WNYC News

The World Cup is coming to New Jersey this summer and fans are excited for games that will include the final on July 19. But before any goals are scored, there are lots of planning issues facing the region. 

Michael Sol Warren covers New Jersey for WNYC. Speaking with Weekend Edition host David Furst, he breaks down the many things we need to be prepared for. 

The latest on the long-running feud between the national railroad and the behemoth MTA leads this week's On The Way roundup of transit news. 

There's some fun foraged plants to discover at the farmers markets, including stinging nettles, lamb's quarters, and dandelion greens. 

Amelia Tarpey is the Program and Publicity Manger for GrowNYC Greenmarkets. She said nettles do have stingers, so they need to be boiled or dried out to remove them. You can easily make a delicious and nourishing tea with nettles to drink hot or to keep in the fridge for iced tea. Dandelion greens can be eaten raw in salads, and lamb's quarters, or wild spinach, can be used to make a kind of creamed spinach. Don't forget to ask your local farmer what else they're foraging this time of year. 

Right now at Greenmarkets, most wild greens are going for $4 to $6 a bunch. 

It's finally over. The New York Mets snapped a 12-game losing streak in Queens on April 23 against the Minnesota Twins. The game — which was superstar Juan Soto's first time back lineup since earlier in the month — had fans crossing their fingers until the very end. 

The losing streak was not the longest in Mets history, but it got pretty close. But author Devin Gordon sees losing as a fundamental part of the team's way of life.

Devin Gordon wrote "So Many Ways to Lose: The Amazin’ True Story of the New York Mets—the Best Worst Team in Sports." He joined WNYC's Michael Hill to talk about the end of the losing streak. 

Spring alliums, like young garlic and onion, are popping up at farmer's markets and are much milder and sweeter than their more mature selves. Ramps are another favorite for frequent market-goers but are a little less known to the rest of us. Amelia Tarpey is the Program and Publicity Manger for GrowNYC Greenmarkets. She said get out there soon because spring allium season is fleeting.

Right now at Greenmarkets, spring onion and garlic range from $3 to $5 a bunch. Ramps are going for about $7 a bunch.  

For the uninitiated, peptides are short chains of amino acids that naturally occur in the human body, helping to regulate the metabolism and other bodily functions. In recent years, a vast gray market has sprung up around a host of other synthetic peptides that are being touted for purposes such as bodybuilding, anti-aging and tanning, even though they have yet to be approved by the FDA. Read the full story here. 

The arrest of a City Councilmember leads this week's Politics Brief roundup. 

Roosevelt Island residents are demanding answers about why the city is demolishing a decommissioned steam plant on an emergency basis.

We’ve been checking in with new leaders of the Mamdani administration. Today's focus is on the Department of Environmental Protection. The DEP helps bring clean drinking water to New Yorkers, manages the sewer systems and protects air quality. 

New Environmental Protection commissioner Lisa Garcia joined WNYC's Sean Carlson to talk more about her priorities.

A few years ago, JPMorganChase asked a little-known agency in Rockland County to grant them $77 million in tax breaks to expand a data center in Orangeburg, near the New Jersey border. In exchange for the massive subsidy, the financial giant promised the project would create a single job. 

That's according to the good government group Reinvent Albany, which calls it the largest subsidy per job in history.

A public hearing was held on the proposal, but 'the public' did not come. Two weeks later, the project was approved.  

Colin Kinniburgh wrote about the issue for New York Focus. He joined WNYC's Morning Edition host Michael Hill to talk through how it all happened.