Ilya Marritz

New York, NY —

HOST: More than a hundred thousand people are expected to attend the Belmont Stakes tomorrow as Big Brown tries for the first Triple Crown in three decades. Off Track Betting parlors will also be packed, but don’t be fooled by the crowds. As WNYC’s Ilya ...

New York, NY —

There's beauty in wastewater. At least the city thinks so. Last night it flicked on special bluish lights on eight stainless steel wastewater digesters in the Newtown Creek plant.

Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Emily Lloyd says the digesters are sometimes called eggs because of their ...

New York, NY —

New Yorkers have been digesting the news that gay marriages will be recognized – if not exactly legal – in the New York State. Yesterday Gov. David Paterson acknowledged he gave an order two weeks ago for agencies to recognize same sex marriages performed in ...

New York, NY —

Only a man and a woman can wed in New York, but the state must recognize gay or lesbian marriages performed elsewhere, the governor said in a news conference today.

WNYC's Ilya Marritz has more.

Paterson's order — which was issued a day before California's same-sex marriage ...

New York, NY —

The first ever World Science Festival began yesterday with a summit for top scientists and leaders from the worlds of business and government.

Festival co-founder Brian Greene teaches physics at Columbia University. He says one goal of the festival is to acquaint policymakers and the ...

New York, NY —

In three weeks time, the Swedish furniture giant Ikea will open its first store ever in New York City. Though millions of New Yorkers know Ikea from trips to outlets in the suburbs outside of New York, WNYC’s Ilya Marritz reports that this store will ...

New York, NY —

It'll take years and cost billions, but Verizon plans to make cable TV available to every city household by 2014.

A city board unanimously approved an agreement with the telecommunications giant allowing it to extend its fiber optic network throughout New York.

The city will collect a ...

New York, NY —

Verizon could soon enter the city's cable TV market.

Consumer groups say there hasn't been enough scrutiny of the telecommunication company's draft agreement with DOITT, the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications.

Chuck Bell is with Consumers Union.

BELL: DOITT and Verizon have been negotiating aggressively over the ...

New York, NY —

The arbitrated deal to increase police salaries potentially has thrown a monkey wrench into budget negotiations between the mayor and City Council.

A spokesman for Mayor Michael Bloomberg has suggested that the police settlement may endanger plans to extend the break in property taxes.

But Ronnie Lowenstein ...

New York, NY —

Education advocates and elected officials rallied at City Hall today for more school money. They're angry that Mayor Michael Bloomberg's proposed budget doesn't include more for the city's students.

Randi Weingarten is the President of the United Federation of Teachers. She says Bloomberg has forgotten his ...

New York, NY —

State legislators have been considering an analysis of a legislative proposal to offer early retirement to city workers without knowing that the study had been paid for by their union.

The New York Times is reporting that a former city actuary, Jonathan Schwartz, was paid for ...

New York, NY —

A new state law for online retailers is already having a chilling effect on some business relationships. It requires out of state Web retailers to collect sales tax on all purchases made by New Yorkers, if any of its partner sites are based in New ...

New York, NY —

Many people dread Monday morning and the return to the drudgery of work. But at one discount clothing store in downtown Manhattan, it’s the most eagerly anticipated time of the week. WNYC’s Ilya Marritz takes a look at the art and science of pricing on ...

New York, NY —

The nation's eleventh-largest newspaper, Long Island-based Newsday, will soon change hands.

WNYC's Ilya Marritz reports.

The winning bid for Newsday came from Cablevision, which is based in Bethpage.

The cable provider beat out bids from the owners of the Daily News and the New York Post.

The current owner, ...

New York, NY —

Little more than a month remains before a city-imposed deadline that could spell the end of Off Track Betting.

But as WNYC's Ilya Marritz reports, OTB may still get a reprieve.

Even though it makes money, OTB has to make big payouts every year to the state ...

New York, NY —

Over the past few weeks, three companies have been vying for control of Newsday.

Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, which owns the New York Post, began the bidding at $580 million.

Days later, the owner of the Daily News, Mortimer Zuckerman, matched ...

New York, NY —

Over the past few weeks, three companies have been vying for control of Newsday.

Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, which owns the New York Post, began the bidding at $580 million.

Days later, the owner of the Daily News, Mortimer Zuckerman, matched ...

New York, NY —

A long-stalled bill in Albany to fight piracy of TV shows and movies got a boost today.

Jeff Zucker, the president and CEO of NBC/Universal, urged state lawmakers to increase the penalty for first-time piracy offenders to a misdemeanor, up from a simple violation.

Zucker said failure ...

New York, NY —

The first-ever New York City Wildflower Week has begun. It's a celebration of plants native to the region.

At Union Square, volunteers are handing out free seedlings. Marielle Anzelone is among the organizers. She says one of the inspirations for Wildflower Week is a former first ...

New York, NY —

There were lots of clouds and little silver lining on display at Mayor Michael Bloomberg's budget presentation yesterday.

Given the fragile state of the economy, Bloomberg says the city will likely run deficits in 2010, 2011, and 2012. Does that mean he's bequeathing the next mayor ...