Arun Venugopal

A couple days ago I went to Long Island City and dropped by the offices of the Fortune Society, which helps former prison inmates re-enter society. Being an ex-con is hard enough at any time, but at this moment, with high unemployment, it's particularly tough. Even if you have friends or family, there's a good chance that some of them are out of work, too, and don't have the time or inclination to get your life back on track.

As I was saying on the Financial 411 today, anyone who's been around Mayor Bloomberg over the last month or so might've heard him make this bold and provocative claim about Wall Street incomes:

'Keep in mind, the average person that works in finance in New York City makes $70 thousand a year.'

If you're one of the search-and-rescue dogs who came back from Haiti last week, you eat heart-shaped cookies. But first you sniff them for explosives, crystal meth or gluten.

Such a good dog!

New York, NY —

Unemployed New Yorkers will no longer feel guilty hanging around the house, watching TV, now that the city has created a new show called "Job Hunt."

Each half-hour episode offers tips on how to navigate the job market, including this, from one expert:

"I had one gentleman ...

New York, NY —

A series of 111 recommendations has just landed on the desks of Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Council Speaker Christine Quinn. The report was submitted by the NYC Green Codes Task Force, a panel of 200 experts that was convened last year with the purpose of ...

New York, NY —

A city task force has come up with 111 recommendations on making the city's building code greener. WNYC's Arun Venugopal has more. REPORTER: The task force says this is the most comprehensive review of green building codes for any city and would apply to all ...

New York, NY —

There's a cautious sense of optimism in Chinatown that the Obama administration may find a new location for the 9/11 terror trials. WNYC's Arun Venugopal has more.

REPORTER: Chinatown businesses and residents were convinced the intense security needed for the trials would destroy the local economy. ...

New York, NY —

Politicians of all stripes are trying to figure out what's next after the Supreme Court's landmark ruling last week opening the door to unlimited corporate spending in elections. One way to limit the influence of money in politics could be through public pension funds. At ...

Purple Pam rocks... literally, she's a screamin, cussin', bad ass performance banshee. Not that I've seen her in action, but I was struck by the aubergine color scheme, down to the fuzzy earmuffs. Apparently she's had a purple fetish since she was a little girl. Here's her site.

What media do New Yorkers consume? How about immigrants in this city – to what extent are they consuming news and entertainment in Urdu, Spanish or Tagalog (so-called ethnic media) versus from mainstream newspapers, news programs and sitcoms? My plan is to find one person – hopefully every few weeks – and interrogate them about their media habits.

The marketing staff of Liberty Tax Service hit the pavement.

Encountered a most unfortunate sight today. An old lady making her way home through the rain held her umbrella overhead, despite the fact it had completely been destroyed by the wind. I'd say the yellow cloth covered about 20 % of the spine of the umbrella. Most of it just flopped down over over the poor woman''s face as she soldiered on.

Fill in the blank? They'd started whitewashing the message before I had a chance to read it in full. When I returned a few days later... all gone.

New York, NY —

Those dark, hulking structures known as sidewalk sheds are set to become a lot more stylish. WNYC's Arun Venugopal has more on the results of a city design competition.

REPORTER: Sidewalk sheds are meant to protect pedestrians from falling debris whenever a building is being renovated. ...

New York, NY —

Mayor Michael Bloomberg continues to speak out against what he claims is a double standard in the state's budget cuts. He says the governor is making the city take a much bigger hit than other parts of the state.

"I do not see that ...

New York, NY —

Undocumented Haitians in New York and the rest of the country may get a break when it comes to immigration. The federal government is about to confer Temporary Protected Status (TPS) on qualified Haitian nationals who have been in the U.S. since the day of ...

New York, NY —

A search and rescue team from New York City's police and fire departments will be helping with disaster relief in Haiti.

Eighty New York City police officers and fire fighters are due to arrive in Haiti tonight. Joe Bruno, commissioner of the city's Office of Emergency ...

New York, NY —

New York City is being sued by a tobacco giant. The U.S. Smokeless Tobacco company, whose parent company owns Philip Morris, claims New York's ban on flavored tobacco is illegal.

But the city is fighting back. Today, Council Speaker Christine Quinn stood with health advocates, ...

New York, NY —

Credit card holders should keep an eye on their mailboxes this week.

REPORTER: According to Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, any last-minute interest-rate hikes on existing credit card balances should've gone out by January 7, at the latest. That's because of the new CARD Act, which goes into ...

New York, NY —

WNYC’s Arun Venugopal discusses the city’s new $3,200 fee for filiming in certain buildings, which has some producers antsy.