Lisa Chow

New York, NY —

New York Congressman Charles Rangel says he’s trying to fix something in the tax code – a “loophole” that allows managers of investment partnerships to pay a tax rate that’s lower than what many middle income workers pay. But, as WNYC’s Lisa Chow reports, the ...

New York, NY —

If Washington doesn't act quickly, an estimated one in five New York taxpayers - or 1.7 million people - will be subject to the alternative minimum tax next year. Also known as the AMT, it was intended to force the very wealthy to pay some ...

New York, NY —

Today is expected to be the busiest day of the year at the Hunts Point produce market in the Bronx as store owners get ready for Thanksgiving.

REPORTER: Hunts Point is New York's main food distribution center and supplies 60 percent of all the fruits and ...

New York, NY —

The national mortgage lender Countywide Financial has agreed to renegotiate loans for one-thousand at-risk borrowers in the metropolitan New York area.

REPORTER: The move was prompted by state senator Jeffrey Klein, who represents parts of Bronx and Westchester counties. He says he hopes that other lenders ...

New York, NY —

As New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo expands his investigation in the mortgage industry, Governor Spitzer says he's directed his staff to work with the Legislature to craft laws that address the foreclosure crisis.

SPITZER: We are going to write new laws that are tighter, that ...

New York, NY —

Former FBI agent Lindley Devecchio was cheered by his ex-colleagues, after a judge in Brooklyn granted a request to drop murder charges against him. The request by prosecutors came one day after a key government witness's testimony was undermined by a taped interview she gave ...

New York, NY —

All city agencies have been put under an immediate hiring freeze and were ordered by City Hall to make budget cuts as the city faces a slowdown in tax revenues. WNYC's Lisa Chow reports.

So far this year, the city isn't seeing the large commercial real ...

New York, NY —

Somewhere in the city, foreclosure auctions are going on almost every day. WNYC's Lisa Chow visited to see who’s going and whether they’re seeing any bargains.

REPORTER: If you believed the websites and the real estate seminars, getting a house at a foreclosure auction is a ...

New York, NY —

Governor Spitzer says he's "bracing" himself for a tough budgetary environment. First, the economy's slowing and the governor hasn't been on speaking terms with some of his colleagues in Albany.

REPORTER: Governor Spitzer says his priorities are investing in education, controlling health care costs, and continuing ...

New York, NY —

Mayor Bloomberg says the city's lawyers believe Governor Spitzer's plan to issue driver's licenses, without regard to a person's immigration status, could create a very big problem for some New Yorkers.

BLOOMBERG: Corporation Counsel Michael Cardoza does believe that in fact this would make NYS drivers ...

New York, NY —

Several hundred people came out today to protest the Bush administration's war in Iraq and its incarceration of terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay.

REPORTER: Among the crowd was Medea Benjamin, co-founder of Codepink, a national women's anti-war group.

BENJAMIN: Are you proud to have this man here ...

New York, NY —

State judges haven't received a raise since 1999, and now they're suing New York State to get one. Four judges, from civil, criminal and family courts, hope their lawsuit will force the state legislature to act. Tom Bezanson of Chadbourne and Parke represents the judges, ...

New York, NY —

The Bloomberg administration has overseen some dramatic changes in neighborhoods across the city. In each case, the first step city planners took was to rezone ... to allow for more and taller buildings.

WNYC's Lisa Chow reports on the latest and largest rezoning plan in Jamaica, ...

New York, NY —

Thousands of truckloads of concrete are poured in New York every week - for foundations, high-rises and roads - and the numbers continue to grow. Demand for concrete is expected to peak in 2009, when several big projects will be going up at the same ...

New York, NY —

City residents are demanding better emergency information from public officials on what's happening where, especially in the wake of Saturday's fire. Some cities are already doing it. WNYC's Lisa Chow reports.

New York, NY —

Brooklyn residents got a whole other surprise from yesterday's weather...a tornado. Mayor Bloomberg visited places yesterday where the storm caused the most damage, including a car dealership, two churches, and one residential street in Sunset Park. WNYC’s Lisa Chow.

REPORTER: It was hot and humid, and ...

Brooklyn, NY —

Developers unveiled much-anticipated plans yesterday to convert 11 acres of Brooklyn's waterfront, home to the old Domino Sugar plant, into 2,200 residential units, as well as new commercial, retail and open space. WNYC's Lisa Chow reports.

REPORTER: The media gaggle sat under a white tent, near the ...

New York, NY —

It's a constant complaint among cyclists in New York - how to keep cars out of bike lanes. So, the city's Department of Transportation has decided to experiment with a new flashy color of paint. WNYC's Lisa Chow reports.

The city is calling it "bright green." ...

New York, NY —

The city's police sergeants will earn six figures by 2010, if union members approve a new contract deal reached with the city. WNYC's Lisa Chow reports.

The contract covers more than 4600 sergeants and it means a 27.5% percent increase in salaries over 6 years. That ...

New York, NY —

Running an independent coffee shop in New York is a challenging business proposition. You're competing with Starbucks, you've got rising rent, and you operate in small change, selling 1 to 2 dollar coffees all day. WNYC's Lisa Chow finds out who these shops are up ...