Ailsa Chang

New York, NY —

These are the people who did everything right. They hustled for good grades in college, crammed for the LSAT, sweated through three years of law school – all to be shuttled into a cushy job that could help them pay off massive debts.

But for 27-year-old ...

New York, NY —

Union leaders for state workers say if Gov. David Paterson wants them to give up a 4 percent raise to help the state's financial crisis, he needs to negotiate with them directly -- instead of bargaining in front of TV cameras.

"I had hoped that he ...

New York, NY —

Gov. David Paterson is defending his decision to delay $2.1 billion in state aid to schools, saying he had no choice.

"Our financial situation is so vulnerable that we have to consider everything in order to keep the state from becoming bankrupt," Paterson says.

Paterson was at ...

New York, NY —

New York's highest court heard arguments today in a lawsuit charging that the state is violating its constitutional duty to provide effective counsel to poor people accused of crimes.

The New York Civil Liberties Union filed the suit in 2007, and says overworked and under-trained lawyers ...

New York, NY —

The city has agreed to pay $33 million in a class-action settlement to 100,000 individuals who were illegally strip-searched at city jails between 1999 and 2007.

One plaintiff, 39-year-old David Sanchez from the Bronx, was told to strip after arriving at Rikers Island in 2006 for ...

New York, NY —

The city's Department of Homeless Services says there are now 3,111 homeless people living on city streets, nearly 800 more than last year's count. That's a 33.6 percent increase.

Commissioner Robert Hess says the increase is the result of the economic downturn, not because of ...

New York, NY —

Hiram Monserrate, who was expelled from the state senate, has lost his bid to get his seat back. He lost to Democratic Assemblyman Jose Peralta in a special election in Queens last night. WNYC's Ailsa Chang reports.

REPORTER: It wasn't even close. The unofficial returns gave ...

Former state senator Hiram Monserrate from Queens will try to win back his seat in tomorrow's special election.

New York, NY —

Former state senator Hiram Monserrate from Queens will try to win back his seat in tomorrow's special election. Monserrate was expelled from the senate after being convicted of assaulting his girlfriend.

He spent the last day of the campaign riding in the back of a pickup ...

A federal appeals court has rejected former Queens state senator Hiram Monserrate's request to undo his expulsion from the senate and cancel a March 16 special election to fill his vacant seat.

New York, NY —

A federal appeals court has rejected former Queens state senator Hiram Monserrate's request to undo his expulsion from the senate and cancel a March 16 special election to fill his vacant seat.

Monserrate tried to appeal a district court decision upholding the state legislature's authority to ...

New York, NY —

Former State Senator Hiram Monserrate and Assemblyman Jose Peralta had their first, and probably only, face-off before the March 16th special election for state Senate. WNYC's Ailsa Chang was in Jackson Heights last night to hear the candidates answer questions from voters.

REPORTER: All night long ...

In the home stretch before the March 16 special election for the District 13 state Senate seat, Democratic Assemblyman Jose Peralta is running his first TV campaign ad. The commercial launches immediately into an attack on his opponent, former Queens state Sen. Hiram Monserrate. It opens with security video footage ...

New York, NY —

Voters in Queens will decide if former State Sen. Hiram Monserrate should get his job back after being expelled from the Senate last month by a vote of 53-8. He’ll be running against Assemblyman Jose Peralta in a special election on March 16. Although Peralta ...

New York, NY —

Influential black leaders across the city say Gov. David Paterson should not resign right now.

A group convened by Al Sharpton met at the Harlem restaurant Sylvia's last night, and they decided that the investigations against Paterson should run their course before a decision is made.

New York, NY —

Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance is setting up a "Conviction Integrity" unit in his office to help prevent wrongful convictions. One of the unit's outside advisors will be Barry Scheck, who directs the Innocence Project -- a national group that helps exonerate wrongfully convicted people.

Scheck ...

New York, NY —

Religious leaders in Queens have pledged their support for Hiram Monserrate in the special election to fill the expelled State Senator's seat on March 16.

They say they appreciate Monserrate's vote against gay marriage last year. One local leader, Rev. Gilbert Pickett says he applauds Monserrate ...

Residents in former state Sen. Hiram Monserrate's district are getting their first mailings from "Fight Back New York."

State Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs says now that Gov. David Paterson won't run in the fall, momentum will build to support Andrew Cuomo as the Democratic candidate for governor.

New York, NY —

State Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs says now that Gov. David Paterson won't run in the fall, momentum will build to support Andrew Cuomo as the Democratic candidate for governor. Jacobs says he'll definitely endorse Cuomo if he announces he'll run.

"I would be surprised if ...