Arun Venugopal

New York, NY —

New York voters are set to go to the polls in primary elections tomorrow. In Brooklyn, writer and activist Kevin Powell, who first made a name for himself on the MTV's The Real World, is running for Congress against Representative Ed Towns.

Campaigning in East New ...

New York, NY —

Supporters and opponents of Columbia University's planned expansion into Manhattanville presented their case at a public hearing this week.

Nick Sprayregen owns Tuck-it-away Storage, one of the two holdout businesses in the area. He says the process to determine whether the area is blighted has been ...

New York, NY —

A New York State court is supporting Gov. David Paterson's directive to recognize out of state same sex marriages. A judge has tossed out a legal challenge to the policy. Susan Sommer is an attorney with Lambda Legal, which represented a same sex couple who ...

New York, NY —

All eyes will be on presumptive Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin as she makes her big speech at the Republican national convention tonight. But not Mayor Bloomberg. He says he’s got other plans.

BLOOMBERG: I actually am going to the theater tonight. To see Whoopi Goldberg ...

New York, NY —

The city's taking a swing at bullies in schools, with Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Schools Chancellor Joel Klein and Council Speaker Christine Quinn announcing a set of initiatives they hope will curb mean girls and rough boys.

Schools will be required to track and monitor all bias ...

New York, NY —

The standoff between the NYPD and cyclists in the monthly Critical Mass ride has been going on for years. WNYC's Arun Venugopal talks to Weekend Edition Host Brian Zumhagen about how riders and police interacted during the August ride.

New York, NY —

Mayor Bloomberg is defending the Department of Education's voluntary pilot program to begin standardized testing as early as kindergarten.

But Tovah Klein, head of the Barnard Center for Toddler Development, says standardized testing isn't appropriate for the youngest students.

KLEIN: Young children make discoveries when ...

New York, NY —

Mayor Michael Bloomberg pushed back against criticism of the city's plan to test its youngest students. The Department of Education is encouraging principals to administer standardized tests to children in kindergarten through second grade. The mayor says the tests are essential to learning a child's ...

New York, NY —

It was billed as Summer Streets, an effort to clear the road of cars and let bikes and pedestrians take over. WNYC's Arun Venugopal has more.

AUDIO: The sound of near-silence

REPORTER: For about six hours yesterday this is how a 7-mile stretch of Manhattan sounded: no ...

New York, NY —

Mayor Michael Bloomberg says when the Olympic Games begin tomorrow in Beijing, he hopes the attention will highlight the progress he says has taken place in China. He said the Olympics also provide a stage for the United States to promote democracy in China.

BLOOMBERG: And ...

New York, NY —

This Saturday walkers, skaters, and cyclists will take control of a seven mile stretch of Manhattan, from East 72nd Street down to the Brooklyn Bridge. WNYC's Arun Venugopal was with the Mayor today, when he announced a celebration of Summer Streets.

AMBI: Chinese music

It's not easy ...

New York, NY —

Hillary Clinton will endorse Democrat Mike McMahon today in the congressional seat that encompasses Staten Island and part of Brooklyn

Republican congressman Vito Fossella resigned his seat in the wake of a marital scandal, and now Democrats believe they have their best chance yet to reclaim ...

New York, NY —

Civil rights activists called for a crackdown on police misconduct today at rally outside police headquarters. The protest comes after a videotape surfaced showing an officer pushing a cyclist off his bike.

The video contradicts the officer's sworn statement, claiming the cyclist tried to run him ...

New York, NY —

The city will be sending a lot less of its recycling out of town. A newly expanded paper recycling mill has opened on Staten Island. The facility will convert waste paper and plastic into pizza boxes and other goods. Previously those recyclables had to be ...

New York, NY —

Mayor Michael Bloomberg has some words for Albany, as Gov. David Paterson prepares to speak about the economic downturn.

The mayor says state lawmakers can't solve their problems on the backs of New York City taxpayers.

BLOOMBERG: They have been spreading the goodies around the ...

New York, NY —

As the Metropolitan Transportation Authority plans two fare hikes starting next July, a top state official has a message for the agency: not so fast. WNYC’s Arun Venugopal has more on a planned audit of the transit agency.

REPORTER: State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli is going ahead ...

New York, NY —

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly says officers had no choice but to shoot a retired colleague who had escaped from a psychiatric ward. WNYC's Arun Venugopal has more on the death of Jason Aiello on Staten Island.

REPORTER: According to sources, Aiello was able to escape from ...

New York, NY —

The National Democratic Party is lining up behind Staten Island Democrat Mike McMahon as he runs for the seat that'll be vacated by Republican Congressman Vito Fossella. WNYC's Arun Venugopal reports.

REPORTER: Councilman McMahon could be the first Democrat to win the seat in 28 years, ...

New York, NY —

Congressman - and potential Mayoral candidate - Anthony Wiener says he's pro-development but is concerned about the toll that rising real estate costs are taking on middle class New Yorkers.

Speaking at a breakfast put on by Crain's New York Business, the Congressman praised Mayor Michael ...

New York, NY —

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is about to unveil a new service that will alert riders to unplanned service disruptions, by e-mail or text message. WNYC's Arun Venugopal has more.

REPORTER: The MTA already has an email and texting service, but that only works for planned disruptions, ...