WNYC News

Gov. Kathy Hochul, through her executive budget this week, pitched $50 million in state money to redesign the busy transit hub in Jamaica, Queens, which hasn’t seen an upgrade in more than 20 years.

The proposal came less than three months after the City Council approved a sweeping rezoning plan that clears the way for developers to build 12,000 new homes across 230 blocks in the area.

Gov. Hochul's budget proposal dominates this week's Politics Brief roundup. 

The Schools Chancellor is one of the highest profile appointments to any new administration and of interest to almost a million New York City public school kids and their parents and families.

The newest city schools chancellor Kamar Samuels sat with WNYC's Sean Carlson in studio to talk about what’s on his agenda and how his first few weeks have been.  

Sherrill, 54, takes the helm as the first Democratic woman to lead the state. She ran on promises to make the state more affordable and stand up to the president, though she didn’t mention Donald Trump by name during her speech.

From communities around the world to the streets of Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx, humanity's thousands of languages have followed the paths of their migrant speakers.  But as many of those languages grow increasingly endangered, linguists and language activists are racing to document their existence.

Linguist Ross Perlin co-directs the non-profit Endangered Language Alliance. He's also the author of the book "Language City: The Fight to Preserve Endangered Mother Tongues." 

Perlin is hosting a talk Wednesday afternoon with the New York City Department of Records and Information Services and the Municipal Archives. He spoke with WNYC's Morning Edition host Michael Hill. 

The MetroCard remains the hottest ticket in town for thousands of people who work at JFK Airport.

The MTA stopped selling the vinyl swipe cards at the start of the year, replacing them with its new digital tap-to-pay OMNY system. But the Port Authority, which runs the city’s airports, is still lagging behind. The trusty old MetroCard remains the only way for airport workers to score steep discounts on the pricey JFK AirTrain fare that would otherwise cost them $8.50 each way.

The MTA last month shut down its MetroCard vending machines at the Jamaica and Howard beach AirTrain stations. Now, a handful of newsstands at the Jamaica and Howard Beach stations are some of the only places where airport workers can buy 30-day MetroCards for the AirTrain, which cost $42.50, or 10-trip cards, which go for $26.50.

A Port Authority spokesperson said the agency does not yet have a plan to continue offering the discounts now that the MetroCards have gone the way of the dodo. If the agency doesn't find a solution, any of the 40,000 people who work at JFK will be forced to pay $17 a day just to ride the AirTrain to their job.

How do you get on stage at one of the most famous comedy clubs in New York? Can you walk right in and step up to the microphone?

That's basically how it works in the new movie, "Is This Thing On?" But if you don't happen to be Will Arnett, how do you get on stage at the Comedy Cellar in Greenwich Village?

Reporter Jamie McClellan wanted to find out. Speaking with Weekend Edition host David Furst, he breaks down how it works in real life.

It has been a week since nearly 15,000 nurses walked off the job at hospitals in Manhattan and the Bronx. According to union officials, it's the largest strike of its kind in New York history.

WNYC's Arun Venugopal says there's considerable evidence out there on how nurses strikes affect patients. He joins Weekend Edition host David Furst to discuss that history.

New Jersey gets a new governor this week. Mikie Sherrill will be sworn in on Tuesday, Jan. 20 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark. The inaugural ball will be held at the American Dream mega mall complex at the Meadowlands. 

WNYC's Mike Hayes joins Weekend Edition host David Furst to talk about the transition of power in the Garden State and the battle for Sherrill's vacated congressional seat. Hayes says the ball at the mall is another example of the governor-to-be leaning into Jersey culture to kick off her term.

The new term of the New York City Council has brought fresh leadership to the legislative body.

The council’s minority leader Councilmember David Carr heads the five-person Republican caucus. He joined WNYC's Sean Carlson to talk about what he’d like to see in 2026.