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The U.S. Labor Department is confirming today what many shoppers already know - prices are going up in our area. A consumer price analysis for New York and its suburbs found a 4.5 percent jump in the cost of goods from June 2007 to June 2008.

And prices appear to be ...

On Wall street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell below 11,000 for the first time in two years, before recovering slightly. WNYC's Ilya Marritz reports on one investment bank trying to weather the storm, Lehman Brothers.

The share price of the Midtown-based firm briefly hit a nine year low today - ...

The board of directors of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has voted to discontinue a major perk: lifetime EZ Passes.

REPORTER: Traditionally, the MTA gave out the automobile passes as a gift to departing members of the board, who serve without pay. But, once that fact came to light, Attorney General Andrew ...

Just before the end of session in Albany, the legislature passed a bill to make it easier for energy companies to drill for natural gas.

WNYC's Ilya Marritz has more.

No one knows for sure how much gas is buried in the shale deep beneath New York. But high prices have have ...

Off Track Betting in New York City got a reprieve last Monday, as Mayor Bloomberg and authorities in Albany agreed on a state takeover. But, as WNYC's Ilya Marritz reports, all is not resolved in the world of horse racing.

REPORTER: A feeling of crisis prompted officials to act on OTB. ...

Ikea is officially open in Red Hook. WNYC reporter Ilya Marritz and NY Daily News reporter Jotham Sederstrom join us live on the scene to discuss the frenzy and what it means for locals. And we'll also be joined by Craig Hammerman, District Manager of Brooklyn Community Board ...

As beach season begins, the nation's two biggest markets for aerial advertising are experiencing some turbulence.

REPORTER: Sun-seekers along the Jersey Shore and on Long Island will likely see fewer banner ads pulled by small aircraft this summer. Michael Arnold of Arnold Aerial says the poor economic climate is causing advertisers ...

Sunday could be the last day of Off-Track Betting in New York City, but it's still hard to say for sure. As WNYC's Ilya Marritz reports, the city and state now find themselves on opposite sides of an issue both say they are trying to resolve.

REPORTER: All Friday morning, rumors ...

Scientific breakthroughs can come from the most surprising places. A new drama set in the 1940s explores a real-life innovation developed by two amateurs: a Hollywood starlet and an avant garde composer. WNYC's Ilya Marritz brings us this glimpse of the play “Frequency Hopping”.

REPORTER: It's a heck of an invented ...

Off Track Betting will live another day in New York City. Governor Paterson announced that legislative leaders had reached a deal to save the troubled betting corporation. WNYC's Ilya Marritz has more.

REPORTER: Surrounded by lawmakers and labor leaders, Governor Paterson declared that OTB workers should show up for work on ...

With just days to go before a deadline is reached, the union representing Off-Track Betting workers rallied this morning the steps of City Hall.

Leaders of the DC-37 union called on the governor, the mayor, and state legislators to unite around a plan to save OTB in New York City. The ...

Con Edison is asking New Yorkers to do what they can to cut back on their electricity usage, as the utility continues to grapple with scattered outages. Brooklyn and Queens are the most affected, with about 175 customers without power.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg is also urging electrical conservation.

BLOOMBERG: If you could ...

HOST: More than a hundred thousand people are expected to attend the Belmont Stakes tomorrow as Big Brown tries for the first Triple Crown in three decades. Off Track Betting parlors will also be packed, but don’t be fooled by the crowds. As WNYC’s Ilya Marritz reports, OTB is a ...

Con Edison says it's ready for New Yorkers to crank up their air conditioners and fans during the expected heat wave this weekend. The utility says it's spent $1.7 billion upgrading electric cables and installing new transformers to meet summertime demand.

Con Ed estimates most customers will see their bulls go ...

There's beauty in wastewater. At least the city thinks so. Last night it flicked on special bluish lights on eight stainless steel wastewater digesters in the Newtown Creek plant.

Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Emily Lloyd says the digesters are sometimes called eggs because of their shape.

LLOYD: The digester eggs are ...

New Yorkers have been digesting the news that gay marriages will be recognized – if not exactly legal – in the New York State. Yesterday Gov. David Paterson acknowledged he gave an order two weeks ago for agencies to recognize same sex marriages performed in places like California and Canada. ...

Only a man and a woman can wed in New York, but the state must recognize gay or lesbian marriages performed elsewhere, the governor said in a news conference today.

WNYC's Ilya Marritz has more.

Paterson's order — which was issued a day before California's same-sex marriage ruling comes in the wake ...

The first ever World Science Festival began yesterday with a summit for top scientists and leaders from the worlds of business and government.

Festival co-founder Brian Greene teaches physics at Columbia University. He says one goal of the festival is to acquaint policymakers and the public with the latest strides ...

In three weeks time, the Swedish furniture giant Ikea will open its first store ever in New York City. Though millions of New Yorkers know Ikea from trips to outlets in the suburbs outside of New York, WNYC’s Ilya Marritz reports that this store will be different.

REPORTER: Every Ikea ever ...

It'll take years and cost billions, but Verizon plans to make cable TV available to every city household by 2014.

A city board unanimously approved an agreement with the telecommunications giant allowing it to extend its fiber optic network throughout New York.

The city will collect a 5 percent fee on Verizon's ...