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Noncitizens won't be able to get or renew a drivers license in New York now that state officials are appealing a judge's order. The Department of Motor Vehicles is reinstating its policy that requires immigration documents or a Social Security number to get a license.

A court order issued last Friday, ...

The deaths of five people in 2 different fires on consecutive Sundays has again focused attention on the growing problem of illegal apartment conversions. WNYC’s Cindy Rodriguez the dangerous problem is difficult to detect:

EVERYBODY HAD TO RUN. EVEN THOUGH THE FIRE WAS NOT ON OUR SIDE. BUT THE SMOKE WAS ...

Some Brooklyn residents say hospitals that serve neighborhoods like Bedford Stuyvesant, East New York and Crown Heights are cutting back services, making it difficult to find healthcare. Within the last two years St. Mary's Hospital and Interfaith Medical Center have shutdown their OB-GYN units. Yusenia Gutierrez is a staff attorney ...

The public will get a chance to weigh in on the city's extensive plan for re-zoning Greenpoint and Williamsburg Brooklyn at a hearing being held today. The plan is supposed to generate 10,000 new apartment units, parks, a public esplanade and an aquatics center. During a presentation at the Department ...

Across the state thousands of immigrants who don't have valid social security numbers are fearful that their drivers licenses will soon be suspended. Different immigrant groups are trying to come up with solutions to this problem. Fernando Mateo - a Dominican businessman with strong Republican ties has taken the lead ...

In early December , Federal Section 8 housing vouchers dried up and there was nothing available to replace them. Many homeless families sitting in shelters saw their hopes for housing disappear. But last week that all changed when the state approved a new city program that will allow for families ...

Mayor Bloomberg recently sued to try to stop a law that will expand benefits for domestic partners. But a judge ruled against the city and the decision is being appealed. While the legal battles are being resolved, the law will proceed. WNYC's Cindy Rodriguez looks at the impact of the ...

Last night in the South Bronx, local residents gathered inside a small church. They were expecting a two-hour debate between 79-year-old Republican State Senator Olga Mendez and the young democratic candidate challenging her, City Councilman Jose Serrano. But what they got was far from the tightly-controlled presidential debates that have ...

For many of New York City's homeless families, the Section 8 voucher has been the ticket to getting out of a shelter and into a permanent apartment. Qualifying families pay 30 percent of their income toward rent, and the vouchers cover the rest. But yesterday, the city announced it would ...

The first frost of the season hit the northern edges of the region this week - a signal the growing season is over for area farmers. Those who have been selling their fruits, vegetables and flowers to the various neighborhood green markets include immigrants attempting to use agricultural skills honed ...

The captain of the Staten Island Ferry boat that crashed last October will escape criminal prosecution. The U.S. attorney's office plans to dismiss charges that he lied about where he was during the accident. WNYC's Cindy Rodriguez reports.

Plans to store nuclear spent fuel at the Indian Point power plant were recently debated at a public meeting held by federal regulators. WNYC's Cindy Rodriguez reports.

The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles is verifying social security numbers. And so far, close to one hundred and fifty thousand drivers are in danger of having their licenses suspended. The process has heightened a debate taking place across the country - what to do about undocumented immigrant ...

Earlier this week, the Government re-released the pictures of 7 individuals believed to be affiliated with Al Qaeda. The photos were prominently displayed on the front page and inside newspaper tabloids. The FBI's New York City field office says, its received more than 230 calls from people responding to the ...

Aging baby boomers and longer life spans are causing the city to re-evaluate its Meals on Wheels programs. In 10 years, the Department for the aging predicts there will be 26 percent more people age 85 and older living in the city. While the population will grow funding will not. ...

Today, the Department of Homeland Security will begin to implement a program that requires visitors with temporary visas to be photographed and fingerprinted by customs officials at all points of entry. The new procedures are meant to help keep track of when foreigners traveling with temporary visas enter and exit ...

More than 63 thousand students were supposed to graduate from New York City high schools last year. 20 percent of them dropped out. Not counted in that statistic though are the ones who were told to leave school when it became apparent they were falling behind. Advocates say foreign-born kids ...

It's been over a week since the Andrew J. Barberi, a Staten Island Ferry Boat, rammed into a cement dock and killed 10 people. 9 other passengers remain hospitalized. Federal investigators have been trying to piece together the events leading up to the crash but testimony from two major crewmembers ...

Every year dozens of immigrant workers lose their jobs due to what are called no match letters sent by the Social Security Administration. Unions with a large immigrant membership say the number is likely in the hundreds when you account for those who simply disappear once they're faced with the ...

The largest manufacturing industry in New York city remains apparel. But the economic down turn that worsened after the 2001 terrorist attacks dealt a large blow to an industry already shrinking. The immigrants employed in garment factories say two years later they continue to struggle to keep steady work. WNYC's ...