WNYC News

Composting has been the law of the land in New York City since October, when new regulations began to require every resident across the five boroughs to separate their organic waste and food scraps from their regular trash.

But there’s a problem: Only a small fraction of New Yorkers are complying with the rule. Public data shows less than 5% of the city’s household organic waste is currently being diverted from landfills.

It's the Politics Brief from WNYC. This week, Brigid Bergin and Jon Campbell break down the latest from the New York City mayor's race, the Albany budget process, and more.

City and state officials say wildfires are becoming more frequent in New York City and New Jersey as dry conditions in the Northeast continue. Just last Sunday, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service says firefighters contained a wildfire in a state park that grew to about 2,300 acres.  

What does this all mean for firefighters' mental health?

Friends of Firefighters is an organization that offers free mental health counseling services to active and retired FDNY firefighters and their family members. The founder of Friends of Firefighters, Nancy Carbone, a counselor at Friends of Firefighters Kia Carbone and current FDNY firefighter and member of the Uniformed Firefighters Association, Michael Schreiber, all talked with WNYC's Sean Carlson more about firefighters' mental health.

March is National Women's History Month. To mark it we are profiling several local musicians and their journey through the music industry. Today we hear from Amani Adelekan, artist name Amani Lillian, a 21-year-old artist from Staten Island. We talked with Adelekan in collaboration with Women in Music New York.

The following transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.

Music to me started as a feeling that I couldn't really describe, but I just knew it was something that belonged to me in a way like I understood it. I could hear elements within it that was like so rich and so exciting, especially as a kid. Now being able to create forms of music that I loved growing up, create that effect for someone else means that much more to me.

I think my music encapsulates a lot of different genres. More at the forefront, pop and r&b, but I love to include jazz, country, even some rock in there to really add some dynamic elements, whether it's through the production or the lyrics-storytelling aspect. 2024, was my first year really releasing music as an independent artist and the independent part, it's definitely challenging. You are admin, you're doing marketing, you're scheduling your own sessions. But on the other hand, knowing all sides of it right from the jump is also very valuable, and ends up being helpful. But in the moment, it definitely is not fun. 

Entering the music industry is already hard enough no matter who you are, but especially as a black woman, I think it takes a lot of self-motivation reminding yourself that you're good at what you do, but also that you belong in a place where sometimes you are told you don't belong. That's why it's seeing representation is so important. I mean, it was important for me when I was growing up watching Disney Channel at the time, like A.N.T. Farm, and seeing the main character was a black girl that loved to write music and had her guitar. That really inspired me to be like, "oh, I wanna do that."

I would love to continue in my career with the mindset of inspiring other young black women to be in whatever genre they wanna be in and to not be in a box of any kind. Like with the types of music you're making, whoever you are, and whatever your identity is, just be truly you no matter what.

As mayoral candidates respond to the exodus of families with children from New York City – one of several symptoms of a citywide cost-of-living crisis – expanding access to child care has emerged as a consensus issue in the Democratic primary. But only state Sen. Zellnor Myrie is pushing for universal after-school, a sweeping plan that some experts say may be tricky to implement due to its projected cost and scale.

While Myrie isn’t considered a mayoral frontrunner — he’s polling in the low single digits, and his middle-of-the-pack fundraising has slowed in momentum — he’s among a group of insurgent candidates to Mayor Eric Adams’ left that voters might include on their five-person, ranked-choice ballots to ward off the current mayor and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is leading voter polls. Myrie is emphasizing after-school with an urgency similar to how former Mayor Bill de Blasio stressed the need to expand pre-K, hoping that like de Blasio, he’ll be able to break out with a signature issue that taps into parents’ needs.

A recent change in state law allows 16 and 17-year-old in Newark to vote in their local school board election. 

Zuri McCune is a senior at the Science Park High School and the Student Representative on the Newark Board of Education, and Ryan Haygood is President and CEO of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice which spearheaded the Vote16 campaign. They joined WNYC host Michael Hill to discuss how teens may have the numbers to sway the election.  

Residents must be registered to vote by March 25th. Election day is April 15th.

New York is a city of renters... and when you're a renter, it can sometimes be hard to know what you should fix yourself, and when you should call in the super. What is a person supposed to do when the garbage disposal stops working? What's the safest way to install a window air condition unit? Why in the world do heaters make crazy clanging noises in the wintertime?

WNYC's Morning Edition wants to give you the answers to those questions through a new segment called "Ask a Super" -- your key to making city living work for you.  

Ron Pioquinto is a working building super in Long Island City. This month, he joined WNYC's Michael Hill to talk about exactly what a building super does, and some of the most common quirks he sees in the early spring. 

Next time we hear from Ron, we also want to hear from you! Send us questions for a building super – especially if they have to do with the problems that pop up around spring and summer in your apartment or house. We’re eager to hear your responses at [email protected]. 

Every year a new batch of songs, books and movies enter the public domain. And Simon Close stands ready to take advantage. He's a Producer for WNYC's All Of It, and for the third year in a row, he's running the Public Song Project. The show invites anyone to record their own musical adaptation of a work in the public domain and send it in. Simon joins Weekend Edition host David Furst for an update on this year's submissions.

To send in a recording of your own, just check out the rules on the 2025 Public Song Project page. 

March is Women's History Month. And the New York Hall of Science has a new exhibit celebrating America's female astronauts.

'Imaging Women in the Space Age,' not only focuses on their achievements, but also considers the imagery and impact of movies, television, fashion and design. Curator Dr. Julie Wosk joins Weekend Edition host David Furst for a preview. Dr. Wosk is also the author of Women and the Machine, Representations from the Spinning Wheel to the Electronic Age and Artificial Women.

March is Women's History Month, and to mark it, we're profiling several local musicians and their journey through the music industry. Today we hear from Hayley Brooke, a 23 year old singer-songwriter based right here in Manhattan. We talked with Brooke in collaboration with Women in Music New York. You can find Brooke through Spotify, TikTok, and Instagram.

The following transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.

I didn't really get into singing and songwriting as much until late high school, but mostly college. So, that was the first time that I really connected with music. But I always loved singing and storytelling and did a lot of musical theater growing up. The reason I got into music largely was because of my own struggles with mental health, and I feel really grateful to have had that outlet, and to me, as an artist, I really want to be that older sister, almost like a music therapist.

Being a female artist today, I feel really empowered; more women's stories are being told. A lot of female artists have been in the spotlight, and a majority of the Grammy winners were female. Even songwriter of the year was a woman for the first time, and that's so exciting. But I do think there's still a lot left to be done, especially when it comes to songwriters, producers, and people behind the scenes; the industry is still very male-dominated.

Then also, a general challenge is the focus in the modern age on streaming and how many fans you have. It's hard because I didn't become a musician to be an influencer, but sometimes it feels like you have to be both in order to be successful as a musician in the modern day.  

And for a while, I felt like I was letting fear get in the way of my dreams and ambitions. I'm finally getting to the place where I'm like doing what I want, and engaging with audiences in new, authentic ways really helps. And also finding like-minded individuals going through the same journeys that you are. Being an artist is scary, and sometimes, I don't know what I'm doing or what I'm supposed to be doing, but that's okay.

Ultimately, it's really about engaging in what you do in a positive way that isn't just about the followers. Because at the end of the day, you have to love what you're doing to be willing to go through all the hardships.