency alert sent out to all New York City residents following the quake.
The alert came in to a The Youth Insight contributor’s iPhone at 11:01 AM, a full 38 minutes after the earthquake had taken place. If you were subscribed to the NotifyNYC platform, you could have received it slightly earlier at 10:49 AM. However this still leaves the alert almost 26 minutes after the earthquake.
The Deputy Mayor for Communications, Fabien Levy, has been ridiculed on social media for his social media post praising the team that “mobilized quickly” to send out the alert for the earthquake, with many users responding that, by many standards, 30 minutes cannot be categorized as “quickly.”
The true source of information about the earthquake was social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. Users immediately jumped on the platform to share their concerns and express curiosity about the shaking. Thankfully for concerned citizens, many earthquake-watchers on the social media platform were much faster to confirm it than the New York City government.
Zachary Iscol, who heads up the New York City Office of Emergency Management, defended his team to the press. He said that the city needed to confirm the quake themselves before releasing a notification, and that the warning was really for aftershocks, which can occur up to a week afterwards. He also praised his team for their hard work during the earthquake.
In a surprise move by the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Committee, Oklahoma City has been named the host of two events for the Olympic Games. Come Olympic season, OKC will be hosting the Olympic Canoe Slalom and Softball events, as Los Angeles does not have the necessary facilities locally.
LA28 stressed that the Oklahoma facilities were “built to international competition standards,” and that this move allowed the City of Los Angeles to save money on venues they would not continue to use after the Olympics.
Softball has a long tradition in Oklahoma City, which has hosted the Women’s College World Series every year except 1990. They already have these world class facilities in place, as well as an in-built and enthusiastic audience for the sport.
Oklahoma City also recently completed construction on Riversport Rapids, a world class canoeing and kayaking facility, in 2016. They currently offer consumer rafting experiences as well as training facilities for athletes. In preparation for the Olympics, they will also use it to host the Canoe Slalom World Championships in 2026.
While the plan is still awaiting approval from Los Angeles, LA28 has received approval from all relevant international bodies for the move. However it is unlikely that LA will deny the request considering the cost benefits laid out under the plan.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced on Tuesday that the infamous Rikers Island prison is “ready” to receive Former President Donald Trump. Trump is currently facing potential temporary incarceration following repeated violations of his gag order.
The judge overseeing Trump’s hush money trial, Judge Juan Merchan, made it clear on Monday that if the Former President continued to violate his gag order, he could be placed in jail. He called Trump’s repeated violations a “direct attack on the rule of law.”
Putting the Former President in jail could prove difficult for the New York City Department of Connection. Due to the high security required for his incarceration, the options could be very limited.
Despite Rikers Island’s poor reputation, city officials could be of the mind that they are best equipped to handle a prisoner of Donald Trump’s stature. Eric Adams told the media that “they’re professionals, they’ll be ready.”
Off the coast of Boca Raton, Florida, two teenagers were caught throwing heaps of trash into the ocean from their boat. The teenagers were partying on their speeding boat with their friends when they committed the offense. Wavy Boats, a social media account, first uploaded the viral video on April 30.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) led the investigation, which the Coast Guard and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection were also involved in. The FWC wanted to send a message that the state of Florida “doesn’t tolerate this” and wants to “protect [their] environment.”
According to a South Florida newspaper, after turning themselves in on Friday, the two teenagers (unnamed) face “felony third-degree charges of causing pollution so as to harm or injure human health or welfare, animal, plant, aquatic life or property, which amounts to $50,000 in fines or up to five years in prison.”