WNYC News

The founder of Success Academy, New York City’s largest network of charter schools, admonished several hundred employees this week during an “emergency meeting” for failing to lobby elected officials in sufficient numbers ahead of a march over the Brooklyn Bridge on Thursday.

The latest on the Democratic party's ongoing upheaval over Zohran Mamdani, as well insight into the frontrunner's relationship with Comptroller Brad Lander. That and more in this week's Politics Brief roundup. 

Residents say a flurry of shootings in Canarsie during the pandemic only underscored the need for a community center with activities for young people.

Last month, Passaic County, New Jersey had at least three water main breaks. One early in the month affected about 200,000 people and left customers without water for six days. A long boil water advisory followed. 

Just this week in the Hudson County city, Hoboken, customers suffered through their third water main break in two weeks, also triggering a boil advisory for part of the city and leaving local officials spearheading water distribution efforts.

Former Rutgers University Professor Daniel Van Abs — an expert on water resource management — joined WNYC's Michael Hill to talk about what causes these water main breaks and what solutions lie ahead for officials looking to fix the problem. 

Call it Critical Mass for kids going to school.

Every Wednesday for the last three school years, a caravan of about a dozen cyclists in green vests helps kids ride in the bike lane on Bergen Street from East New York to Downtown Brooklyn. The adults provide a safeguard between vehicles and the kids in the bike lane, who are headed to school in the vicinity of the roughly 4-mile route.

“It's even dangerous sometimes for adults on bikes. A lot of aggressive driving and to have a kind of a buffer of bikers around the kids is really nice and helps them feel like they're safe,” volunteer Alex Goulet, 37, said as he prepared for the inaugural ride of the new school year’s Bergen bike bus.

He added, “You see the look on their faces. It's just pure joy riding the bikes to school.”

Last fall, New York City was awash in sea foam green when the New York Liberty secured their first ever WNBA championship and a victory parade down the Canyon of Heroes in Manhattan.

The team’s quest to repeat begins on Sunday. The Liberty will be in Phoenix to start their first round playoff series against the Mercury. Sports reporter Priya Desai joins Weekend Edition host David Furst to discuss the team's chances to keep the title in Brooklyn.

Fall is typically the season for lots of new visual arts shows. And this year is no different, with New York City's museums and galleries preparing for a busy fall and winter season. WNYC's Ryan Kailath joins Weekend Edition host David Furst for a preview.

New York City has a serious affordable housing shortage, but thousands of low-cost units are sitting empty. It's called warehousing and it gets people's blood boiling.

In 2023, Mayor Adams stepped in with a solution: The city would pay property owners up to $25,000 to put the rent-stabilized apartments back on the market.

But two and a half years later, no one has taken the offer. Now the city is doubling the payment amount.

WNYC housing reporter David Brand joins Weekend Edition host David Furst to discuss why landlords are passing on the free cash.

Some New Yorkers say new federal restrictions on the COVID-19 vaccine have sowed confusion about who can get the vaccine. A new executive order from Governor Hochul permits pharmacies to broadly administer COVID vaccines, but that hasn’t answered all the questions.  

New York State Health Commissioner James McDonald talked with WNYC's Sean Carlson to help clear the air.

About 300,000 commuters could have their commutes upended as early as next week if workers follow through on their threat to go on strike.