WNYC News

Forest fire season is well underway all over the country and in our region. In New Jersey, wildfires on average damage about 7,000 acres in the state each year. Over the last 12 months, big blazes in both north and south Jersey have made headlines for putting large swaths of the Garden State at risk. 

Eric Weber has been a firefighter for more than 20 years. He's also an assistant division fire warden for the state Forest Fire service in its northern New Jersey region. He joined WNYC's Michael Hill to talk about the situation on the ground.  

Diabetes is one of the leading causes of illness and death nationally. And New York City isn’t any different. But it doesn’t equally impact all populations equally. 

The City Health Department says New Yorkers of color are twice as likely to have the disease as white New Yorkers. And city residents who live in high poverty neighborhoods are twice as likely to have diabetes as their wealthier counterparts. A new Diabetes prevention plan released by the health department this month seeks to address those inequalities.

Acting City Health Commissioner Dr. Michelle Morse talked with WNYC's Sean Carlson more about the plan.

It's day three of the NJ Transit rail strike. The union representing locomotive engineers and agency officials were back at the bargaining table on Saturday, May 18. They will resume negotiations again today.

WNYC's Ramsey Khalifeh has been covering the strike since it went into effect at midnight on Friday. Speaking with Weekend Edition host David Furst, Ramsey brings us the latest on negotiations.

A new 95-bed shelter for families with children opened last month thanks to a city tool that helps nonprofits own the shelters they manage.

New York City officials said the model will help shelter providers develop their own buildings instead of relying on private landlords for space, as they've done for decades. And those buildings will be more pleasant and welcoming.

Last month, Win, the largest operator of shelters for families with children, opened its newest facility in the Bronx. The bright, apartment-style units are equipped with stainless steel refrigerators, recess lighting, a laundry room and day care on the first floor.

Win CEO Christine Quinn said the new shelter is nicer because it’s developed and owned by the same people who will run it.

“We should be developers and owners of shelters because we do it better,” Quinn said of nonprofit providers.

“ We do it better from the perspective of building buildings that are actually designed to reduce trauma," she said. "And to provide the services comprehensively that our clients need so they can move out of shelter and never return.”

Antisemitism and Israel's ongoing attacks on Gaza will remain at the center of the mayoral race as the primary approaches. Andrew Cuomo, who is the front-runner according to polls, and Mayor Eric Adams are staunch defenders of Israel who are vying for Orthodox and conservative Jewish voters — a key voting bloc for any citywide candidate. On the other end of the spectrum, Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, maintains that Israel is committing genocide and called for a permanent ceasefire. Between them, the self-described liberal Zionist Brad Lander is forcefully pushing back against opponents in the race who he says are weaponizing Jewish voters’ concerns about a spike in antisemitic hate crimes and instances of bigotry at widespread campus protests.

The new phone ban in New York schools that will dramatically change classroom dynamics comes with several exemptions. 

In this area, used needles are easy to come by. Zyre Howard, who’s staying at a nearby homeless shelter, turned in 55 during a “buy back” Monday and got $10, the maximum amount one can earn per day at one of the locations where the van stops. It's a circumstance that hits some neighborhoods harder than others. Read the full story here.

What do an organic farmer from upstate New York, a social worker from the South Bronx, a liberal nutritionist from Ithaca and a Republican sausage-maker in Otsego County have in common?

They all support a state bill that marries blue-state regulatory muscle with “Make America Healthy Again,” the Robert F. Kennedy Jr.-led movement that mixes a preference for natural foods with debunked theories about the dangers of modern medicine. The bill focuses on the former: If enacted, it would ban certain food dyes and force companies that sell packaged foods to disclose more information on additives in their products.

The legislation concerns a food industry standard known as GRAS, or “generally recognized as safe.” Companies have expanded the designation over time, leading to less regulation of ingredients.

There's a bar in Manhattan at the center of an investigation into Mayor Adams' former top aide, Ingrid Lewis-Martin. In Albany, state senators are discussing prison policy in the wake of the killings of multiple incarcerated people and a three-week wildcat strike. Plus: The latest polling numbers in the New York City mayoral race -- and what to make of them. It's the Politics Brief from WNYC.

Newark Liberty Airport continues to struggle, as runway shortages and ground stop programs combine with equipment troubles and air traffic controller shortages.  

A report this week from the New York Times found that as few as three air traffic controllers were working Monday, eleven fewer than the target number of 14 set by the Federal Aviation Administration and the air traffic controllers union.  

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says the agency will reduce air traffic at the airport while they try to address safety concerns.  

Michael McCormick has worked as a director of terminal operations, a manager at one of the air traffic control centers, and an air traffic controller. He joined WNYC's Morning Edition host Michael Hill to talk through the situation.