WNYC News

The New York City area is still grappling with the effects of the COVID pandemic, five years after it first shut down the city. While many are back at their jobs five days a week, some things haven't returned to what we once called normal. WNYC's Arun Venugopal joins Weekend Edition host David Furst us to talk about the ways our lives have been altered, sometimes in ways that might not be so obvious.

The St. John's University men's basketball program is having quite a year. They already claimed the Big East regular season conference title. They're undefeated at home this year. And they're currently ranked #6 in the nation. On Saturday, March 8 the team wraps up its regular season against Marquette in Milwaukee. And then it's on to the Big East tournament and of course the NCAA's annual March Madness. James Williams is a journalism student at St. John's and sports editor for the student paper, The Torch. He joins Weekend Edition host David Furst to talk about the team's resurgence.

Consumers aren't usually aware of the products that Saratoga County's Precision Valve & Automation make. But PVA builds machines that spray adhesives to hold together everything from electronics to aircraft -- mainly using Canadian steel. The company is one of many manufacturers worried about how President Donald Trump's tariffs could harm their business.

The latest on congestion pricing lead's this week's On The Way roundup of New York City transit news. Plus, a new plan to repair the BQE in Brooklyn Heights.

Cara Kennedy-Cuomo, 30, said she found a place and is now a “proud Brooklyn resident.” But she failed to mention a key detail about her apartment hunt: She’d recently moved out of a $8,242-a-month two-bedroom apartment in Midtown East now occupied by her dad, Andrew Cuomo.

Beth Jacob Ohev Sholom is the oldest Orthodox synagogue in Brooklyn and the only one in Williamsburg that isn’t Hasidic, according to long-time members. The congregation’s building stands on the dividing line between drastic gentrification to the north and an insular Hasidic Jewish community to the south. Until a few months ago, the synagogue followed Orthodox customs, like separating male and female worshippers, but not all of the practices observed at nearby Hasidic congregations. Unlike the many Hasidic synagogues in the neighborhood, the congregation has historically been known for welcoming different kinds of Jews to pray. Hundreds of worshippers used to pack into the Beth Jacob Ohev Sholom’s sanctuary on major holidays, Ruiz said. But as many of those congregants died or moved away in recent years, a small group of Hasidic Jews started to pray alongside the mostly non-Hasidic, long-time members. While the two groups co-existed in relative peace at first, in the last few years they have become estranged. Now, the mostly non-Hasidic long-timers and the Hasidic newcomers are suing each other for authority over the synagogue and its building. On Friday, a judge is expected to hear arguments in the case. But the legal dispute is likely to continue for months to come. The specifics of the strife range from petty arguments over hoarded water bottles on a hot day to profound disagreements about what it means to be a Jew. But the patterns at play in this case underscore broader questions about the fate of New York’s revered houses of worship, as religious membership dwindles and property values soar. At the center of the dispute is the congregation’s most valuable asset: its building. Each side is accusing the other of plotting to sell the property, raze the temple and construct condos in its wake.

Health officials say there are two confirmed cases of measles in New York City. This comes as outbreak of measles in Texas continues to grow, with more than 100 cases. New York State Health Commissioner Doctor James McDonald talked with WNYC's Sean Carlson about the current outbreak and current vaccination rates in New York.

Under the latest proposed regulations the state Office of Cannabis Management will consider exceptions to the distance rules based on factors such as consumer demand in the area and whether there’s an obstruction such as a highway between the two dispensaries in question. Read the full story here.

When Cinthia Almonte, better know as La Comelona, or, "the foodie," first moved to New York City from the Dominican Republic in 2016, she was looking for a way to fall in love with New York. So, she ate her way through it. Today, the Dominican native has made her mark in the city as one of its most prominent food influencers.

Evelyn Graham-Nyaasi knows what it’s like to be involuntarily committed for mental health treatment. “ I was locked up in the room where all these people were screaming and yelling,” she said. “There were no toilet seats, no doors, nothing. It was a horrible experience.” She's part of a group of advocates battling Gov. Kathy Hochul's plan to expand the state's standard for involuntary commitment. They say it would infringe on civil rights, while proponents argue it would boost public safety.

After all the buzz and the predictions about this year’s nominees, it will all be settled tonight. The 97th Academy Awards ceremony airs on ABC at 7pm on Sunday, March 2 with Conan O'Brien hosting. Alison Stewart is, of course, the host of All Of It on WNYC. But she's also an Oscars super-fan. She joins Weekend Edition host David Furst for a preview and a roundup of the New York and New Jersey nominees.

When it comes to star-gazing, March marks the transition from winter to spring night skies. The spring equinox is on March 20th, when we will have equal amounts of daytime and night hours. WNYC's Rosemary Misdary joins Weekend Edition host David Furst with some stargazing tips for March.

As we flip the calendar to March, the New York City mayor's race is coming into focus. This week, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams took steps towards entering the race. And voters and candidates are waiting to see if former governor Andrew Cuomo will throw his hat in the ring. WNYC's Michelle Bocanegra joins Weekend Edition host David Furst with the latest.

The New York Amsterdam News is one of the most influential Black newspapers in the city, and was one of only 50 Black newspapers in the country when it put out its first edition in 1909. Now the over a hundred year old paper is turning its newsroom in Harlem into a museum. Elinor Tatum, the publisher and editor in chief of the New York Amsterdam News, talked with WNYC's Sean Carlson more about it.

Nearly 200 years ago, Richard Riker — a powerful judge whose family the island is named after — was at the center of a network that included city officials, police officers and others who captured Black New Yorkers, purportedly fugitive enslaved people, and delivered them to Southern slave owners, according to historians. Mack was detained on Rikers Island in 1992 and 1993 and is now the co-founder and co-director of Freedom Agenda, which works with people affected by incarceration. On Feb. 14, he told the crowd that Adams’ proposal to bring U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents back to Rikers would put Black and Latino immigrants in enforcement agents' crosshairs and was on par with Richard Riker’s harmful actions. Read the full story here.

Working as an Uber, Lyft or taxi driver doesn’t come with many perks. But since the start of congestion pricing, those drivers do get one benefit: exemption from the tolls, regardless of whether they’re on the job or not.

The federal government wants congestion pricing in Manhattan disabled by March 21. But Gov. Kathy Hochul says drivers will continue to be tolled until a judge rules otherwise. That and more in this week's On The Way roundup of NYC transit news.

The Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act was sponsored by Councilmember Carlina Rivera of Manhattan. It opened a two-year "look back" window for survivors to report claims of assault, with no statute of limitations. Since the window was instated, some 540 New Yorkers have sued the city, alleging they were sexually abused by staff at city juvenile detention centers while they were held there as children. Councilmember Rivera joined WNYC Morning Edition host Michael Hill to talk about the Act, how to file a claim, and what comes next.

As campaign season gets underway in New York City, Gov. Kathy Hochul has to look for a new running mate for next year after Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado declared his independence. Catch up on these stories and more in our weekly politics brief.

The New Jersey attorney general’s office is out with new guidance for police when it comes to their interactions with Autistic people, and people with other communication disorders. New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin talked more about this initiative with WNYC's Sean Carlson.