Hochul switches up the Second Avenue subway

WNYC News | Jan 16

Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul are aligned on policies like expanding free child care, but have so far proven to be miles apart on addressing homelessness in the city’s subways. 

During her “State of the State” speech Tuesday, Hochul announced plans to expand a state-run program called SCOUT, which deploys teams of behavioral nurses and police officers into subway stations, where they force homeless people into hospital care after a nurse determines they’re either at risk of harming themselves or others. The program currently has 10 teams, which Hochul wants to grow to 15.

During his campaign, Mamdani proposed removing police officers from homeless outreach in the subways and replacing them with “transit ambassadors” who offer “assistance with emergencies, directions, accessibility, and other transit information to riders on the platform."

WNYC is funded by sponsors and member donations

Top Stories

Malcolm Gladwell on “The American Way of Killing.” Plus, Grandmaster Flash on “Birth of a Culture”

The New Yorker staff writer believes that under-policing is at the root of our problem. Plus, the groundbreaking d.j. on the turntable innovations that led to hip-hop.
The New Yorker Radio Hour |

NYC's top watchdog launches probe into what mayors knew about post-9/11 air

The news comes just over a week after Mayor Zohran Mamdani released some 170,000 documents related to the air quality around Ground Zero following the attacks.
Gothamist |

Advice for Personal Money Management

Personal finance expert Amanda Holden, author of the book How To Be A Rich Old Lady
Please Advise: A Pop Up Show from WNYC |

Neil Patrick Harris Plays a Camp Director for Kids with Cancer

All Of It with Alison Stewart |
YOU ARE ONLINE