WNYC News

New York, NY —

The former head of New York City's film office has died. Nancy Littlefield, who headed the city's Office of Motion Pictures and Television for five years under Mayor Edward Koch, died Thursday of cancer in Florida. She was 77.

REPORTER: Littlefield helped make it easier for ...

New York, NY —

A group of about 7,000 New York City taxi drivers is vowing to go ahead with a strike this week to protest new rules requiring GPS and credit card systems in cabs. It's unclear how many members of the group will participate. Members of the ...

New York, NY —

The owners of Brooklyn's Starrett City housing complex are signaling they may leave a state rent-subsidy program. Many of Starrett City's 6,000 apartments are rent-subsidized under the state's Mitchell-Lama program.

REPORTER: Tenants are receiving letters saying that the owners have filed papers with the state to ...

New York, NY —

In an effort to have visitors to the city feel more at home, Mayor Bloomberg wants to recruit all 8 million residents as on-the-spot guides. The city has launched a new campaign - "Just Ask the Locals." The mayor says New Yorkers are up to ...

New York, NY —

City buildings officials have issued an order to halt all work at the former Deutsche Bank Building, except repairs to keep the building safe, as fire officials continue their investigation into what started the fire that killed two firefighters.

REPORTER: Fire marshals are conducting interviews of ...

New York, NY —

Fire marshals are questioning witnesses, and gathering evidence, at the scene of Saturday's deadly blaze at the former Deutsche Bank building. They're also inspecting the standpipe, which failed to pump water up to firefighters battling the fire on the upper floors of the abandoned building.

REPORTER: ...

New York, NY —

With help from the city council, some 500 federally-subsidized apartments are being spared from foreclosure, and auction. The council is spending $14 million to help tenants and local non-profits take over from private landlords who are facing foreclosures.

REPORTER: Sean Donovan, commissioner of the city's Department ...

New York, NY —

Ten Brooklyn homes damaged by Wednesday's tornado are now safe enough for their owners to move back in, according to buildings officials.

REPORTER: Some 20 homes still remain unsafe and cannot be occupied. Deputy Commissioner Robert Limandri says each property has different problems.

LIMANDRI: In some cases, ...

New York, NY —

Randalls Island is undergoing renovations that will add 34 softball fields and 29 football fields. Its Sports Foundation has decided to allow 20 private schools to use the new facilities for after school sports and activities.

REPORTER: Yesterday, the non-profit group NYC Park Advocates protested a ...

New York, NY —

Following the deadly bridge collapse in Minneapolis, Governor Spitzer is asking state agencies to examine the 49 bridges in New York with designs similar to the one that collapsed into the Mississippi River.

REPORTER: The state agencies will also review inspection standards and are to report ...

New York, NY —

The General Accounting Office says a Homeland Security computer system used to screen incoming foreigners does not have the sufficient security controls to prevent hacking.

REPORTER: The US-VISIT program was put in place after 9/11 to help prevent dangerous people from entering the country. Robert Mocny ...

New York, NY —

New York City Transit and the union representing subway workers say they're making improvements in the wake of new internal reports that found several communication failures led to the deaths of two track workers in April.

REPORTER: Noisy generators are supposed to be kept quiet, so ...

New York, NY —

A criminal prosecutor will review reports about a scheme involving two of Governor Spitzer's aides who used state police to track a political rival.

REPORTER: State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo found no crimes were committed. But Albany County District Attorney David Soares has decided to review ...

New York, NY —

The Long Island Power Authority has a grim warning for Long Islanders. The company says the smallest category of hurricane would knock out power to more than a half-million customers and it could leave Long Islanders in the dark for as long as nine days.

REPORTER: ...

New York, NY —

Governor Spitzer has vetoed a bill that would have forced welfare agencies to steer people on welfare into higher paying jobs. Spitzer said the bill "ignores the realities of the marketplace." He said low wage jobs, combined with education and training, offer welfare recipients a ...

New York, NY —

The city's murder rate is continuing its historic decline. WNYC's Bob Hennelly has more on the latest numbers.

REPORTER: By July 1st of 2006, there had been 273 murders. But by the same time this year, the city logged 233 homicides. While the murder rate continues ...

New York, NY —

The salt marsh islands in Jamaica Bay could disappear by 2012, 5 years earlier than previous estimates. A new study out today cites two likely culprits are nitrogen pollution from the city's sewage treatment plants and a decline in sediment reaching the base of the ...

New York, NY —

People who use elevators to access public transportation can now check whether those elevators are in service on a new MTA Web site. Michael Harris, Executive Director of the Disabled Riders Coalition, says the new website is clearer and more efficient than the old hotline.

HARRIS: ...

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While most of the area around last month's steam pipe explosion has reopened, some businesses still remain closed. Steve Mandel is a divorce lawyer and tenant of 370 Lexington Avenue, his building was heavily damaged by the blast.

MANDEL: My personal office is covered under 4 inches of ...

New York, NY —

New York City Transit says flawed safety procedures and a lax organizational culture are to blame for the deaths of two subway workers in April.

REPORTER: A report from the Transit Authority details the safety failures that led deaths of 41-year-old Daniel Boggs and 55-year-old Marvin ...