Arun Venugopal

New York, NY —

City firefighters joined with Citymeals on Wheels to deliver lunches to the homebound elderly on the Upper East Side today. Bearing meals and flowers, three firefighters in full uniform made their way up to the 102nd Street apartment of 82-year-old Mamie Williams and her 100-year-old ...

New York, NY —

Gov. David Paterson is standing by his decision to withhold state funding from New York's public schools in order to keep the state solvent through the end of the year. Education groups are suing the governor over the payments. Paterson filed a separate brief in ...

New York, NY —

'Tis the day before Christmas, and for some New Yorkers, that means last-minute shopping, airport delays and hectic trips out of town. But for the 212 Mormon missionaries who call this city home, this is a season of intense faith, and a chance to bring ...

New York, NY —

The City Council overrode a mayoral veto to grant drivers a five-minute grace period for many parking violations. As Danny Ng hopped out of his car and into a restaurant near Canal Street yesterday - he said the new law is needed.

NG: Because a lot ...

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New York, NY —

Gov. David Paterson has signed an executive order protecting transgender state workers from discrimination in the workplace. The order is limited because it doesn't provide protection for those in the private sector. But the governor says today's signing should be seen as a stepping stone ...

New York, NY —

School parents and elected officials are holding rallies across the city today in protest against the MTA's plan to eliminate free student MetroCards. Council member Gale Brewer was at a demonstration on the Upper West Side and says that in addition to burdening parents with ...

New York, NY —

Gov. David Paterson is unilaterally reducing $750 million in state payments due tomorrow, and schools are set to be hit the hardest.

The governor says the measures are needed because of the failure of the legislature to adequately address the $3.2 billion state deficit. With ...

It's the first day of a trial of a concrete testing company, accused of faking results for some of the city's biggest construction projects.

New York, NY —

A jury has heard opening statements in the trial of a concrete testing company accused of faking results for some of the city's biggest construction projects. WNYC's Arun Venugopal was at the Criminal Court downtown.

REPORTER: Testwell Laboratories allegedly cut corners by fabricating test results used ...

New York, NY —

Brooklyn councilman Charles Barron says he's challenging Christine Quinn for the title of Council Speaker, while hoping to reform the position. WNYC's Arun Venugopal has more.

REPORTER: Barron and Quinn have clashed before, namely when she fired his aide for making inflammatory remarks about another council ...

New York, NY —

Members of the city council are expressing extreme skepticism about the NYPD's statistics on gang activity. A police official who spoke at a hearing today says gang activity is down 57 percent since last year. But city council members say it is not.

The hearing was ...

New York, NY —

The City Council will be holding hearings this morning on legislation meant to crack down on street gangs. WNYC's Arun Venugopal has more.

REPORTER: One of the bills under discussion would make it illegal to encourage someone to join a criminal gang, or to discourage them ...

New York, NY —

Starting today the city's Fire Department will be cutting staff size at about a quarter of its engine companies. The cuts are due to a higher medical absentee rate, which has cost the city increased overtime. Mayor Bloomberg defends the cuts.

BLOOMBERG: The fire department believes ...

New York, NY —

Arguing that time is running out, Governor Paterson says he's unilaterally going forward with $1.6 billion in budget cuts, including a $500-million reduction in across-the-board spending by state agencies. WNYC's Arun Venugopal has more.

REPORTER: The governor says the emergency cuts - addressing about half of ...

New York, NY —

As he pushes for Congress to tighten gun laws, Mayor Bloomberg has announced charges against two men who bought illegal guns in Florida and sold them in Brooklyn. WNYC's Arun Venugopal has more.

REPORTER: The mayor said such trafficking thrives because of what's known as the ...

New York, NY —

For a second straight day, Mayor Michael Bloomberg drew attention to the need to curb illegal guns. Today, he stood with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy, who announced legislation to crack down on gun traffickers. WNYC's Arun Venugopal has more.

REPORTER: Senator Gillibrand was ...

Prosecutors in Brooklyn arrested two men on charges of selling illegal guns on Monday. 

Rev. Herbert Daughtry, pastor at the House of the Lord Pentecostal Church (413 Atlantic Avenue, between Nevins & Bond Streets), talks about today's "Day of Outrage" over gun violence. He's joined by Rossana Rosado, publisher and CEO of El Diario New York and by WNYC reporter Arun Venogopal.

New York, NY —

Mayor Michael Bloomberg is a known gun control advocate, and has built a national platform to stem the flow of illegal guns into cities and towns. The group he co-founded in 2006, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, has grown from 15 to 526 mayors. Its success ...