Matthew Schuerman

Senior Editor, WNYC

Matthew Schuerman appears in the following:

MTA Budget on Borrowed Time Gets a Vote

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

The board of the MTA is expected to approve a budget today that would cost riders more and give them less. But as WNYC's Matthew Schuerman explains, the budget isn't exactly real.

REPORTER: Legally speaking, the MTA has to approve a balanced budget by the end ...

Comment

Man Attempts to Throw Shoe at MTA Board Member

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

A member of the public attempted to throw his shoe at an MTA board meeting, Wednesday.

Stephen Millies, an Amtrak worker and self-described subway rider, went on a three-minute rant during the public speaking portion of the MTA board meeting.

Towards the end, Millies asked where MTA ...

Comment

NYC Council Hears Ravitch's MTA Rescue Plan

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Former MTA chairman Richard Ravitch testified about his plan to help out the MTA at a City Council hearing yesterday. WNYC's Matthew Schuerman reports that his proposals for a new payroll tax and bridge tolls may not solve the authority's long-term financial problems.

REPORTER: While the ...

Comment

Port Authority's New Budget

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

In contrast to the state and the city governments, the operator of the region's airports passed its budget for next year without any public debate.

The Port Authority does expect fewer people will pay to use its bridges and tunnels next year, and traffic at its ...

Comment

NYC Council Hears Ravitch's MTA Rescue Plan

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Former MTA chairman Richard Ravitch testified about his plan to help out the MTA at a City Council hearing yesterday. WNYC's Matthew Schuerman reports that his proposals for a new payroll tax and bridge tolls may not solve the authority's long-term financial problems.

REPORTER: While the ...

Comment

Drivers May Feel Squeezed in Paterson Budget

Monday, December 15, 2008

Tomorrow, Gov. Paterson will unveil his plan for closing the $15 billion deficit that the state is projecting over the next two years. WNYC's Matthew Schuerman says automobile drivers will feel some of the pain.

REPORTER: Right now, the Department of Motor Vehicles charges about $70 ...

Comment

City Bus Security Camera Plan Stalled

Monday, December 15, 2008

Even before a bus driver was fatally stabbed over a fare dispute in Brooklyn this month, New York City was trying to install security cameras in buses.

But those cameras didn't work very well and the transit system has canceled the contract.

Bus division head Joseph Smith, ...

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Foreclosure Counseling for At-Risk Families

Friday, December 12, 2008

More than 6,000 families facing foreclosure will get counseling next year under a series of grants announced by Mayor Bloomberg yesterday. The $2.3 million will go to 19 community organizations that'll help troubled homeowners hold onto their homes. A smaller set of grants awarded over ...

Comment

Judge Grants Delay in Homeowner Rebate Check Case

Friday, December 12, 2008

The city's law department is getting another week to defend Mayor Bloomberg's decision to withhold those $400 homeowner rebate checks. A state supreme court judge granted the city's request for a delay in a case filed by Staten Island Councilman Vincent Ignizio and other Council ...

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Yankees Need More City Money

Friday, December 12, 2008

It looks like the Yankees are going to get a little more help in building their stadium. WNYC's Matthew Schuerman reports that Mayor Bloomberg gave his blessing to issuing another $370 million in tax-exempt bonds for the team.

REPORTER: The Yankees need the money to add ...

Comment

NYS Assembly Mulls Over Ravitch Plan

Thursday, December 11, 2008

New York Assembly members have heard from former MTA Chairman Richard Ravitch about his plans for tolls and a new tax to save the transit authority. WNYC's Matthew Schuerman reports.

REPORTER: More than a year ago, Mayor Bloomberg presented his plan to save the MTA in ...

Comment

Firefighter Evictions?

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Mayor Bloomberg is warning the public that he will have to cut popular school, fire and police services to get the city's budget balanced next year.

BLOOMBERG: It is virtually impossible to reduce your expenditures in this city unless you go to the popular large programs. ...

Comment

Ravitch Explains MTA Bailout Plan

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Richard Ravitch, the man credited with saving the MTA in the 1980s, will face tough questions from state Assembly members today. They're conducting a hearing on his proposal, which was unveiled last week to rescue the MTA by imposing a payroll tax on the region's ...

Comment

Paterson Wants to Raise Gas Tax

Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Governor Paterson is backing down from his pledge to avoid raising taxes to balance the state's budget. He says higher gas taxes will be needed to fill a $15 billion deficit over the next two years, and he defends his proposal to impose $5 tolls ...

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Fares Could Go Way Up if the State Doesn't Help MTA

Tuesday, December 09, 2008

The basic subway fare could go up to $2.50 or more, and a monthly Metrocard could surpass 100 bucks if the state doesn't help out.

That's the conclusion of a study conducted by the city's Independent Budget Office and commissioned by the Straphangers Campaign.

The MTA says ...

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Haitian Hurricane Relief

Monday, December 08, 2008

Governor Paterson says there's a new timetable to deliver long-delayed donations to hurricane victims in Haiti three months after four heavy storms hit the Caribbean nation.

He says 40 tons of water, food and medical supplies that have been stored in a Brooklyn Armory will be ...

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Easing the State Budget Deficit with New Taxes

Monday, December 08, 2008

New York drivers may be facing higher gasoline taxes, and new tolls on East River bridges, as the state looks for ways of closing a $15 billion budget deficit.

Yesterday, opponents of the new tolls suggested that state officials bail out the Metropolitan Transportation Authority by ...

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Ravitch Commission News Conference

Thursday, December 04, 2008

WNYC reporter Matthew Schuerman discusses the plan for East River tolls and company payroll taxes to keep MTA viable. Question of the Day:Are you a Brooklyn resident? Would you be willing to pay east river tolls to help the MTA budget crunch? Comment below!

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$5 Toll Proposed for Brooklyn Bridge

Thursday, December 04, 2008

Five bucks to cross the East River Bridges? That's what Governor Paterson and others are pushing for now that a state commission has given them recommendations on how to keep subway and bus fares from going up too much. Mayor Bloomberg hasn't commented yet on ...

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ACORN takes $1.5 Million from Ratner

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

The local chapter of ACORN helped get Brooklyn's Atlantic Yards project approved. Now, the developer is helping out the non-profit housing group.

An ACORN spokesman says Forest City Ratner gave it half a million dollars, and is loaning the group another $1 million at a difficult ...

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