WNYC Podcasts

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After requiring New York City public hospital workers get vaccinated against COVID-19, Mayor de Blasio is asking private employers, including private hospitals, to create some type of vaccine mandate.Door WNYC Radio

New York City will be rolling out pop-up vaccination sites at public schools participating in Summer Rising, the newly expanded summer school program, beginning on Monday. The new sites will be open to students, staff, parents and neighbors. Children are required to have verbal consent from a parent or guardian, either in-person or over the phone, …

In a partial victory for the city, a New York judge ruled today that Mayor Bill de Blasio, former police commissioners William Bratton, James O’Neill and Dermot Shea, and other senior city officials will not be required to take the stand in a judicial inquiry into Garner’s 2014 chokehold death on Staten Island. Read the story on Gothamist.com…

Earlier this month, Chaya Sury Gold lay in a narrow bunk bed, surrounded by concerned friends at Rav Tov, a popular Orthodox Jewish sleepaway camp at the foot of the Catskill Mountains. The 13-year-old girl, fellow campers would later tell their parents, struggled to catch her breath as she complained of worsening chest pains. A few days later, Gol…

Culture is re-opening across New York, and many people are already filling their calendars for late summer and early fall. But a new, multimedia work at Lincoln Center that incorporates sculpture, a soundscape, and dance, is inviting people to reflect on what it’s been like to live in the city during the pandemic. WNYC’s Jennifer Vanasco has more.…

Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez may not have been on the ballot this year but she was working as hard as ever, backing almost a dozen candidates in the primary election. WNYC’s Gwynne Hogan reports that, at 68, the congresswoman’s keeping at least one eye on her legacy. Read the full story on Gothamist.com.…

Earlier this week, New York City recorded its worst air quality in nearly three years as wildfires raged out West and in Canada (and continue to do so). A thick haze covered the city’s skyline as smoke from the climate-fueled fires coated the country, traveling thousands of miles to the East Coast. But wildfire haze differs from tailpipe emissions …

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed a package of laws on Thursday he says will keep residents safe from lead poisoning. Water systems have six months to inventory all their lead service lines and 10 years to replace them with safer plumbing. The measures comes years after Newark's lead water crisis forced the city to temporarily distribute bottled w…

Earlier this year, New York State legalized possession of up to three ounces for those who are 21 and older. A spokesman for the Port Authority, which operates JFK and LaGuardia Airports, said the agency enforces state laws, so it no longer issues tickets, confiscates marijuana or arrests New Yorkers who possess and transport up to three ounces of …

WNYC's Michael Hill and Brigid Bergin discuss the latest in the debate over ranked-choice voting.Door WNYC Radio

New York City’s flood maps haven’t been updated in 14 years, potentially putting tens of thousands more New Yorkers in harm’s way and leaving them without a means of paying for damage if a storm should hit. That’s according to researchers at The New School, who tracked new construction and population changes in six flood-prone neighborhoods between…

WNYC’s Stephen Nessen joined the volunteers this week, as a participant to see the challenges of handing out free masks up close.Door WNYC Radio

In an effort to boost home ownership among its predominantly Black and Latino residents, Newark officials are deploying a little-used federal program that redirects housing subsidies toward mortgages instead of rent payments. On Wednesday, city officials closed on three new homes for low-income families, celebrating in front a newly renovated house…

Long summer evenings are made for exploring the city. WNYC’s Amy Pearl recently discovered something exciting, exotic and free: kayaking on the East River.Door WNYC Radio

Across Manhattan, office buildings are still suffering from a glut of available space more than a year after the pandemic sent workers home and shut down most leasing activity. For more, go to Gothamist.com.Door WNYC Radio

New York City launched an ambitious new version of summer school this month, and officials hope the program could radically change how kids spend their summers -- if they can pull it off.Door WNYC Radio

The State Assembly is taking a closer look at ranked-choice voting. WNYC's Brigid Bergin reports one expert offered a simple recommendation to improve the city's use of the system.Door WNYC Radio

Audrey Truschke is a historian of South Asia at Rutgers University and a vocal critic of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist government. Her scholarship and her politics have won her tens of thousands of followers online, but also, a barrage of violent threats like this: ‘Mind your own business u bitch I m Hindu I am kindl…

Allegations of sexual assault by Harvey Weinstein touched off a national reckoning four years ago, and led to more scrutiny of how New York City prosecutors handle rape cases. Since the #MeToo movement, more victims have come forward to report sexual assault to the police. But a new analysis by the New York Times shows that local prosecutors have c…

The Chair of the MTA’s Finance committee and close adviser to Governor Cuomo, Larry Schwartz, says he doesn't want any fare hikes this year. The agency postponed the biannual fare increase at the beginning of the year, citing the ongoing hardship from the pandemic. With subway ridership still less than half of what it was compared to 2019, he says …

Two days after they commemorated the death of Eric Garner, who died seven years ago, his family members were back in court to press for witnesses and documents in a historic judicial inquiry into his death. The family, including Garner’s mother, Gwen Carr, is still hoping to hold the city accountable in his death. This latest legal battle is part o…

Since the Pfizer vaccine was authorized for everyone 12 and older in May, the New York City Health Department has been working on getting shots into kids’ arms. The Department says it has sought to provide doses to pediatricians’ offices and has encouraged doctors to discuss the shot while conducting back-to-school check-ups. So far, more than 200,…

New Jersey's Supreme Court has overturned the 2017 murder conviction of a Black man from Newark, after finding that the state may have relied on implicit bias when prosecutors removed a prospective juror. The case could reshape how juries are selected in the state. WNYC's Morning Edition host Michael Hill spoke with Rachel Godsil, the co-founder an…

The probe into misconduct allegations against New York Governor Andrew Cuomo may be coming to a close. The governor was interviewed by investigators from the state attorney general's office over the weekend, according to multiple reports. Several women have accused the governor of inappropriate behavior and unwanted touching. Cuomo has apologized b…

The first joint appearance between Governor Andrew Cuomo and the Democratic mayoral nominee Eric Adams was billed as a talk about gun violence but it instead began with a shared grievance: both politicians complained that they are described as moderates when they feel that they are in fact progressive. “We are progressive Democrats,” Cuomo declared…

The MTA is moving forward with plans to extend the Second Avenue subway line into East Harlem with three new stops. This week the agency will ask the board to approve a second round of land acquisition for dozens of properties in the tunnel’s path. The nearly $7 billion project would extend the subway line from 96th Street to 125th Street on the ea…