NYC NOW

New Yorkers receiving unemployment are now eligible for a weekly payment of up to $869, up from the previous max of nearly $500. Also, Saul Zabar, the longtime owner of the iconic Upper West Side gourmet Jewish food market, has died at the age of 97. And finally, the city’s largest landlord was hit with a $3.1 million penalty for illegally charging tenants for water.

New York City’s teachers union is expanding access to its childcare “matchmaker” website, now open to all families after launching last year for members only. Meanwhile, a new mural at St. Patrick’s Cathedral honors generations of immigrants as church leaders clash over rhetoric on immigration. And in New Jersey, Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli enter the final stretch of a close governor’s race, with urban turnout likely to play a key role. WNYC’s Mike Hayes reports.

Edwin Cruz Gomez, of Uniondale, Queens is charged with murder and attempted murder after prosecutors say he intentionally drove his SUV into a family, killing a sixteen year old girl. Meanwhile, Election Day is just a few weeks away and while voters will choose a new mayor in New York City and a governor in New Jersey, many will also be electing judges. But as WNYC's Samantha Max reports, it can be hard to find information about judicial candidates. Also, the Yankees live to play another day after rallying from a six to one deficit to beat the Toronto Blue Jays nine to six, forcing Game 4 tonight in the Bronx.

Bronx prosecutors have indicted ten people in a series of retaliatory shootings over Labor Day weekend that left four people dead. The NYPD blames drill rap for the retaliatory shootings. Meanwhile, older New Yorkers take their skills to the stage for New York City’s third annual “Talent is Timeless” showcase.

Police are investigating the death of child in Brooklyn as a homicide. Meanwhile, a new report from Councilmember Lincoln Restler’s office says government employees are the biggest offenders in Brooklyn’s illegal parking problem. Also, the Yankees face elimination Tuesday night in Game 3 of the ALDS against the Toronto Blue Jays. And with four weeks until Election Day in New York City, Democrat Zohran Mamdani maintains a wide lead over former Governor Andrew Cuomo, while Republican Curtis Sliwa trails.

MTA Chair Janno Lieber is accusing Amtrak of delaying a major rail expansion that would add four Metro North stations in the East Bronx and bring service to Penn Station for the first time. Meanwhile, police say a 60-year-old woman was killed after two men riding the same e-bike crashed into her near the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Also, the Rangers, Islanders, and Devils are all set to open their new hockey seasons this week.

U.S. Transportation secretary Sean Duffy is blaming Democrats in Congress for the federal government shutdown. Meanwhile, after Zohran Mamdani said he’d cut gifted programs for kindergartners, Andrew Cuomo said he’d expand them. And finally, New Jersey’s GOP candidate for governor, Jack Ciattarelli, has pledged to overturn a 50-year-old set of landmark court rulings that require each of the state’s municipalities to build affordable housing.

Governor Kathy Hochul has renewed an executive order allowing New York pharmacists to continue administering COVID-19 vaccines without a prescription. Meanwhile, Mayor Eric Adams is traveling to Albania Monday on what City Hall says is a trip to promote tourism and economic ties. Also, the Yankees are on the brink of elimination after dropping the first two games against the Toronto Blue Jays in the best-of-five American League Division Series. And finally, acting Sanitation Commissioner Javier Lojan discusses how his department is working to curb the city’s rat population following the resignation of New York City’s rat czar, Kathleen Corradi.

Police say officers shot and killed a 28 year old man during a response to a domestic violence call in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. The NYPD says the incident is under investigation. Meanwhile, Bronx community groups are raising concerns about a proposed elevated service road alongside the Cross Bronx Expressway. And at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, hundreds of New Yorkers, along with cats, dogs, a camel, a horse, and even an owl, gathered for the annual Blessing of the Animals celebrating the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi.

Thousands of first time voters have registered in New York City this year, many citing frustration over affordability as their reason. WNYC’s Brigid Bergin explains how their arrival could shape the upcoming mayoral race and what it reveals about the city’s shifting electorate.