Robert Lewis

A year after Superstorm Sandy stranded many New Yorkers without power for days, a federal judge has ruled that New York City's emergency plans violate the Americans with Disabilities Act. Those shortcomings, the judge found, leave almost 900,000 residents in danger, and many say the ruling could have implications for ...

The South Street Seaport could be the city's next hot spot, thanks to a $200 million redevelopment project that broke ground Thursday.

Think we learned something from all those Sandy stories of disabled people trapped in high-rises struggling to survive? Think again. Disability rights groups are suing New York City ...

Many people are held in New York City jails for weeks or months before trial who are never ultimately convicted of a crime.

Robert Lewis, WNYC investigative reporter talks about lengthy pre-trial detentions and why so many languish in jail because they can't make bail.

 

Every day three quarters of the people sitting in a New York City jail are waiting for trial. Most are there for one simple reason: they are too poor to make bail.

Donovan Drayton is free. Sort of.

A judge Wednesday sentenced Drayton to five years behind bars—almost exactly the amount of time he spent on Rikers Island as a pretrial detainee—plus five years of supervised release. That’s effectively a sentence of time served, according to his attorney Michael Warren.

Donovan Drayton was arrested and accused of murder days after a 30-year-old man’s bullet-riddled body was found in the doorway of a single-family home in South Jamaica Queens.

Drayton, a 19-year-old with no criminal record, said he was innocent. But given the severity of the charges, a judge refused to grant bail. So he was sent to Rikers Island pending trial. And there he waited.

And waited.

The mayor's race may be over for Christine Quinn, but she still has a few more months in her job as City Council Speaker. Thursday was her first day back at work since the primary election and she was back to playing ringmaster.

While a crowd gathers at Ground Zero today to mark the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, a small group of retired NYPD officers will be east on Long Island paying tribute to their friends who died that day.

Sunday's fall festival at Rochdale Village in Jamaica, Queens had music, food, and plenty of candidates trying to woo the largely Democratic and black crowd. Would-be mayors, council members, and borough presidents turned out, as did the two Democratic comptroller candidates - Eliot Spitzer and Scott Stringer - who are in a virtual tie heading into Tuesday's primary.

Bill de Blasio is steadily gaining in the polls among the Democratic field of candidates vying to become the next New York mayor. But this week's Quinnipiac poll showing him leading at 43 percent also found nearly a quarter of likely voters saying they could very well change their minds by the Sept. 10 primary.

The father of a 1-year-old boy shot to death in his stroller Sunday night is still not cooperating with police.

A grand jury refused to indict a Queens man who was arrested last week for making an angry Facebook post in response to the George Zimmerman verdict. But although the case was dismissed, he remains in jail for violating his parole. 

A former supervisor at the Indian Point nuclear power plant was arrested Tuesday for allegedly falsifying records in an effort to keep the plant from having to shut down. It's just the latest headache for owner Entergy Corporation, which has been trying since 2007 to get the plant's two 40-year-old reactors relicensed.  

George Zimmerman is free after killing Trayvon Martin. But a Queens man is in jail for what he posted on Facebook in response to last week's not guilty verdict.

The testing industry has swelled since the No Child Left Behind Act required all states to measure performance with standardized exams. With the rapid growth have come errors, large ...

When New York State Senator John Sampson was arrested last month for allegedly embezzling $440,000 from foreclosure sales, the curtain pulled back on a little known corner of the state’s justice system – the job of foreclosure referee.

The owner of Indian Point nuclear plant has thrown millions into lobbying and political donations as it tries to get its facility relicensed for another 20 years, according to a report released today.

While the equipment looks like it’s from another time, plant owner Entergy Corporation says Indian Point is vital for modern day New York.