Arun Venugopal

New York, NY —

Mayor Bloomberg says plummeting world financial markets will have an impact on the city's finances, but he said New York is still on sounder footing than other parts of the country.

BLOOMBERG: We are dependent on Wall Street profits and that's clearly going to be lower. ...

New York, NY —

Sharpton took the opportunity to campaign for Lieutenant Governor David Paterson. Turning to Governor Spitzer, Sharpton suggested that as an African-American, Paterson would make an ideal replacement for Senator Hillary Clinton, in the event that she's elected president.

SHARPTON: they should strongly consider if she's successful ...

New York, NY —

New Yorkers who want to cut carbon emissions and heating bills, have been prevented from doing so by lax federal standards on home furnaces and boilers.

REPORTER: So say the city and state, who are suing the US Department of Energy for failing to adopt higher ...

New York, NY —

Senator Schumer's office surveyed 90 grocery stores across the city and in Long Island and found that milk is 35% more expensive than it was a year ago.

The biggest jump was in Brooklyn, where a gallon costs $4.34 - that's a $1.23 more than it ...

New York, NY —

Reverend Al Sharpton says he and his associates kept law enforcement fully informed as they tried to broker a failed surrender by escaped convict Otis Blunt.

Blunt was captured by police in Mexico, where Sharpton and others headed in hopes of helping the fugitive turn himself ...

New York, NY —

The legislation would apply to larger stores and chains with more than 5 franchises.

While the Departments of Sanitation and Consumer Affairs would oversee enforcement, Council Speaker Christine Quinn notes that the success of the program will depend mostly on the public..

QUINN: The best way to ...

New York, NY —

About 8.5% of the city's teenagers now smoke - that's half as many as it was just 6 years ago and about a third the current rate nationwide.

A big reason for the decrease is the higher price of cigarettes, which is felt by teens more ...

New York, NY —

The death of Benazir Bhutto has left New York's Pakistanis stunned. WNYC's Arun Venugopal reports.

REPORTER: A large flat screen TV is playing in the Kababish restaurant in Jackson Heights. It's set to a Pakistani channel known as Geo TV. The customers watch as crowds jostle ...

New York, NY —

Pakistani immigrants in New York City are reacting with shock and dismay at the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto. Most tell WNYC's Arun Venugopal they do not believe the government of President Musharraf is behind the killing.

Some people dismiss any rumors that Musharraf's government ...

New York, NY —

The NYPD says 2007 will be the 17th consecutive year with a decrease in felony crimes in the city. That includes a 17 percent drop in homicides.

REPORTER: According to Mayor Bloomberg one of the highlights is the 36 percent drop in domestic violence murders. That ...

New York, NY —

The numbers are in: felony crimes in New York City have dropped for the 17th consecutive year.

REPORTER: That includes a 17 percent drop in homicides since last year, and an 11 percent drop in rapes. Mayor Bloomberg says the city is likely to experience fewer ...

New York, NY —

REPORTER: The last waves of Christmas shoppers are arriving at stores, having put off their purchases about as long as possible.

But, alongside those procrastinators are also shoppers like Rene Connolly, who bought all her gifts weeks ago. She was still prowling the stores of Harlem ...

New York, NY —

Former mayor Rudy Giuliani is in the city and continues to insist on his good health.

REPORTER: Plagued by flu-like symptoms, the Republican presidential candidate was admitted to a St. Louis hospital late last week. This move has prompted questions concerning the state of his health.

But, ...

New York, NY —

Columbia University's $7 billion expansion plan will likely to generate about $300 million in community benefits.

The city says it will provide $150 million for affordable housing over the next six years. This will match the amount promised by the university on Wednesday, when the City ...

New York, NY —

Columbia University's controversial plan to transform 17 acres of West Harlem will go forward. The City Council gave its final approval to the rezoning request yesterday. WNYC's Arun Venugopal has more.

The council approved the Columbia plan even as it was brokering a set of community ...

New York, NY —

With the Iowa caucuses just days away, Mayor Bloomberg is under more pressure from the media to say whether he intends to enter the presidential campaign. Once again, he says he isn't running....but he admits to wanting to influence the issues.

BLOOMBERG: I want to make ...

New York, NY —

REPORTER: A new study, from the Design Trust for Public Space, also found that passengers want to pay for a cab ride with Metrocards and credit cards. But, according to the Design Trust's Deborah Marton, it isn't just about the ride but the driver too.

MARTON: ...

New York, NY —

Members of the commission were presented with about 10 plans - either variations on the city's original proposal or complete departures, such as the idea to toll East River Bridges. Most of these would be significantly cheaper to implement and in some cases, would generate ...

New York, NY —

For elected officials from Brooklyn and Queens, the only option worse than congestion pricing would be tolls on the East River Bridges. WNYC's Arun Venugopal has more.

There haven't been any tolls on the East River Bridges since 1911, but the idea of re-instating them has ...

New York, NY —

It's been just over a month since the death of Khiel Coppin, in Brooklyn. He's the emotionally ill 18 year old who was shot by police officers who thought he was holding a gun. It turned out to be a hairbrush. The incident drew attention ...