Kate Hinds

From MasterCard to MetroCard:  NYC's MTA begins piloting new payment system today. (WNYC)

Meanwhile, an average of 236 MetroCard machines are being vandalized daily.  (AM New York)

What did BP know --and when did they know it?  Documents show that the company reported problems with the undersea well a month before the explosion.  (The Takeaway)

Wichita lays out comprehensive transportation plan that includes coordinated traffic signals, more buses, and bicycle-friendly streets.  Price tag to become reality: $6.7 billion.  (Wichita Eagle)

Jack it up 65 feet, or replace it?  The Port Authority grapples with how to raise the Bayonne Bridge to accommodate big container ships.  Meanwhile, their revenues are on the decline.  (Star Ledger)

Everyone agrees that texting while driving is bad--so why can't Pennsylvania's legislature agree on a law to ban it?  The sticking point: whether the offense is primary or secondary.    (Scranton Times Tribune)

Why are derailments on the rise in Tennessee?  The Federal Railroad Administration is trying to figure out why.  (Chattanooga Times Free Press)

From 1776 to 1783, thousands of Americans were held by the British on warships anchored in Wallabout Bay, near what is now the Brooklyn Navy Yard. More Americans died here than died in battle over the course of the entire war. WNYC’s Kate Hinds recently visited Fort Greene Park to ...

Highway repair problems in Forsyth County create "perfect storm" of delays; residents form PAC called "Get 141 Done."  (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Has the Michigan state house been taken over by Canadians?  Opponents of a new Detroit-Canada bridge say YES.  Legislation approving bridge's construction clears house, moves on to state senate in face of fierce opposition from...owners of existing bridge.   Proponents say it will create jobs and boom in commerce. (Detroit Free Press)

South Jersey drivers, watch out for TACT: state police will be "Targeting Aggressive Cars and Trucks" in an effort to curb aggressive driving. (Courier-Post)

What's under LaHood:  transportation secretary thinks the rest of the country can learn something from New York. (WNYC/Brian Lehrer Show)

President Obama will announce a moratorium on new deepwater drilling permits while country waits to see if "top kill" stops oil leak in Gulf of Mexico. (NPR)

Take the train to the plane (well, by 2016): construction to extend DC Metro's 'Silver Line' to Dulles airport kicks into high gear. (WAMU)

Ahoy, mateys!  Fleet Week parade of ships kicks off in the Hudson.  (New York Times)

What happens when three Alabama municipalities agree on a road expansion project, obtain federal money...and then one wants to back out? The $500,000 question: who reimburses the feds? (The Anniston Star)

Welcome to the World Series of excuses: St. Petersburg cracks down on people who abuse handicapped parking placards at Tropicana Field. You're outta there! (St. Petersburg Times)

It turns out that Dallas Area Rapid Transit overestimated revenue by almost $3 billion; now will cut hundreds of jobs and reduce light rail service. (Dallas Morning News)

Gas purists feel the pinch as federal standards push ethanol content higher (Kansas City Star)

Ohioans cross their fingers: 1,000 local jobs depend on a federal loan to set up electric car battery plant (Columbus Dispatch)

And a day after putting the spat-on bus-drivers taking two months off story on the front page, The Times' Jim Dwyer (who had an early career stint as the In the Subways columnist for the late, great New York Newsday) reports that it wasn't really true, nor is it the source of the MTA's budget woes. (The New York Times) .

(Full Disclosure: WNYC also reported the story, but Matthew Schuerman wisely put it in the context of a set a strategic leaks by the MTA about the union. )

Modern streetcars are long-term vision for Broward County travel (Sun Sentinel)--but will it be a hard sell in an area where residents are "car crazed?"

Indiana officials lure Chinese automakers to town to try to boost local auto parts manufacturers--and to continue Indy's bid to become an electric vehicle hub (Indianapolis Star)

In New York, bus drivers take two months' paid leave--after being spat upon (WNYC)

Leave your car at the gate: South Carolina developers plan a bicycle-only subdivision (The Item, Sumter, SC)

Meanwhile, across the border in North Carolina, Charlotte's light rail line is underfunded and likely to be shortened (The Transport Politic)

Pennsylvania doesn't make the grade: state gets a D-minus for roads and transit -- while watching construction costs increase 80% in five years (Altoona Mirror)

It might get worse:  there's a shortage on an essential ingredient for those nice yellow road stripes.  (The Takeaway)

The specifications for the work done on the Brooklyn Bridge, as prepared by the New York City Department of Transportation, contain information about each item to be used in the bridge rehabilitation.  We took a look at one item:  $1,300 tree guards.  Are they worth the cost, do they actually protect the trees--and are these trees we should be protecting in the first place?

Perhaps you've been wondering how to combine Bike Month NYC with the 127th anniversary of the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge.  Wait no longer! 

Judges Regularly Break Sentencing Law on Speeding Tickets (Chicago Tribune) Metro Chicago courts keep tickets off drivers' public records by incorrectly using supervision.

Atlantic City Jitneys Going Green (Press of Atlantic City) Atlantic City is converting their 190-vehicle fleet to shuttle buses that operate on compressed natural gas.  But so far, drivers can only fuel up at one location.

Bridge Construction Ahead on the Walt Whitman (Philadelphia Inquirer) "Functionally obsolete" bridge -- one of the busiest in the city -- to spend four years upgrading, one lane at a time.  Drivers sing the traffic electric.

Ellison Intermodal Rail Yard Fight Goes to State Supreme Court (Roanoke Times) Montgomery County argues against the rail yard and challenges Virginia's use of public funds for private projects.

Florida Cyclists Fight Bill Requiring Them to Stay in Bike Lane (Orlando Sentinel) New safety bill requires use of bike lanes if available; cyclists say lanes are often too close to parked cars and they're at risk from being "doored."

NY Names Director to Oversee High Speed Rail Program (WCAX) Marie Corrado to help spend New York's paltry $151 million.

Congress Not Impressed with Metro's Safety Measures (WAMU)  Metro officials want more federal money; Congress wants to increase oversight.

The Brooklyn Banks (a red brick plaza under the ramps of the bridge on the Manhattan side) whose ramps, angled surfaces and staircases are catnip to skateboarders (and bikers, and practitioners of Parkour) -- is about to be taken offline.  The Department of Transportation just posted a notice (pdf) that this area will be closed beginning May 15th. (More)

As the director of the East River Bridges for the New York City Department of Transportation, Hasan Ahmed is overseeing the $508,612,678 rehabilitation of the Brooklyn Bridge.  WNYC’s Soterios Johnson and Karen Frillmann took a walk on the bridge with Mr. Ahmed to get more details about the work taking place on this iconic structure.  (More)

New York, NY —

If you’ve been pondering the question: just what does it take to make a New Yorker happy, your search is over. At least according to library clerk Margaret Fields, who’s happy to reenact what she heard while standing on the steps of the newly reopened ...

New York, NY —

Reporter: When you want to display your enthusiastic support for a candidate, you can pin a button to your coat; slap a bumper sticker on your car; tape a sign to your window. Or you can do what these two women are doing: carve a ...

New York, NY —

Holiday stress— it doesn’t just start at Thanksgiving anymore. Halloween may be one of the most beloved days of the year for children, but can be a real labor of love for parents. Kate Hinds talks to a few moms who managed to pull it ...

New York, NY —

The work is hot and often painful, but according to its practitioners, it’s absolutely addictive. WNYC’s Kate Hinds went out to discover the secret life of New York’s bees.

» Urban beekeeper photos

REPORTER: Sidney Glaser is getting ready to check in with 40,000 ...

New York, NY —

There are many great mysteries of a New York City childhood. How do birds get into subway stations—and can they leave? Who is Cotton Eye Joe and why do they sing about him at Yankees Stadium? And when do the spray showers in the playgrounds ...

New York, NY —

Every year, the American Museum of Natural History invites members of the public to bring in their favorite backyard finds, basement curios, and flea market discoveries. The event is called Identification Day, and it's the natural history equivalent of the Antiques Roadshow. WNYC's Kate Hinds ...