Arun Venugopal

New York, NY —

A stretch of lower Manhattan along the East River is set to get a new, two-mile promenade. The project is meant to transform the waterfront into a more pedestrian and bike-friendly space.

City Planning Commissioner Amanda Burden says a newly constructed Pier 15 will have an ...

"There'll be gigantic chaises, where you can look south into the harbor. And then you go to the upper level, where you'll have giant lawns to sunbathe and one of the most spectacular views in the whole world."

According to Mayor Bloomberg, the esplanade will eventually connect to Battery ...

New York, NY —

Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Paterson are trumpeting what they call the nation's first affordable housing developments to be built with federal stimulus funds.

Three developments in Harlem, and a fourth in East New York, will use $60 million in federal funds to create more than 700 ...

New York, NY —

City transportation officials say they've completed work closing stretches of Broadway to vehicles, and they'll now gather data to assess how traffic's been affected.

The preparations started at the beginning of summer and officially ended yesterday, with the unveiling of lots of shiny new street furniture ...

The Bollywood and bhangra dancers were out in full force at the India Day parade on Madison Avenue in midtown Manhattan on Sunday. The India Day parade marks India's independence from Britain, in 1947.

New York, NY —

State legislators are accusing Mayor Bloomberg of obstructing efforts to reform the state's public authorities.

Assemblyman Richard Brodsky says a legislative package that has already passed both the Assembly and the Senate would provide greater transparency for the MTA, the Empire State Development Corporation and other ...

New York, NY —

Summer finally feels like it's arrived, with the high hitting 91 degrees today. Mayor Bloomberg urged New Yorkers to take it easy in the heat, and also on the air conditioning thermostat.

BLOOMBERG: But if you are not in the room or not at home, please ...

New York, NY —

The Bollywood and bhangra dancers were out in full force at the India Day parade yesterday, but so were protesters opposing the exclusion of gays and lesbians.

The South Asian Lesbian and Gay Association says parade organizers would not acknowledge their application to march alongside other ...

New York, NY —

Feeling intimidated by Twitter? So was Mayor Bloomberg. But then he got a tutorial, from none other than Jack Dorsey, the founder of Twitter.

BLOOMBERG: My first tweet was just before but I did spend 45 minutes with him. Smart guy! Grew up in New York ...

Feeling intimidated by Twitter? So was Mayor Bloomberg. But then he got a tutorial, from none other than Jack Dorsey, the founder of Twitter.

'My first tweet was just before, but I did spend 45 minutes with him. Smart guy!'

After letting his aides do it for him, the ...

New York, NY —

Positive economic news isn't easy to come by these days, but apparently for all the job losses and foreclosures, a silver lining does exist: in the form of Housing Works. The combination thrift store chain and community AIDS organization is experiencing a 10 percent growth ...

New York, NY —

Mayor Bloomberg is downplaying a controversy over how city money was allocated to two Jewish non-profits.

The issue pits the mayor against Councilman Simcha Felder, who claims the money was distributed in his name without his knowledge. The mayor says the $1.5 million was likely requested ...

New York, NY —

Deer hunting season starts this Saturday in bars and restaurants across the city. That's when the world championships begin for a popular arcade game called Big Buck Hunter Pro. The person who racks up the most points bagging bucks with big racks gets $10,000, and ...

New York, NY —

Councilman Alan Gerson has been bumped off the ballot. The city's Board of Elections decided this afternoon that he could not run again this fall, after finding errors in his filing. Gerson has represented District One in lower Manhattan since 2002.

Meanwhile, Councilman Bill De Blasio ...

New York, NY —

A city councilman is calling on school officials to be as transparent as possible this fall about the spread of the swine flu. Eric Gioia says providing more information to parents will help them once flu season starts again.

GIOIA: The way to prevent panic is ...

New York, NY —

Brooklyn City Councilman Bill de Blasio joined with other elected officials to demand that the Board of Elections put him back on the ballot for public advocate. De Blasio's name was removed because of a typo in his most recent filing. Brooklyn councilwoman Letitia James ...

New York, NY —

City Comptroller Bill Thompson says School Chancellor Joel Klein is not fit to run the Department of Education and should step down. THOMPSON: We found the DOE has engaged in sloppy and unprofessional practices that encourage cheating and data manipulation. The Comptroller's office released an ...

New York, NY —

The city is selling off nearly $11-million worth of pension investments in two companies that deal with Iran.

The announcement from City Comptroller William Thompson follows similar efforts from Los Angeles and 15 states including New York state. Thompson says the investments were sold at a ...

New York, NY —

President Obama is in the area today. He's addressing the NAACP convention, and he's hoping his popularity rubs off on some local politicians. WNYC's Arun Venugopal has more.

REPORTER: President Obama will first head to the town of Holmdel, New Jersey. There he'll be stumping for ...

New York, NY —

For some Latinos and members of the legal community, there's great excitement surrounding the Sonia Sotomayor confirmation hearings.

Carlos Vargas-Ramos is with the Centro de Estudios Puertoriquenos, at Hunter College. He says it feels "terrific" to see a fellow Latino as a nominee.

And speaking as a ...