Extra Time: Peak heat on the way; New York City commission seeks public's help
In this edition of Eyewitness News Extra Time, we have more on the sizzling heat that will reach its peak starting Thursday, the commission on a mission to rework key city laws and Juneteenth celebrations across the Tri-State.
Parts of New Jersey entered a heat wave On Wednesday, as temperatures reached 93 degrees in Newark in the afternoon, making it three days in a row.
At a Juneteenth celebration people guzzled down water and tried to stay in the shade. City workers and construction crews tried to keep cool.
Here are the other major headlines from Wednesday's show:
Clemency program aims to address racial injustice in mass incarceration
Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States and the continuing struggle for equity.
On Wednesday, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced a plan to address racial injustice when it comes to mass incarceration. A new clemency program will allow some youthful and nonviolent offenders an early release from prison.
New Jersey reporter Anthony Johnson has more.
Charter Review Commission needs the public's help
The Charter Review Commission needs citizens to take part.
The commission held its first public hearing on Wednesday at Queens Borough Hall, but few people attended the 10 a.m. hearing in person, and just a few dozen tuned in over Zoom.
Mayor Eric Adams created the commission last month to potentially make changes to city bylaws with one or more initiatives up for a vote on November's ballot, but critics say it's a cynical political ploy to wrestle power away from the City Council, which had been working to increase oversight of who the mayor appoints to lead city agencies.
We talk to the person who was tapped by the mayor to chair the commission.
Opal Lee commemorates Juneteenth
Juneteenth is the federal holiday marking the end of slavery in the United States.
One of the many people celebrating Wednesday is considered the grandmother of Juneteenth. Opal Lee walked 2.5 miles to commemorate the 2.5 years it took for the last enslaved people to learn they were free.
As ABC's Christiane Cordero shows us, the 97-year-old Texas matriarch helped make Juneteenth official.
You can watch 'Eyewitness News Extra Time' live Monday-Friday at 6:30 p.m. on ABC7NY.com or our ABC7NY app on Roku, FireTV, Apple TV and Android TV.
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