Lisa Chow

New York, NY —

New York's single largest asset is the state's pension fund, nearly $120-billion that supports retired state and municipal employees. Now, state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is calling for a fundamental change to the way the money is managed, in light of his investigations into an ...

New York, NY —

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is looking to radically change the way the New York State pension fund is managed as his office investigates an alleged kickback scheme at the fund.

CUOMO: For literally 30 years we've been hearing about problems at the state pension system. Numerous ...

New York, NY —

Democratic mayoral nominee Bill Thompson has criticized the Bloomberg administration for excessively ticketing small businesses. Now, some city council members are siding with Thompson and trying to crack down on "ticket hoarding". WNYC's Lisa Chow reports.

REPORTER: City leaders say Sanitation enforcement officers are writing tickets ...

New York, NY —

If you don’t have a checking account, maybe you’re using a prepaid debit card to buy stuff online, get cash from an ATM, or pay your bills. New York Times reporter Andrew Martin talks about the pitfalls of the prepaid debit card.

New York, NY —

If you thought you missed the boat when it comes to buying at the bottom in Manhattan's real estate market, some analysts say, don't worry, you haven't. WNYC's Lisa Chow reports.

REPORTER: Your broker may be telling you housing prices are hitting bottom now, or they ...

Bill Thompson, City Comptroller and Mayoral cadidate 2010 (EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images)

New York, NY —

Bill Thompson, the Democratic nominee for mayor, has been involved in New York City politics for more than 30 years. He's been Chief of Staff for a New York congressman, a Deputy Borough President, president of the city's Board of Education, and now City Comptroller. ...

New York, NY —

City Comptroller William Thompson cruised to victory in the Democratic mayoral primary, defeating Tony Avella, a city councilman from Queens. Thompson will now face incumbent Mayor Michael Bloomberg in November. WNYC's Lisa Chow reports.

REPORTER: Thompson's supporters say Mayor Bloomberg is disconnected from the issues of ...

New York, NY —

City Comptroller Bill Thompson made a final push before Tuesday's Democratic primary for mayor, stopping by street fairs in the Bronx and Queens yesterday.

THOMPSON: We need to say good bye adios to Mike Bloomberg. It is time we put someone in City Hall who will ...

New York, NY —

President Obama's plan to rewrite the rules for the U.S. financial system is provoking debate. The president proposed shareholders have a vote on the salaries and bonuses of top executives at financial firms. City Comptroller Bill Thompson manages the city's five pension funds, which are ...

New York, NY —

New York City's sewage operations will get freshening up, through $220 million in federal economic stimulus money. With the funds, which are coming to the city through Albany, the city will upgrade equipment at four wastewater treatment facilities, and replace sludge ships, which carry raw ...

New York, NY —

Getting out the recession hinges, largely, on whether consumers feel confident to start shopping again this fall.

On this Labor Day, parents were out looking for back-to-school supplies and clothes for their kids.

Malcolm King was walking down Broadway near Astor Place with his two daughters, one ...

New York, NY —

The State Department of Labor says since the recession began, New York employers are increasingly violating minimum wage laws to cut costs and economize. This confirms the findings of a new report, which surveyed more than 4,000 low-wage workers in New York, Chicago and Los ...

New York, NY —

A new report on low wage workers in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles found more than two thirds of those interviewed were paid less than what they were legally owed for the work they did the previous week. WNYC's Lisa Chow reports.

REPORTER: The researchers ...

New York, NY —

The New York State Comptroller has released performance data on 12 investment funds under investigation by state and federal regulators. Those funds manage public pension money. WNYC's Lisa Chow reports.

REPORTER: When news broke last spring of an alleged pay-to-play scheme at the New York State ...

New York, NY —

Small business owners are grappling to understand the real-life impact of any healthcare overhaul. Some of the pending legislation would require businesses to offer coverage to their employees, or pay a penalty.

SPARANO: You mandate that and I'm telling you right now, businesses are closing down. ...

New York, NY —

AIG's skyrocketing shares, plus why the business world cares about two NYC primaries. Guest: Greg David, editorial director of Crain’s New York Business.

New York, NY —

The New York attorney general's office says nearly $2 million in grants is going to local community groups working to clean up the Bronx River, which has a long history of pollution. Kellie Terry Sepulveda is executive director of The Point, a non profit organization ...

New York, NY —

Workers' advocates are gaining momentum in their campaign to require all private companies in New York City to offer their employees paid sick days. More than 30 City Council members have voiced support for a bill that would mandate companies with more than 10 employees ...

Christmas shopping is probably the last thing on your mind right now, unless you are a buyer who stopped by The New York International Gift Fair, where store owners met their wholesale suppliers this week. For WNYC's Main Street series, reporter Lisa Chow went to the fair with a Brooklyn boutique owner who has a shop on Smith Street. She found that small retailers who have survived the economic shakeout are cautiously optimistic.

Listen to the whole feature:

REPORTER: Here's the task for gift store retailers this season: figure out what nonessentials are essential. Charles Branstool owns Exit 9 gift stores—one on Smith Street in Brooklyn and another in the East Village. He went to the Javits Center and walked through thousands of booths to meet wholesalers and check out new products.

BRANSTOOL: Ok, this is our top vendor. They have a lot of really innovative and creative items that are sometimes serious, sometimes playful.

REPORTER: Branstool's Brooklyn store manager, Lexie Zimmerman is holding something that looks like a kitchen utensil—soft stainless steel wires dangling from a handle. Turns out it’s a head massager.

ZIMMERMAN: I ordered 720 of these.

BRANSTOOL: 720 units? Can we break that up, maybe into smaller shipments that we stagger?

ZIMMERMAN: No because we’re going to run out. And it's a $7 Christmas present. And we’re going to sell more than 700. I guarantee it.

BRANSTOOL: Ok.