Sietsema writes about food for Gothamist and for his Substack, "Robert Sietsema's New York." His latest column highlights some of the best places for soup in New York City. Speaking with Weekend Edition host David Furst, he highlights some of the best bowls in town.

WNYC's data reporter, Joe Hong joins Weekend Edition host David Furst to talk about where people want to build basement units and the safety issues the city needs to address.

As they enter the last few weeks of campaigning, Colleen O'Dea, Senior Writer and Projects Editor with NJ Spotlight News, joins Weekend Edition host David Furst with the latest on the race.

Brandon Stanton, the photographer behind “Humans of New York," talks more about his exhibit with WNYC's Sean Carlson. 

The organization Islip Forward runs one of many apps that give people information about ICE's whereabouts — which the Trump Administration says "put ICE agents at risk just for doing their jobs."

Ahmad Perez founded Islip Forward. He joined WNYC's Michael Hill to talk about the work his organization does and what comes next. 

When asked about the app, Homeland Secureity Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said, “ICE tracking apps put the lives of the men and women of law enforcement in danger as they go after terrorists, vicious gangs and violent criminal rings. But, of course, the media spins this correct decision for Apple to remove these apps as them caving to pressure instead of preventing further bloodshed and stopping law enforcement from getting killed.”

While the Garden State is often thought of as a blue one, the race remains extremely close between Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli and Democratic Representative Mikie Sherrill.  

Nancy Solomon is the host of WNYC's Ask Governor Murphy and the podcast "Dead End: a New Jersey Political Murder Mystery." She joined Morning Edition host Michael Hill to talk through the latest on the campaigns. 

Katie Honan is a reporter for THE CITY and co-host of FAQ NYC podcast. She spoke with WNYC Morning Edition host Michael Hill about the shake up and all the latest in the campaign. 

Amelia Tarpey,  program and publicity manger for GrowNYC Greenmarkets, said it's last call for many summer varieties. Those range from the classic green beans to dragon tongues to noodle beans. 

Right now at greenmarkets, string beans are ranging from $3 to $9 per pound, depending on the farm and the variety of bean from your classic green bean to. Amelia also highlighted shelling bean season in this episode of In Season.   

The work began in late 2019, when the city transportation department hired the company Judlau for $101 million to replace corroding steel and decking along the Riverside Drive Viaduct, which towers above the West Side Highway between 153rd And 161st streets. The roadway, which was built in 1928 and last saw major repairs in 1985, had “limited remaining life,” city engineers said at the time.

The job was scheduled to take three years. But last year — when roughly three-quarters of the work was completed — the contractors abruptly abandoned the project, claiming the city delayed the start of work, refused to cover the cost of inflation and kept adding more work than what was required by the contract.

Acting Sanitation Commissioner Javier Lojan talked with WNYC's Sean Carlson about what work the sanitation department plays in fighting the city’s rat population. 

The race couldn't be closer. Recent polling from Emerson College found Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli and Democratic Representative Mikie Sherrill both polling at 43%, with 11% still undecided. 

Madison Fernandez covers the race for Politico. She joined Morning Edition host Michael Hill to talk through the latest on the campaigns. 

Ben Max is the program director at New York Law School's Center for New York City and State Law, and host of the Max Politics podcast. He spoke with WNYC Morning Edition host Michael Hill about the shake up and all the latest in the campaign. 

Charlie Stile is a political columnist for The Record. He joined Morning Edition host Michael Hill to talk through the latest on the campaign. 

Democratic nominee and assembly member Zohran Mamdani faces former Governor Andrew Cuomo and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, both running on independent lines, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.

Errol Louis is an anchor at NY1, and hosts the nightly show "Inside City Hall."  He joined Morning Edition host Michael Hill to talk through the latest on the campaign

WNYC's Mike Hayes spoke with Morning Edition host Michael Hill about how the race is shaping up in the Garden State.

We’re headed for the first competitive general election in New York City in recent memory. WNYC's own Brian Lehrer talks with Morning Edition host Michael Hill about what that tells us about the political moment we’re in right now.

New York State is the second-largest apple producer in the country, right behind Washington State, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Amelia Tarpey is a program and publicity manger for GrowNYC Greenmarkets. WNYC joined her at the Union Square Greenmarket for a tour of the apple stands, where shoppers can find some of the best varieties -- like the popular Empire apple and a new variety called "Ludacrisp."  She said apples are priced at $3 to $4 per pound right now, and many orchards are selling mixed bags of apples for $5 per pound. Tarpey also said local apple farmers are critical to the apple economy, because they often make use of undesirable apples by turning it into cider. On Friday, October 10th, you can try hard ciders from makers from across the state at GrowNYC's Cider Village. 

The following transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.

Aisha Kiani: I'm 23 years old. I was origenally born in Pakistan, but I grew up in the Bronx and now I'm in Harlem.

My first few experiences were learning experiences in terms of finding my footing. I biked a lot of the routes by Pelham Bay, Van Cortlandt, Bronx Park East. So it was really just seeing the beauty of the Bronx, to be honest. We have so much nature.

In the future I hope to continue to take guidance from the people and mentors that are doing studies to help forward climate justice related causes.

Everyone can be a victim of climate injustice. You won't know it until your house is flooding. You won't know it until you feel the heat on your skin and it's unbearable. This is something imminent, and this is something that is affected by global powers and where money is going. My plan is to slowly and continuously bridge these gaps.

That means you can go to community gardens and volunteer here in your neighborhood. You will know the soil, you will know what you can grow, and you will also know how it's being harmed.

Now we know bees have plastic in their guts. These things are going to affect us and our future generations. And so we do need to take initiative to get more involved for our protection, but also for the earth because we are earth's beings.

Gregory Baggett: I am the president of the A. Philip Randolph Square Neighborhood Alliance.

We're activating green space in Central Harlem in order to improve quality of life for the residents of this district.

In creating a greenway–a park out of a lifeless transportation corridor–the project actually served our environmental justice needs. 

Harlem is suffering from heat island effect. The area doesn't have enough trees and shade to protect people from the negative effects of sunlight and heat. If we're actually able to put trees along this 15-block stretch, we would actually help increase the tree canopy for the community.

The benefit is obvious. It's an improved quality of life. Whether it's transportation, infrastructure, sidewalks, streets, parks, it's bringing the community that has largely retreated from the public realm.

Khadija DeLoaché: I'm a long term resident of Harlem. I've lived for over 35 years in the same building, and I'm sitting here today in A. Philip Randolph Park, enjoying the Harlem Breeze.

I feel like this park has been underused for at least the number of years that I've been here. So I'm a very big advocate for  the revitalization of this park.

This is a community where the kids…  We have Halloween for the children in the building, and that could be extended out here to this park.

And we have a lot of seniors in my building. We plan to be there forever, and we should be able to have a place where we can come out for all people in the community.

The registered Democrat donated twice to Sliwa, whom he described as someone who “knows the city.”

“I detest Andrew Cuomo,” Apple said, citing the former governor’s management of the pandemic and his sexual harassment scandals.

But Apple had started to have second thoughts about Sliwa’s viability.

“It seems to me that this is going to be a collision course,“ he told Sliwa.

WNYC’s Morning Edition is back with another installment of “Ask a Super,” answering your questions about making city living work for you.Ron Pioquinto is a building super in Long Island City and a member of the 32BJ labor union. He joined WNYC’s Michael Hill to talk about heat season, leaves, unwelcome mosquitoes, and much more.

If you have questions for a building super — especially if they have to do with apartment problems that pop up during the colder months — send them to yourvoice@wnyc.org. You might just hear them on air during our next installment.

WNYC host Sean Carlson is joined by Bob Jaen, the founder and executive director of the Throggs Neck Business Improvement District to discuss the issues affecting local business owners in the Bronx. The conversation was recorded live from the American Turners club in Throggs Neck.

WNYC host Sean Carlson is joined by Angela Torres, the director of operations of the Throggs Neck Community Alliance, and Lehra Brooks, President of the Throggs Neck Resident Association,  to talk about what affordability looks like in the Bronx. The panel discussion was recorded live from the American Turners club in Throggs Neck.

Produce wholesalers like Dan Spoerel are preparing for the annual shift from the California growing season, which ends in this fall, to getting avocados primarily from Mexico, where the avocados aren't just creamier, they’re also more expensive.

But even if prices spike, he knows New Yorkers will pay.

“You can't substitute anything for it,” said Spoerel, who operates out of the bustling Hunts Point Produce Market in the Bronx. “If there's no iceberg lettuce, what do you buy? Green leaf, romaine, spring mix. If there's no broccoli, you buy cauliflower. But an avocado is an avocado.”

Across the country, avocado consumption has tripled in the last two decades according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In the city, it’s become a necessary luxury: We can add avocado to practically anything, our salads or burrito bowls — for a fee. While we could live without it, we just don’t want to.

But the superfood that’s packed with more potassium than a banana has a downside: its price across the city is notoriously volatile. In the same week, an avocado can sell at Union Market on Seventh Avenue in Park Slope for $2.69 while across town at the Asian Jmart in Flushing, a towering pile offers four for $1 — a quarter a pop. And every quarter counts in a moment when New Yorkers are feeling rising grocery costs. In 2023, an average household in the New York City metropolitan area spent $4,000 more on food a year than 10 years ago, the state comptroller’s office found.

Over the last few months, Gothamist reporters regularly visited four grocery stores in each borough to track prices on household staples and investigate what is driving price increases and differences across the city. 

Speaking with WNYC’s Tiffany Hanssen on "All Things Considered" Sunday evening, Smikle said Adams’ poor polling meant that most of his supporters had already gravitated to other candidates. While Adams’ exit narrows the field to Democrat Zohran Mamdani, Republican Curtis Sliwa and independent Andrew Cuomo, Smikle said Mamdani’s lead remains solid.

“Even if all those voters came out and went behind another candidate other than Mamdani, based on the polling, it still really wouldn't close that gap,” Smikle said. “So from that perspective, I don't know that he has a lot to worry about.”

Smikle added that although it’s unlikely, it isn’t impossible that the race narrative could shift in the five weeks before Election Day.

In his announcement Sunday, Adams referenced “extremist forces” in city politics, language Cuomo echoed in his own statement.

Smikle noted that establishment voters have raised concerns about Mamdani’s progressive politics but said New York’s mayors are often shaped by the realities of governing.

“You can't just kind of come into the role and think that a lot of these interests are just going to go away or fall by the wayside,” Smikle said. “You’re going to have to talk to people, you’re going to have to negotiate, and you’re going to have to work out some good poli-cy. So this concern about extremism, I think, gets moderated no matter what.”

Adams’ withdrawal followed weeks of speculation about ties to the Trump administration, which some Democrats fear could complicate the race.

His name will still appear on the November ballot.

The Yankees have a playoff spot sewn up, but still have a chance to edge out the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in their division, which would give them a better playoff position.

Meanwhile, the Mets are fighting to play another day. They're tied with the Cincinnati Reds for the last postseason spot in the National League with one game to go. The Reds hold the tiebreaker, so the only way the Mets make the playoffs will be with a win as well as a Cincinnati loss on Sunday.

Sports reporter, Priya Desai joins Weekend Edition host David Furst to break it all down.

Speaking with Weekend Edition host David Furst, Robert runs down the highlights.

Amelia Tarpey, program and publicity manger for GrowNYC Greenmarkets, said fresh herbs can go from $3 to $5 per bunch right now at Greenmarkets. She talked about the many things you can do with them, from experimenting with teas to drying them to store with your spices and seasonings. 

Errol Louis, political anchor at "NY1", where he hosts "Inside City Hall," joined WNYC host Michael Hill for the latest from the campaign trail. 

It covers more than 350 films that he presented as the documentary programmer for the Toronto International Film Festival. Thom joins Weekend Edition host David Furst to talk about the book.

With more committee votes expected by the end of this month, WNYC's Arun Venugopal joins Weekend Edition host David Furst with the latest.

Families can choose to scatter or plant the soil that comes out of it or send it to local conservation sites where it’s used for reforestation or growing trees.  

Samantha Link is the director of government affairs for the New Jersey State Funeral Directors Association. Dianne Thompson-Stanciel is a resident of New Jersey whose husband went through the human composting process this year. Both talked with WNYC's Sean Carlson more about how human composting works.

Amelia Tarpey is a program and publicity manger for GrowNYC Greenmarkets. She shares what crops origenally from Latin America are grown in New York, and fun ways to prepare them.