WNYC News

Bronx, NY —

REPORTER: Students from the Bronx Community School for Social Justice have protested the removal of an after school coordinator. Karim Lopez was asked to take his internship program to another location after he invited the New York Civil Liberties Union to observe the random security scanning ...

New York, NY —

Legal immigrants in the US are choosing to become citizens at the highest rate since 1980, according to a study by the Pew Hispanic Center.

In New York, the study shows that more than 2/3s of those eligible have been naturalized, compared to just half 10 ...

New York, NY —

REPORTER: Wal-Mart says its CEO believed it wasn't worth trying to open a store in Manhattan, but he hasn't ruling out the rest of the city. A Wal-Mart spokesman says the discount superstore is still reviewing sites in the outer boroughs. Columbia Business School professor ...

New York, NY —

The Central Park Boathouse calls itself a "famous icon of New York City" but may now be known more for its shoddy accounting, then for its food or park views. According to an audit released yesterday, the Boathouse owes the city hundreds of thousand dollars ...

New York, NY —

A man accused of trying to discourage a witness from testifying before the grand jury investigating the shooting death of Sean Bell was arrested yesterday.

Authorities say Melvin Cordero was a supervisor for the cleaning service that employed the witness, whose identity has not been disclosed. ...

New York, NY —

REPORTER: Construction on the 2nd Avenue subway will break ground on April 12th, according to the MTA. The long-awaited subway will eventually carry passengers from 125th Street to the Financial District. MTA Chief Executive Elliot Sander says the project will pick up where the agency ...

New York, NY —

A carjacking led to a shooting on the Bronx Whitestone Bridge when the thief tried to run down a police officer.

Yesterday's incident unfolded after an SUV was stolen from a Queens car wash, according to Greg Lombardi, of the Bridge and Tunnel Police Association. The ...

New York, NY —

Governor Eliot Spitzer has proposed spending $36 million on legal services for the poor in his $120 billion budget. That's up $9 million from the current year's budget.

Still, legal advocates say more needs to be done. Anne Erickson, of the non-profit Empire Justice Center, says ...

New York, NY —

The field of 10 hopefuls jostling for a seat on the City Council today includes a former UN ambassador and 2 candidates who would make history as either the first Pakistani or Haitian council member.

Today's special election will fill 2 seats, one from Brooklyn and ...

New York, NY —

REPORTER: A week after the Valentines Day snowstorm, Jet Blue's nightmare seems to be coming to an end. The airline says it's rescheduled most of its canceled or delayed flights and will return to its regular schedule today. Jet Blue CEO David Neeleman said the ...

Brooklyn, NY —

Ice skaters in Brooklyn will be losing Wollman Rink, in Prospect Park, but are getting two new rinks in return and a year-round recreation building. The city and parks officials say they'll be landscaping over the old rink, as per the original park design.

REPORTER: One person ...

New Jersey —

Dozens of New Jersey's gay couples now have the same legal rights as married couples, though without the title. Yesterday, the state became the third in the nation to offer civil unions.

Some town halls opened despite the holiday, to give same sex couples the chance to ...

New York, NY —

REPORTER: Plans for gaming in the Catskills got a big boost when Governor Spitzer and the Saint Regis Mohawk tribe reached a deal for a casino at the Monticello Raceway. The tribe will abide by New York's tax, labor and health laws and give the ...

Brooklyn, NY —

Workers are expected to begin construction on the Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn today. Crews are planning to remove contamination from a bus depot before they demolish it.

The city and state approved the massive project, in spite of opposition from residents. It will include a Frank ...

New York, NY —

The nation's highest court will review New York State’s method of picking trial judges. The justices today agreed without comment to consider an appeal from state election officials and the Democratic and Republican parties.

Lower federal courts have ruled that the system violates the First Amendment ...

New York, NY —

Families that were forced to pay high phone rates to talk to loved ones in state prison can proceed with a lawsuit seeking refunds. The decision today from New York State’s highest court reverses two lower courts that ruled the lawsuit was not filed on ...

New York, NY —

Governor Spitzer is throwing his support behind a decades-old proposal for a casino in the Catskills.

Spitzer says the state will work with the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe to establish a casino at the Monticello Raceway that he says will produce "significant revenues" for the tribe, ...

New York, NY —

Thousands of people filled the streets of Chinatown yesterday to usher in the Year of the Pig. WNYC's Arun Venugopal was there.

REPORTER: After the fireworks and as the crowd thinned out, an Asian singing contest was held on a stage in Chatham Square. One of ...

Brooklyn, NY —

A crowded field of eight candidates is heading toward tomorrow's special election for an open city council seat in central Brooklyn.

The eight include contenders who trace Theri's heritage to Costa Rica, Jamaica, Haiti, Panama, and Pakistan. They are vying to replace Councilwoman Yvette Clarke, who was ...

New York, NY —

Jet Blue says it hopes to get back to full operations tomorrow, six days after a snow storm that has crippled the discount airline and has left its reputation in tatters.

Jet Blue has canceled almost a quarter of its flights today, in order to allow ...