Public health doesn’t top political issue surveys the way education, housing and crime do, but it affects people’s lives in countless ways. Mayor Bloomberg has won praise for unleashing one of the most aggressive campaigns to improve local public health in recent memory. But he has also drawn criticism for ...

President Bush presents the nation's flu preparation strategy today. The price tag for being ready for the next pandemic is at least $6.5 billion, whether it's caused by the bird flu or some other strain. Meanwhile, the Canadian government has reported finding wild ducks with a strain of avian flu ...

Doctors in the metropolitan area are reporting shortages of flu vaccine - despite assurances by federal and local health officials that there will be enough shots to go around. WNYC's Fred Mogul has more.

REPORTER: Drug-maker Chiron is up and running after last year's contamination, but recently announced this year's production ...

Federal inspectors will be taking a closer look at the Indian Point nuclear power plants, after trace amounts of radioactive material were found in groundwater. WNYC's Fred Mogul has more.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has already had Indian Point under a "special inspection" for the last month, following the discovery of ...

The embattled Brooklyn Democratic Party has chosen a new leader to succeed Clarence Norman, who was convicted earlier this month of violating election law. WNYC's Fred Mogul has more.

Bushwick Assemblyman Vito Lopez easily defeated two other district leaders to assume his local party's top spot. After a two-hour closed door ...

Senator Charles Schumer has helped broker a deal to expand production of an avian-flu-fighting drug. WNYC's Fred Mogul has more.

The Swiss company Roche Pharmaceuticals produces Tamiflu, one of the only drugs proven to cure the H5N1 strain of avian flu doctors believe could start a pandemic.

There is a limited ...

Three New Yorkers have contracted West Nile Virus through organ transplants, and two of them are in comas. They are only the second known cases of the disease being transmitted via organ donation. WNYC's Fred Mogul has more.

Four people in late August received organs from a Bronx man, who died ...

More than 40 percent of New York City babies are born to unmarried couples. In some neighborhoods, according to recent statistics, it’s almost 80 percent.

REPORTER: In Brooklyn, a novelist, a minister and others are trying to reverse the trend among African-Americans. WNYC’s Fred Mogul reports on an all-expense-paid wedding today ...

Clarence Norman, the head of the Brooklyn Democratic Party and the state assembly’s deputy speaker, has been convicted of violating election law and falsifying records. WNYC’s Fred Mogul has more.

The 11-term Assemblyman from Crown Heights was found guilty of three felonies and a misdemeanor and could get up to four ...

After months of awaiting trial and weeks of testimony, a jury is deciding the fate of Assemblyman Clarence Norman, the head of the Brooklyn Democratic Party. WNYC's Fred Mogul has more.

In closing arguments Monday, Norman's defense attorney, Edward Rappaport, portrayed his client as the victim of circumstance, human error and ...

Closing arguments begin today in the trial of Brooklyn Democratic leader Clarence Norman. WNYC’s Fred Mogul has more.

In testimony last week, Norman admitted he made mistakes, but said they were oversights, not criminal activities. He is accused of letting a lobbyist pay for thousands of dollars worth of campaign expenses ...

The holiday of Rosh Hashana is almost two weeks away, but the sound of the shofar rang through the heart of midtown yesterday. The ancient instrument is made from a ram's horn, and its distinctive sound is said to be a wake-up call for the soul. WNYC's Fred Mogul reports ...

The federal government continues to make a case for closing or downsizing two New York City VA hospitals. WNYC's Fred Mogul reports on a new study that lays out options for facilities in Kips Bay, Manhattan, and Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

For the last year and a half, the Department of Veterans ...

Fernando Ferrer will hold a unity rally this afternoon with his three recent primary opponents, as they try to energize Democrats for the campaign ahead to unseat Mayor Bloomberg. WNYC's Fred Mogul has more.

REPORTER: Ferrer will face Bloomberg in November without a contested run-off, after Congressman Anthony Weiner withdrew his ...

Likely Democratic mayoral nominee Fernando Ferrer was joined by his three former opponents for a "Unity Rally," now that the primary is over.

REPORTER: The party faithful gathered on the City Hall steps to celebrate the candidacy of Fernando Ferrer. His former opponents each took a turn praising him, and then ...

Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes has been in office since 1990. He faces three challengers in next Tuesday's primary who say that's too long. Hynes is running on a platform of cleaning up corruption. His opponents say he's part of the problem. WNYC's Fred Mogul has more.

Eliot Spitzer and 14 other attorneys general are suing the U.S. Energy Department. They allege the agency is not following a federal law requiring new energy-efficient standards for appliances.

Spitzer says the government has never really complied with the National Energy Appliance Efficiency Act, which President Reagan signed into law in ...

When Robert Morgenthau was elected Manhattan D.A., Gerald Ford was president and "Jaws" was the year's top-grossing movie. WNYC's Fred Mogul looks at the career of the 86-year-old scion of one of New York's leading families - and at Leslie Crocker Snyder, the 63-year-old judge who says it's time for ...

An independent panel wants to close the Army's largest post in New Jersey, but says that Connecticut's biggest military facility should stay open. WNYC's Fred Mogul reports.

Anthony Principi, the chair of the Base Closure and Realignment Committee, or BRAC, said following the Pentagon recommendation to close the Groton, Connecticut submarine ...

New Jersey will consolidate three military posts into the country's only joint Army/Air Force/Navy facility. WNYC's Fred Mogul has more.

The news comes from the same independent panel that announced the closure yesterday of Fort Monmouth, the state's largest installation. Today's decision by the Base Closure and Realignment Commission confirms an ...