NYC NOW

The City Council has approved legislation requiring New York to publish detailed information on every supportive housing unit, after reports showed more than 5,000 of the city’s 40,000 units sat empty as recently as June. Meanwhile, the American Museum of Natural History will resume its popular children’s sleepovers in October for the first time since 2020. Plus, Prospect Park will host the Second United Lenape Nations Pow Wow this weekend, organized with the Eenda Lunaapeewahkiing Collective. Brent Stonefish, cofounder of the group, joins us to talk about the event and its celebration of Lenape life and culture.

The MTA is bracing for a possible Long Island Rail Road strike next week as five unions representing nearly half the workforce vote on whether to walk out. Meanwhile, the City Council has passed legislation requiring the city to track and report thousands of supportive housing units that remain vacant despite record demand in shelters. Also, Clifton Park resident Joseph Macken has gone viral after completing a 20-year project: a 50-by-30-foot scale model of New York City built from balsa wood and Styrofoam. Plus, in this week’s transportation segment, we break down what’s at stake in the LIRR contract talks and the state comptroller’s new audit of subway service.

Nadine Menendez, wife of former New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez, has been sentenced to 4.5 years in prison for colluding in her husband’s corruption schemes. Meanwhile, New York City is launching the Civic Corps, a new AmeriCorps-style program that pays residents to work in community service roles. Plus, WNYC checks in with high school students on how they’re coping after the first week of New York’s statewide cellphone ban. Finally, Federal agents arrested dozens of people at a food processing plant in Central New York last week. WNYC’s Jimmy Vielkind reports on how the raid became a critical moment in the immigration debate.

East Harlem leaders want to repurpose a long-forgotten rail station to link the incoming Second Avenue subway to the neighborhood’s Metro North stop. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has floated federal control of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, and WNYC’s Hannah Frishberg reports on how local officials and first responders are reacting. Plus, GrowNYC will host a free Fermentation Fest at the Union Square Greenmarket on Friday, with fermentation expert Sandor Katz and Norwich Meadows Farm co-owner Zaid Kurdieh joining us to preview the event.

This Thursday marks 24 years since the September 11th attacks, with Vice President JD Vance scheduled at the Memorial Plaza ceremony and President Trump attending services at the Pentagon before appearing at Yankee Stadium that night. Meanwhile, subway crime dropped to its lowest level in more than a decade this summer, with felony assaults down 21 percent from last year. Plus, the city Health Department will spray parts of Staten Island’s North Shore Thursday night to reduce mosquitos and combat the risk of West Nile virus.

The New Jersey Department of Health issued an executive order effectively allowing New Jerseyans six months or older to get a COVID shot. Plus, two million New Yorkers insured through Healthfirst could lose coverage this fall for a major hospital network. And finally, while hundreds spend hours in line for tickets to Shakespeare in the Park, they’re entertained by Garald Farnham playing the lute.

New York City voters will weigh in on housing this fall after the Board of Elections approved three ballot questions aimed at speeding up development. Meanwhile, FIFA has opened its ticket lottery for the 2026 World Cup, which includes eight matches at MetLife Stadium and the final. Plus, a new Siena poll shows Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani leading the mayor’s race, and Fordham professor Christina Greer joins us to discuss the opposition he faces.

The Port Authority says PATH service between Harrison and Journal Square will be suspended this weekend for repairs. Meanwhile, police are searching for Jamel McGriff, who is wanted in connection with the deaths of Frank and Maureen Olton in Queens after their Bellerose home was set on fire. Plus, Hoboken is under a boil water advisory after two water main breaks. Also, Greenpoint residents are raising concerns about odors from an asphalt recycling plant in Long Island City.

The United Nations is in town and will bring lots of traffic to Manhattan, as usual.. Plus, New York’s top court is weighing a change to local elections. Also, New York State Attorney General Letitia James is going toe to toe with the Texas attorney general to defend the Empire State's shield law for abortion providers. And finally, a Harlem man recently found out the apartment he’s been living in for more than 20 years was supposed to be rent stabilized.

Some two million New Yorkers could lose access to NewYork-Presbyterian hospitals and doctors starting in November. Meanwhile, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch is pushing back against President Trump’s threats to send National Guard troops to New York. Plus, a City Council study finds nearly half of businesses are violating a law requiring stores to close doors while air conditioning is on and to post signs about reporting violations.

Gov. Kathy Hochul still hasn’t made an endorsement in November's mayoral election, keeping with several other high ranking New York City Democrats. Plus, New York City is giving out 350,000 free Chromebooks with built-in internet access to public school students. Meanwhile, Fort Greene Park Conservancy is raising concerns about how a proposed 72-story tower on nearby Flatbush Avenue could affect the park. And finally, New York City Mayor Eric Adams has hired a Bronx elections lawyer to look over petition signatures supporting his run for reelection as an independent.

City Council leaders have asked the Board of Elections to block three proposed ballot questions that could speed up housing development while limiting Council power. Meanwhile, Governor Kathy Hochul must decide whether to sign a bill requiring two-person crews on subway trains, a move the Transport Workers Union says is critical for safety but the MTA warns could raise costs. Plus, New York City is struggling to keep enough ambulance workers on the streets, with union leaders warning that record turnover and stalled contract talks are driving longer waits for 911 emergency response. Vice president of the FDNY EMS officers union Anthony Almojera joins us to explain.

A Hudson County judge has barred the owners of three Hoboken luxury buildings from renting more high-priced units until they add affordable housing. Meanwhile, Governor Kathy Hochul is defending New York’s vaccine access and criticizing President Trump’s federal health policies, saying they are dividing families. Plus, residents of Rochdale Village in Queens are opposing a proposed fee hike of up to 57 percent, arguing years of mismanagement are putting their affordable housing at risk.

In this edition of Five Things, WNYC’s Janae Pierre and Brian Lehrer break down the mayor’s race after Jim Walden’s exit, including speculation that Mayor Eric Adams and Curtis Sliwa could be pushed aside to clear the field for Zohran Mamdani and Andrew Cuomo. They discuss the divisions within the Democratic Party, the fight for New Jersey’s governorship, the growing battles over vaccines, the rollout of New York’s school cellphone ban, and how the Mets and Yankees are shaping up for the playoffs.

Jersey City school officials are considering following the lead of their neighbors across Hudson and banning phones in schools. Plus, Gov. Kathy Hochul is declaring a health emergency to help New Yorkers get COVID vaccines. Also, we share what elected officials and other leaders in Brooklyn are saying in the days since six people were shot after the West Indian Day festivities. And finally, as summer comes to an end and farmstands switch produce, there's still plenty of cucumbers at farmstands across the city.