It's a courtroom drama seemingly made for the movies. Following the death of 105-year-old New York City socialite and patron of the arts Brooke Astor, a legal battle has waged for some 5 months. Ms. Astor suffered from Alzheimer's disease. And prosecutors allege that Astor's only son, 85-year-old Anthony Marshall, ...

It’s the food story of moment. It's probably always -- at least here in New York -- the most talked about food. New York magazine had it on its cover this week. Of course, we are talking pizza. Well, we’re getting into the conversation here at WNYC, but we want ...

An estimated half of all surgeries take place in doctors offices rather than hospitals – and we’re not just talking about removing moles or doing tummy-tucks. There’s been a growing call for health authorities to keep an eye on these private medical practices, and starting this week, only those who ...

It ended as it started, with a Bronx Senator changing sides. NY State Senate 31 day power struggle ended after Bronx Democratic Senator Pedro Espada Junior rejoined his party. This gives the Democrats a 32-to-30 majority again. The move allowed all 62 senators to meet in a session late last ...

Governor Paterson says he's appointed former M.T.A. Chairman Richard Ravitch as Lieutenant Governor. If it holds, the move could break a month-long stalemate that's deadlocked the State Senate since June 8th.

Republicans have already filed a challenge to block the appointment in Nassau County Supreme Court.

But the Governor's Office says Ravitch ...

The Staten Island Ferry made a "hard landing" at the Saint George terminal last night, but it was less severe than the crash back in 2003 that killed 11 people.

Officials say 15 people suffered minor injuries in last night's crash. But there are still plenty of questions about what went ...

Tomorrow is the last day of classes for public school students and while the kids hit the playground this summer, the Mayor will be on the campaign trail, debating his success with the schools and one of his initiatives: to expand charter schools.

The administration set a goal of having 100 ...

A new 17-story tower will now become part of the Brooklyn Skyline, next to one of the most famous landmarks in the city. The City Council yesterday approved a controversial building that will be built near the Brooklyn Bridge on the Brooklyn side by a vote of 39 to 9. ...

For years there have been plans to build a second commuter rail tunnel connecting New Jersey to Manhattan. This morning Governor Corzine will be in Jersey City to preside over the groundbreaking for that second Trans-Hudson rail tunnel. Two thirds of the money to pay for the some $8.7 billion ...

We've been hearing reports all morning that President Obama plans to nominate Bronx native Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the United State Supreme Court. There is already buzz among many within the Latino community about the potentially historic nature of the nomination.

Joining me now to tell us more is Angelo Falcon, ...

One-stop shops are in the spotlight this week. Those are companies that offer prospective home buyers everything from the realtor to the appraisal all under one roof. And here in New York, one one-stop shop has been getting a lot of attention. It’s called United Homes. They’ve sold thousands of ...

Purchasing a home can be a daunting process. First you need to find the right real estate agent and then right property. Then you need to line up the financing, secure an inspection and get an appraisal. Normally, each of these steps requires a separate entity.

A growing number of so-called ...

Emergency room visits surged last week and have somewhat receded this week -- although admissions have been flat the whole time. Only a small handful of those rushing into ER's even warranted testing for swine flu. But the pattern highlights how people in some neighborhoods rely on emergency rooms for ...

New York City is celebrating a 400th anniversary and is sharing it with the city of Amersterdam. it was 400 years ago when Henry Hudson was searching for a route to the east indies. instead, his dutch ship found new york harbor.

Both cities are diverse, cultural capitals that have attracted ...

Archbishop Timothy Dolan becomes the head of the New York Archdiocese today following his first official mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral this afternoon. But Dolan's arrival comes at a time when the church faces some challenges. Joining me to discuss some of these issues is the Reverend Joseph O'Hare, the ...

Long Island’s Brookhaven National Laboratory is getting a big jolt from the federal stimulus. The lab will receive nearly $185 million in new science funding to help jump start the construction of a new, state of the art facility for advanced research. This will build the world's brightest X-ray. WNYC’s ...

Today marks Governor Paterson's first year after his predecessor, Eliot Spitzer, had to step down after admitting being involved with a prostitution ring. WNYC's Elaine Rivera has been following the state's 55th governor, and joins WNYC's Richard Hake to talk about his roller-coaster ride in the past year.

It was the talk of the town yesterday. Mayor Bloomberg did the big reveal at a highly choreographed news conference, flanked by scientists and experts from across the city. The source of that sweet maple syrup odor: a food processing plant across the river in New Jersey. If humidity and ...

Last summer, a woman’s death in a public hospital in Brooklyn was captured on videotape, and it showed her being ignored by hospital staff for nearly 24 hours, even after she collapsed and was lying face down on the floor. The footage was widely distributed and helped lead to broad ...

It's been a bad week for Democrats and their taxes. President Obama lost two nominees this week, including Tom Daschle, the man he hoped would reform our nation's health care.

Now we are learning the latest about Congressman Charles Rangel's tax problems. The Harlem Representative has already admitted errors in his ...