Ilya Marritz

The U.S. Government is shutting down non-essential services for the first time in nearly two decades, and thousands of federal workers are being told to stay home. In the EPA’s Region II, which covers New York and New Jersey, just 36 out of 861 staff are being asked to report to work throughout the shutdown.

The federal government has approved a half-billion-dollar cleanup plan for Brooklyn's Gowanus Canal.

The popular website Airbnb has had a victory in court that may make it easier for New Yorkers to rent out their apartments on a short term basis without breaking the law.

Little time remains for Congress and the President to avert a partial government shutdown. That means thousands of government workers could be furloughed, some government services would be curtailed, and major landmarks would be closed. Here’s an overview for the New York metro area.

Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) and Charles Schumer (D-New York) are calling on the Department of Energy to investigate the causes of an unexpected power failure that has caused frustration and havoc for tens of thousands of commuters in their two states.

Brooklyn Assemblyman William F. Boyland, Jr., has decided not to seek a plea deal with prosecutors. If Boyland goes on trial, New York's public corruption problems are guaranteed to stay in the headlines.

New York Attorney General Eric Schndeiderman has settled cases with nineteen companies that tried to game online ratings on sites like Yelp, Citysearch, and Google. Schneiderman says in some instances “Astroturf” reputation managers sold reviews that were as fake as the “grass” in Met Life stadium.

The election to decide the number two job in city government is a little more than a week away, and both candidates seem to be betting that an anti-Bloomberg message will resonate with voters.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. has admitted wrongdoing in the massive 2012 trading loss known as the "the London Whale."

When Lehman Brothers, imploded five years ago, thousands of brokers, analysts, and office staff were scattered on the winds of the Great Recession. Today Lehman is no more, but an electric blues band formed in the bank’s better days is still jamming and playing gigs.

This week, Apple introduced two new iPhones to the world. But buyers of hot new phones may have trouble hanging on to them: As of late August, more than 11,000 smartphones had been reported stolen to the NYPD. That's 7 percent higher than in the same period in 2012.

Bill de Blasio’s fight-for-the-little-guy platform includes higher taxes on New Yorkers earning over half a million dollars a year, ending tax breaks for corporations, and spending more on social programs. So: is big business scared?

This week, Apple introduced a new iPhone. Among its features: fingerprint recognition and other security measures that could make the device harder to re-sell if it’s been stolen. But it’s up against a sophisticated black market that has had six years to cater to the world’s insatiable appetite for second-hand smartphones.

For centuries, biographers have relied on letters to bring historical figures to life, whether Gandhi or Catherine the Great. But as people switch from writing on paper to documenting their lives electronically, biographers are encountering new benefits — and new challenges.

Walter Isaacson's authorized biography of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs ...

Hundreds of workers protested Thursday outside fast food restaurants from three different chains in Manhattan. Wendy's, McDonald's and Burger King are the targets of a nationwide day of action by groups demanding higher wages for workers and the right to form unions.

The online retail giant Amazon is preparing to mount a new challenge to a New York State law that requires the company to collect sales taxes.

Earlier this year, prospective home-buyers had a shock: home mortgage interest rates rose one full percentage point in the space of just a few days. Since then, interest rates have remained higher — around 4.5 percent — and fear that rates will rise again seems to be juicing demand for mortgages.

Scott Stringer isn't spending his August the way he'd imagined -- gliding to victory in the Comptroller's race. His staff doesn't get to take vacations. What seemed like a race he could win at a gentle jog has become a sprint as Stringer rushes to raise funds and pack in campaigning after a much more famous opponent - Eliot Spitzer - upended the race. 

Steinway & Sons, the 160-year-old musical instrument maker, is set to change hands.

Last month, a private equity firm emerged as the company's likely buyer. But a mystery bidder — rumored to be hedge fund manager John Paulson — has swooped in at the last minute, and now looks likely ...