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When you think about ice skating in New York, one image probably comes to mind. The Rink at Rockefeller Center. But New Yorkers have lots of great options - and some of them have much lower prices and fewer crowds. Gothamist photographer, Scott Lynch joins WNYC's David Furst for a roundup of the best places for outdoor skating in New York City.…

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It's the day before Thanksgiving, and families are getting together — some for the first time since the pandemic began. But COVID is on the rise in parts of the state. We talk to New York Governor Kathy Hochul about COVID, why she isn't requiring vaccines for MTA workers, and other news.โดย WNYC Radio

COVID-19 has a knack for rebounding just as life starts to reopen a bit more in New York City. This fall, many businesses began hybrid operations — with a mix of office time and work-from-home schedules. International travelers are flooding back into the boroughs — a potential boon for the hard-hit hospitality industry. And holiday travel has almos…

Fall is a great time to plant a tree, because the cool weather and plenty of rain give it a chance to establish roots. WNYC’s Amy Pearl went to visit one special tree, part of Prospect Park's commemorative tree program.โดย WNYC Radio

Governor Kathy Hochul says she hopes construction of the next phase of the Second Avenue Subway could get under way next year. A concrete shell of what will be the new subway tunnel already exists below Second Avenue in East Harlem. It's a remnant of an earlier attempt at the long-in-the-making project from the 1970s. The MTA hopes to use the shell…

More than 1,600 people have been incarcerated in city jails awaiting trial for more than a year.โดย WNYC Radio

Steven Banks, the city's social services commissioner who led the de Blasio Administration's effort to reduce homelessness, will step down at the end of the year, ending a mixed eight-year tenure that drew criticism from both homeless advocates and those opposed to the city's shelter expansion plan. A former Legal Aid lawyer, Banks plans to join th…

City officials say they're on pace to close Rikers Island by 2027. Testifying at a city council hearing on Monday, officials said the demolition contracts will be awarded by the end of this year for the locations of the new borough-based jails that will replace Rikers. They described a smaller jail system with nearly 2,000 fewer detainees than Rike…

The New York State Assembly's Judiciary Committee has released a report into former Governor Andrew Cuomo’s conduct in office. It finds Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women, in line with findings from Attorney General Letitia James' report into Cuomo. But this investigation goes beyond that and looks at Cuomo's handling of nursing home data and t…

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will be mostly back to normal this year. Everyone is welcome along the 2.5 mile parade route — as long as you're wearing a mask. And if you want to attend the Wednesday afternoon balloon inflation, you'll need to show proof of vaccination. Gothamist photographer Scott Lynch has been covering the event for years, a…

In theory, being the general manager of a Major League Baseball team in the biggest market in the U.S. should be one of the most prized gigs in the world of sports. But that's apparently not the case for the New York Mets. Earlier this month, Sports Illustrated reported that 12 candidates approached by the team for the gig turned them down. New Yor…

COVID-19 spread quickly in prisons around the country, including in New Jersey which had one of the highest death rates in the U.S. In response, Gov. Phil Murphy signed a law last October that reduced the prison population by 40%. People within a year of their scheduled release could get out up to eight months early. One former prisoner said he's w…

The New York City public schools that rely solely on open windows and portable air purifiers have seen 23% more COVID-19 cases per students and a 29% increase in staff case rates when compared to buildings with stronger ventilation, such as HVAC systems, according to a new WNYC/Gothamist investigation. The findings raise new concerns about the adeq…

This year, the NYPD has recovered at least 200 “ghost guns,” firearms that lack any serial numbers and are assembled from component parts, usually ordered online.โดย WNYC Radio

After two failed attempts, New York state’s ethics commission voted 12 to one Tuesday to revoke the permission it granted former Governor Andrew Cuomo to write the controversial memoir that earned him a payout of $5.1 million and is now the subject of multiple investigations. The revocation could mean Cuomo might have to forfeit some of the profits…

Mayor Bill de Blasio says COVID-19 vaccine sites are returning to public schools this week, following high demand from parents and young children. The clinics will begin offering second doses over a 10-day period starting November 30th. Children who have not been vaccinated yet are welcome to get their first shots then too. Inoculations will also b…

With summer's flowers long past, and the last leaves still straggling down, a lot of energy is going right now to lawn care. But before you blow those leaves and plant your ornamental cabbages, some naturalists are asking people to consider other, more environmentally friendly options. Doctor Regina Alverez is an Assistant Professor of Biology at D…

The MTA will not move forward with a planned fare hike next spring. And it won’t be cutting service over the next few years. Governor Kathy Hochul says that's thanks to President Biden’s infrastructure bill. That pot of money is supposed to be used on big projects—like new subway signals, station elevators, and the next phase of the 2nd Avenue Subw…

Fordham Law professor Zephyr Teachout is making another run for state attorney general. WNYC's Brigid Bergin reports. For more, go to Gothamist.com.โดย WNYC Radio

As the timeworn adage goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. In the case of political images, they are an exercise in stagecraft. Similar to former Mayor David Dinkins’s “gorgeous mosaic” metaphor, Eric Adams's team assembled an array of races, ethnicities, and religions around the new mayor-elect. Not everyone who is a part of Adams’s inner ci…

WNYC's Brigid Bergin joins Morning Edition's Michael Hill to talk about a new report pushing election reform.โดย WNYC Radio

Comedians have been performing at more than 100 venues around the city during the New York Comedy Festival, including Carnegie Hall, Carolines on Broadway and the Apollo Theater. It's a huge change from last year, when everything was still virtual. Michelle Buteau is performing Saturday night at Town Hall. She has starred in comedy specials, hosted…

New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney conceded this week after losing in the general election to barely-known Republican challenger, Edward Durr. The shocking loss has attracted national attention and signals major change for the state. During his concession speech, the powerful south Jersey Democrat blamed a "red wave" for his defeat. But WNYC…

More than 750,000 marijuana convictions are now being expunged in New York and New Jersey, wiped out as if the arrests never happened. Also wiped out? Barriers that those arrests presented to jobs, education, even custody of children, particularly for Black people who faced disproportionate police enforcement during marijuana prohibition. “No one s…

In September, the panel tasked with redrawing New York's congressional and legislative districts failed to agree over how the lines should be drawn for the next decade. So they took the extraordinary step of releasing two maps to the public. Public hearings on the maps began this week in the Bronx. Gothamist editor David Cruz spoke with WNYC's Sean…