WNYC News

New York, NY —

The environmental clean up of two midtown office buildings is still underway near Grand Central Station. 370 Lexington Avenue, the building closest to the steam pipe explosion earlier this month, is expected to be closed for another two to three weeks. Henry Weingarten runs a ...

New York, NY —

New York University researchers find phonics may be the most important part of becoming a good reader, but it's not the only ingredient. WNYC's Beth Fertig has more.

REPORTER: For years, educators have engaged in Reading Wars over how much weight should be given to phonics ...

New York, NY —

With four investigations possible, lawmakers in Albany are fighting over who, if anyone, should keep digging into the alleged misuse of state police by Governor Spitzer's staffers.

REPORTER: Governor Spitzer says he's willing to testify before the ethics commission, but Republican State Senator Marty Golden says ...

New York, NY —

About 200 low income New Yorkers received federally funded housing vouchers yesterday. Some had been on a waiting list that closed in 1994.

REPORTER: Robert Cummings from the Bronx was one of them. He says he was shocked to learn he had received the voucher and ...

New York, NY —

The family of the tow truck driver severely burned by the steam pipe explosion in midtown say they plan to sue.

REPORTER: Gregory McCullogh suffered third degree burns over 80% of his body and has been in a medically induced coma since the explosion almost 2 ...

New York, NY —

The city is selling coins collected from parking meters. This year about 500 pounds of foreign coins faked their way into the machines.

REPORTER: The city's deputy chief of meter collections says pretty much every denomination from every continent is represented but the most common coins ...

New York, NY —

New York City's watershed protection plan for the next ten years has won approval from the federal Environmental Protection Agency. That means the city can still avoid building a costly filtration plant because it's taking enough steps to keep the Catskill-Delaware water supply clean in ...

New York, NY —

Mayor Bloomberg is defending the city’s decision to move this year's September Eleventh memorial ceremony out of ground zero. Some families of 9/11 victims have said they'll apply to hold their own ceremony at the trade center site if city and state officials don't reverse ...

New York, NY —

The head of the state senate's investigations committee is expected to comment this hour on the state trooper scandal. Republican George Winner could disclose plans to investigate whether Governor Spitzer was aware that two of his top aides were using state police to track Senate ...

New York, NY —

The Chanin Building near the site of this month's steam pipe explosion has re-opened. The building, at 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue, is home to more than 125 companies. Most have been able to return.

REPORTER: Con Ed and the city’s department of small business services ...

New York, NY —

The city has reached a tentative contract settlement with the Captains' Endowment Association, which represents the Police Department's top ranks.

REPORTER: Mayor Bloomberg and John Driscoll, the union's president, said the contract runs from 2003 through March 2012. The agreement, which still has to be ratified, ...

New York, NY —

Mayor Bloomberg has vowed to veto a City Council bill that would allow students to take their cell phones to public schools. The bill stops short of allowing cell phones in the classroom and requires schools to come up with ways to keep students' cell ...

New York, NY —

Public housing residents are calling on Governor Spitzer to sign a bill that would provide badly needed funding for struggling projects across the city. The bill has already been approved by the legislature. WNYC's Cindy Rodriguez reports.

REPORTER: In May, the public housing authority announced it ...

New York, NY —

Mayor Bloomberg is praising the state legislature for approving legislation to set up a congestion pricing study.

REPORTER: The mayor says he's confident that his proposal to charge motorists to drive into the busiest part of Manhattan during peak times would be implemented through the committee's ...

New York, NY —

The state Ethics Commission will investigate the Spitzer administration's alleged misuse of state police to spy on a political rival.

REPORTER: A Republican led committee in the state senate has also launched a preliminary probe into the matter. Committee chair George Winner says investigators will start ...

New York, NY —

A dentist, who treats celebrities, is suing Con Edison for damaging his practice by not letting him back into his midtown offices after the steam pipe explosion.

REPORTER: Dr. Bruce Haber is a cosmetic dentist who says he treats corporate CEOs, famous sports figures, actors and ...

New Jersey —

New Jersey's State Environmental Commissioner Lisa Jackson has issued draft recommendations for a new black bear management policy.

REPORTER: She's emphasizing non-lethal measures to control the state's growing bear population. But her recommendations are not supported by the state Fish and Game Council, which is supposed to ...

New Jersey —

New Jersey lawmakers want the military to enforce new safety restrictions at the Warren Grove Gunnery Range. This, after an Air Force investigation found that a pilot who dropped a flare too low caused a massive fire in the Pine Barrens this May.

REPORTER: US Senator Robert ...

New York, NY —

Families will gather in Albany at noon today to urge the state Senate to pass a family leave bill. The governor-backed legislation passed the Democrat-controlled Assembly in June, but awaits a vote in the Republican-controlled Senate.

REPORTER: It would create a social insurance program to provide ...

New York, NY —

Manhattan isn't just one of the priciest places to live - a new survey says Manhattanites also pay a lot to park their cars. The Collier International Parking Survey shows the median monthly rate in Midtown is $630 and the median rate downtown is $500. ...