Ilya Marritz

The $286 million contract for the construction of a new 911 emergency call center in the Bronx raised "serious red flags," according to the city's comptroller.

Dunkin' Donuts Tops Chain Store Survey

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Chain stores extended their reach in New York City in 2010. A new survey URL finds the large retailers increased their number of outlets by four percent.

The chain with the most stores, once again is Dunkin, which offers 466 places to buy its Munchkins. Second place goes to Subway, followed by Starbucks, Duane Reade, McDonald's, Baskin Robbins, Rite Aid, GNC, Radio Shack, and T-Mobile.

Those names aren't surprises. But Jonathan Bowles Director of the Center for an Urban Future, was struck by the rapid growth of Metro PCS, the cell phone provider.

"They actually went from having just seven locations in our 2009 study to 35 this year, a staggering 400% increase," Bowles said. "I dunno if it's the iphone or the Droid, but whatever it is, cell phone stores have really expanded in New York."

T-Mobile, Sprint, and Verizon Wireless also opened more doors.

But not all retailers grew. Pizza Hut shrunk to just 15 stores, from 39 two years ago. Blockbuster gave up 15 locations this year, as its home movie rental model was tested by newer technologies. And Tasti D Lite and Curves gym may help people lose weight, but they gave up leases too.

Chain stores extended their reach in New York City in 2010. A new survey finds the large retailers have increased the number of outlets by four percent from 2009, up to 6,595 total stores.

Temp Workers Play Santa, Hope To Receive Full-Time Offers

Friday, December 17, 2010

In November, private employers added 14,000 jobs in New York City. The State Labor Department says it's a decent result, if not spectacular. Some of the biggest job gains were in te...

Comments [1]

Hedge Fund Industry on Notice as Law Enforcement Tapes Phone Calls

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

For well over a year, prosecutors have been investigating insider trading in the hedge fund industry. Last month, the FBI searched the offices of several funds in the New York area ...

Fracking Issue To Concern New York's Next Governor

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

The term "fracking," short for hydraulic fracturing, has moved from an obscure type of natural gas extraction to an issue debated by environmentalists, government officials and movie stars. And recent action by outgoing New York Governor David Paterson placed the decision of how to regulate the practice in the hands of the next Governor, Andrew Cuomo.

Illegal Bookies Predicted to Make a Comeback as Off Track Betting Disappears

Monday, December 13, 2010

The last three horse betting parlors in the city will close their doors Monday, after New York lawmakers failed to agree on a rescue plan for Off Track Betting.

Racing Fans Collect their Winnings as Betting Parlors Shut Down

Thursday, December 09, 2010

There's no longer a place to legally bet on horses in New York, unless you go to Aqueduct Racetrack. About sixty betting parlors closed this week after state lawmakers failed to pass a rescue plan for the city's financially-troubled Off Track Betting Corporation. WNYC's Ilya Marritz brings us this look at one of the last parlors still operating.

[CutID: <DAVID:DigaSystem\NEWS>PB8-USER4_FD1CEA77AA30452C88D4CCE45F1EB857.WAV

Time: 46s

Title: news201012_09_OTB_marritz

Out-cue: ]

[The TVs that usually show horse races are dark at the seventh Avenue branch of OTB, and only a few windows are open to customers. They're not taking bets here anymore - just cashing out accounts. Matt Lopez chatted with the branch manager on the sidewalk outside, after collecting the last 30 dollars he was owed.

it was basically a small voucher for left over balance, and some scratches. You know what a scratch is?

That's betting parlor talk.

when you bet a horse, and they withdraw him from the race before the race is run, you're entitled to a refund.

Lopez, and thousands of other customers are being paid the money they're owed - in full. But NYC OTB's bigger creditors aren't so lucky - they'll lose tens of millions of dollars, and over a thousand workers are losing their jobs. Matt Lopez says it makes no sense to him. Monday night this branch closes for good. For WNYC, I'm Ilya Marritz.]

About sixty betting parlors closed this week after New York state lawmakers failed to pass a rescue plan for New York City's financially troubled Off Track Betting Corporation. Just a few parlors have kept their doors open.

Delaware River Guardian Publishes Draft Rules for Gas Drilling

Thursday, December 09, 2010

A multi-state agency with responsibility for keeping the Delaware River clean has proposed rules for natural gas drilling in areas north and west of the city.

The Delaware River Basin Commission has jurisdiction over many of the streams that supply New York City's drinking water. It includes representatives from New York and Pennsylvania, as well as the federal government.

The Commission's draft regulations are more than 80 pages long, and are focused on the issues of water withdrawals and water releases. Drilling new natural gas wells can produce vast quantities of polluted waste water.

There are 90 days to register a comment on the plan, and New York City is already criticizing it. The city says there should be a detailed study of the likely impact on drinking water...and no drilling should happen before then.

A multi-state agency with responsibility for keeping the Delaware River clean has proposed rules for natural gas drilling in areas north and west of New York City.

Yonkers Raceway Takes a Hit with Shutdown of NYC OTB

Thursday, December 09, 2010

Now that New York City Off Track Betting is closed, those owed money by the bankrupt corporation are tallying their losses. Yonkers Raceway was NYC OTB's second-biggest creditor. General Manager Robert Galterio [Gal-TEER-ee-oh] says OTB owes the racetrack some 20 million dollars in fees.

[CutID: <DAVID:DigaSystem\NEWS>PB8-USER4_735D4F85A9AC40CDB95349CC053AD2E6.WAV

Time: 7s

Title: news20101208_nycotb_galterio

Out-cue: ] [we don't know how we're going to be able to recoup any of it. Cause they don't have any money, and they have no assets. So basically, we've lost everything that they owed us.]

Yonkers Raceway got some15 percent of its revenue from NYC OTB, and much of that money went to the owners of winning horses.

[The most immediate economic impact of NYC OTB's shutdown is on its more than one thousand employees. They received layoff notices this week.]

Now that New York City Off Track Betting is closed, those owed money by the bankrupt corporation are tallying their losses.

Comments [5]

Indian Point Relicensing Bid Gets Endorsement

Friday, December 03, 2010

Two controversial nuclear reactors north of New York City got a thumbs up from federal officials evaluating the likely environmental impact of keeping the reactors running into the 2030s.

Staffers at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission concluded that the Indian Point power plant won't cause harm to plants or animals significant enough to prevent the reactors from getting a new license from the US government.

NRC project manager Drew Stuyvenberg [STY-ven-berg] says it took more than three years to write an environmental impact statement that took into account hundreds of comments from the public.

[CutID: <DAVID:DigaSystem\NEWS>PB8-USER4_5974A0D22F9E48B0B22882663AB1CEFC.WAV

Time: 6s

Title: news20101203_IP_stuyvenberg

Out-cue: ]

[the breadth and depth of commentary we've received on this has been I would say unlike most of the other projects I've worked on.]

Indian Point's location in a densely populated suburb on the shores of the Hudson River has made it a flashpoint for many years.

Today's report isn't the final word on relicensing. A three judge panel has to review the evidence, and there's no timeline yet for a final decision.

Two controversial nuclear reactors north of New York City got a thumbs up from federal officials evaluating the likely environmental impact of keeping the reactors running into the 2030s.

EPA Chief Jackson on Christie, Bedbugs and 40 Years of the EPA

Wednesday, December 01, 2010

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie caused a stir last month when he expressed doubts about climate change. One person who disagrees with that view is Lisa Jackson, President Obama's...

Number of Stalled NYC Construction Sites Continues to Grow

Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Bulldozers and cranes have returned to many neighborhoods of New York but the number of stalled construction projects continues to grow.

A new report counts nearly 700 sites where builders have all the necessary permits, but are not putting shovels in the ground.

Building Congress President Richard Anderson says the figure surprises him.

[CutID: <DAVID:DigaSystem\NEWS>PB8-USER4_741F44266A5440399F6AF5C6D11F5E66.WAV

Time: 8s

Title: news20101130_stalled_anderson

Out-cue: ] [from an intuiting standpoint, you'd expect construction activity to resume as the economy strengthens.]

But, Anderson says, lenders are still wary of financing new commercial or residential buildings, and credit is scarce.

From 2009 to 2010, the number of stalled projects increased more than 50 percent, according to an analysis of city data.

Almost half of all the idle construction sites are in Brooklyn.

Bulldozers and cranes have returned to many neighborhoods of New York, but the number of stalled construction projects continues to grow. A new report counts nearly 700 sites where builders have all the necessary permits, but are not putting shovels in the ground.

Governor Mulls Fracking Ban, as Anti-Gas Drilling Bill Advances

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Governor Paterson says he hasn't decided whether to sign into a law a bill that would make New York the first state in the nation to temporarily ban a controversial natural gas drilling technique. Late Monday night, the Assembly in Albany voted by a wide margin to approve a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing, or 'fracking.'

Comments [5]

Extended Unemployment Benefits Running Out

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

A vital lifeline for the jobless is starting to slip away.

Extended unemployment benefits -- beyond the traditional 26 weeks -- will end for millions of Americans, if Congress does not approve additional funding today.

In New York State that means 200 thousand people in will stop collecting benefits by December 31st.

Already, paying out all those checks has depleted state coffers. Colleen Gardner is the Commissioner of Labor.

[CutID: <DAVID:DigaSystem\NEWS>PB8-USER4_D2E94E8D7C8C4CCDBE5117949B871A13.WAV

Time: 9s

Title: news20101130_unemployment_gardner

Out-cue: ]

[our unemployment insurance trust fund has been insolvent almost two years. We're gonna owe 3.2 billion dollars starting next year.]

Gardner estimates it could take as long as 9 years to repay funds the state borrowed from the federal government.

To try to make a dent in that debt, employers will pay a surcharge of point-two-seven-five percent on every worker's salary, starting next year.

The state's unemployment rate was 8-point-3 percent in October.

A vital lifeline for the jobless is starting to slip away. Extended unemployment benefits, running beyond the traditional 26 weeks, will end for millions of Americans if Congress does not approve additional funding.

Comments [8]

City Mulls Remedies for BQE Noise and Pollution

Monday, November 29, 2010

There are only a few days remaining for citizens to give their feedback on proposals to reconnect two Brooklyn neighborhoods severed decades ago by a highway.

[CutID: <DAVID:DigaSystem\NEWS>PB8-USER4_ADD76EBD7F4843119D9ACD1EC590B483.WAV

Time: 6s

Title: news201011_BQE_highway

Out-cue: ]

[sound]

The Brooklyn Queens Expressway cuts off the Brooklyn waterfront from Carroll Gardens. Planners are suggesting three different plans, involving more trees, sound barriers, and even so-called green canopies to reduce noise and pollution.

Madelyn Wils [WILLS] is with the Economic Development Corporation. She says the idea is to make the area more attractive to businesses and residents.

[CutID: <DAVID:DigaSystem\NEWS>PB8-USER4_F6B7612D0D9A45BEB1A047655E754DA9.WAV

Time: 7s

Title: news201011_BQE_wyls

Out-cue: ]

[well they call it the ditch and it's very noisy. And it makes people not want to cross.]

There are only a few days remaining for citizens to give feedback on proposals to reconnect two Brooklyn neighborhoods severed decades ago by the Brooklyn Queens Expressway.

Parade Is Big Business for Seventh Avenue

Thursday, November 25, 2010

For the second year in a row, the Thanksgiving Day Parade will proceed down Seventh Avenue. The parade was re-routed from Broadway after changes to the streetscape there.

Now, businesses along the new route are asking the city to make it permanent.

Tim Tompkins is President of the Times Square Alliance. He says the TV cameras and crowds are an enormous benefit to hotels, shops and...billboard owners.

[CutID: <DAVID:DigaSystem\NEWS>PB8-USER4_FA2791850BE24B51980994E785DDED14.WAV

Time: 11s

Title: news20101124_parade_tompkins

Out-cue: ]

[there's more and more giant LED signs there, American Eagle has just put up a huge one, Aeropostale, and part of the reason why people pay very significant rents is the enormous visibility.]

Hotel rooms along the route also fetch a premium on this day....the Hotel Association of New York City has said changing taking the route to 6th avenue would mean a loss of 40 million dollars because there are fewer hotels there.

City Hall hasn't said what course the parade will take in 2011.

For the second year in a row, New York's Thanksgiving Day Parade will proceed down Seventh Avenue. Last year, the parade was rerouted from Broadway after changes to the streetscape there and businesses along the new route are asking the city to make it permanent. One thing is constant, however. The parade always ends at the doorstep of its sponsor, Macy's, on 34th Street.

Nir Gurel of Nirvana Designs shows off his hats at the Union Square Holiday Market

Union Square Holiday Market Opens a Week Early

Friday, November 19, 2010

Holiday shopping season doesn't begin in earnest until after Thanksgiving, but some people are getting an early start at Union Square, where the holiday market opened a week earlier than usual.

This US Navy photo released 17 September, 2001, shows a firefighter emerging from the smoke and debris of the World Trade Center September 14, 2001.

9/11 Rescue and Recovery Workers Settle with City

Friday, November 19, 2010

More than 10,000 rescue and recovery workers who filed a lawsuit against New York City have given their approval to a multi-million dollar legal settlement with the city, clearing the...

New York City Added Jobs in October

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Unemployment dipped slightly in New York City last month, as all five boroughs saw job growth.