wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

Industry groups are quietly trying to build opposition to Mayor Michel Bloomberg’s proposed big sugary drink ban. But if the past is any guide, they will have a tough time thwarting the mayor’s latest public health proposal.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg is hoping the third time will be the charm, in reducing the city’s sugar intake — and the waistlines — of New Yorkers.

New York State is starting to set money aside to pay off the debts of struggling hospitals that got a life-line from Albany under the first Governor Cuomo, more than 20 years ago.

The recent focus on the problem of childhood sexual abuse in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community may help spur a Queens legislator’s attempt to make it easier to prosecute or sue alleged sex offenders. But her bill is getting push back from religious leaders who worry it could open a floodgate of lawsuits that would bankrupt yeshivas and other institutions.

A City Council member wants New Yorkers to brush their teeth – and not rely on the public water system to provide fluoride – for healthy teeth.

Jurors have reached a partial verdict in the corruption trial of  Pedro Espada Jr.  during its third week of deliberations. Federal prosecutors say the former state Senator and his son embezzled $600,000 from the network of health clinics Espada founded in the Bronx.

Jurors in the corruption trial of  Pedro Espada Jr. has concluded a second full week of deliberation without delivering a verdict.

A day after declaring themselves deadlocked, jurors in the Pedro Espada, Jr. corruption case were back deliberating for a ninth day — asking the court for articles of evidence and requesting the judge clarify how voting might work for a partial verdict.

The jury in the federal corruption trial of former New York State Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada, Jr. will head back to court Thursday for one last try at reaching an agreement on any of the charges facing Espada and his son, Pedro G. Espada. The jurors sent a note to the judge on Wednesday saying they "could not arrive at a unanimous decision concerning the defendants."

After more than a week of deliberations, the jury in the corruption trial of former state senator Pedro Espada Jr. and his son appears to be deadlocked. The two are accused of siphoning off hundreds of thousands of dollars from a charitable health clinic for personal gain.

A tense jury continues to deliberate in the corruption trial of former state Senator Pedro Espada Jr. who is accused of siphoning off hundreds of thousands of dollars from a charitable health clinic for his personal gain.

Reports of the demise of the nonprofit health clinics founded by ex-state Senator Pedro Espada Jr. are premature, a spokeswoman for the clinic told WNYC on Thursday.

Prescriptions for painkillers are increasing dramatically in New York City, according to the Health Department. More than 2 million prescriptions for drugs like Oxycontin and Vicodin were filled by city residents in 2010, up 22 percent from 2008.

The Food and Drug Administration is considering a petition that could benefit Hispanic women by allowing the addition of folic acid, or folate, to the corn flour — a staple in many Latino foods — to help reduce birth defects.

The Barclays Center in Brooklyn next week will begin recruiting people to take tickets, operate security and sell food, when the arena opens this fall.

The bedbug tide may be turning. After years of large increases in bedbug-related complaints and violations by the city agency in charge of rental housing, some numbers are declining or leveling off.

The state health department has wasted millions of dollars in taxpayer money, because it hasn't been keeping close enough tabs on Medicaid spending, according to State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants to turn trash into energy — at least a little bit. The city collects more than three million tons of waste a year from residences and institutions, and the administration has proposed a pilot project to convert some of that into electricity.

Active or Passive? That’s one of the main questions facing the architects of New York’s health insurance exchange.

With an executive order, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday he's creating an online marketplace for insurance, after months of wrangling with Senate Republicans. New York insurance plans are pleased the state is moving forward with a health insurance exchange, according to one trade group.