2011 Year in Review: Editors' Picks

WNYC editors have had the trying task of selecting 10 of our favorite stories from 2011. In a year marked by political scandals, government upheavals and daily news bombshells, we present some of our most compelling, impact-driven and imaginative coverage. Weigh in on your favorites in our survey below.

Alleged Illegal Searches by NYPD May Be Increasing Marijuana Arrests

Police arrest 140 people every day in New York City for possessing small amounts of marijuana. It's now by far the most common misdemeanor charge in the city, and thousands of these arrests take place when police stop-and-frisk young men in the poorest neighborhoods. While police say these stop-and-frisks are a way to find guns, what they find more often is a bag of marijuana.

Inside the New Times Square: A Look at Prostitution on Roosevelt Avenue in Queens

For decades, prostitution has plagued the neighborhoods of Jackson Heights and Corona in western Queens – with some authorities dubbing the area the new Times Square.

How I (Easily) Hacked Into Voice Mail

First, I hacked my own voice mail. Then, when colleagues came around to see, several volunteered their phones, too. With a few clicks of a mouse, we accessed our mobile phone voice mails from a desktop computer. No password needed. No cellphone needed. It was surprisingly easy. The alleged phone hacking at the heart of the scandal at the now-defunct News of the World tabloid can be performed here in the U.S. — and easily.

Watching (and Tweeting) Andy Warhol's 'Empire' 

Boring. Unwatchable. Eight. Hours. Long. The critics haven't always been kind to Andy Warhol's "Empire," his epically long 1964 film of the famed Manhattan skyscraper at night. But the fact is that for all of the talk that this legendary piece of art cinema has generated, it is rarely screened—much less watched—in its entirety. Which is where WNYC comes in...

Trump’s Business Troubles and Triumphs: Will They Matter? 

 

Before Donald Trump's visit to Boca Raton last weekend stoked the enthusiasm of his Tea Party fans, the Sunshine State was already a power center in the Trump universe. Florida's home to Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club, Trump Grande, and Trump Hollywood, so it’s not surprising that it figures into Trump's pre-campaign campaigning.

Inside the Mind of a Murderer: Hunting the Suspected Long Island Serial Killer

Police continued to scour a barrier island near Oak Beach, Long Island, just 45 miles east of New York City this week following the grisly discovery of eight bodies — four of whom were prostitutes. Details of the slayings are sparse, but experts painted a vivid picture of the mind likely behind the slayings based on the past behavior of cold-blooded killers.

Newt on Nation Building, In His Own Words 

“Unlike Obama,” Newt Gingrich likes to say on the campaign trail, “I actually studied American history.” Gingrich plays up his mastery of the history of this country on the stump, and American history is the subject of nearly all the twenty-five books he’s written or co-authored. But his graduate dissertation has nothing to do with the nation’s founding or the Civil War. “Education Policy in the Belgian Congo, 1945-1960” is the title of his 304-page dissertation, completed in 1971.

Fixing 911: Years Overdue, Hundreds of Millions Above Estimate 

Even before Mayor Michael Bloomberg was elected there were concerns about the city's antiquated 911 call system, and after the September 11 attack, there was a consensus the city's 911 emergency call system needed a major upgrade. At the 911 Commission hearing in New York, member Richard Ben-Veniste addressed former Mayor Rudy Giuliani about the commission's findings.

For Fashion Week, a Primer on the Secretive Group That Predicts Color Trends 

Designers are poised to showcase their latest trend-setting styles on the runway starting Thursday at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. But who comes up with the color trends that are evident on the catwalk? It turns out a single New Jersey company has a hand in the color of roughly half of all garments sold in the U.S., according to NPD, a market research group.

Pet Portraitist Paints Oodles of Poodles & Mugs of Pugs 

In the tradition of peripatetic portraitists, Mimi Vang Olsen travels far and wide to meet her subjects in person. The diminutive artist travels light, with an aging digital camera, and a small notebook. Vang Olsen, 73, has infinite patience for her subjects, who often have great difficulty sitting still. And in the digital age of Photoshop and digital postproduction, she paints in subdued hues – but she defies you to call her work kitsch. Vang Olsen is a pet portraitist.

Authorities Make Strides Against MS-13, Long Island's 'Baddest' Gang