Stephen Brown

New York

Accountability Editor at WNYC (New York, NY)

Accountability Editor at Gothamist

Editor @wnyc and @gothamist covering politics, transit, education, etc. [email protected]

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Articles

Congestion pricing flub mirrors Trump admin’s Signalgate screwup

2 weeks ago | gothamist.com | Stephen Brown |Stephen Nessen

This column originally appeared in On The Way, a weekly newsletter covering everything you need to know about NYC-area transportation. Sign up to get the full version, which includes answers to reader questions, trivia, service changes and more, in your inbox every Thursday. If MTA Chair Janno Lieber was looking for more ammo in his fight to defend congestion pricing against the Trump administration, he just got an arsenal — courtesy of the Trump administration.
Congestion pricing tolls expected to stay on through fall, court filing shows

1 month ago | gothamist.com | Stephen Brown

The MTA and federal transportation department have reached a deal that will keep congestion pricing cameras on into the fall, a new court filing indicates. The new timeline was included in a document detailing a proposed schedule of legal briefings in a suit brought by the MTA against the federal government. Both sides agreed on a briefing schedule through October.
Columbia bows to Trump administration, hoping to restore federal funding

1 month ago | gothamist.com | Stephen Brown

Columbia University bowed to many of President Donald Trump’s demands Friday in a bid to restore $400 million in federal funding. Columbia interim President Katrina Armstrong announced she will ban masks on campus, with exemptions for health or religious reasons, train three-dozen campus police officers with authority to arrest people, and appoint a new senior vice provost who will conduct a “thorough review” of the Middle East studies department.
Trump administration cancels $400M in funding for Columbia University

2 months ago | gothamist.com | Stephen Brown

President Donald Trump's administration canceled $400 million in federal funding for Columbia University on Friday, citing what it called "relentless violence, intimidation, and anti-Semitic harassment" on campus. The federal education department said the university had failed to comply with antidiscrimination laws.
DOJ directs prosecutors to drop Mayor Adams’ corruption case, reports say

Feb 10, 2025 | gothamist.com | Stephen Brown

The Department of Justice has directed federal prosecutors to drop corruption charges against Mayor Eric Adams, the Associated Press and New York Times reported Monday, handing him a political lifeline as he seeks reelection. News of the directive comes on the same day the Democratic mayor ordered his senior officials to refrain from criticizing President Donald Trump, whom Adams has courted since his reelection, according to the outlet THE CITY.
Ingrid Lewis-Martin surrenders to Manhattan prosecutors, reports say

Dec 19, 2024 | gothamist.com | Stephen Brown

Mayor Eric Adams’ closest adviser has surrendered to Manhattan prosecutors, according to multiple news reports. Ingrid Lewis-Martin, who until this past weekend was Adams' chief adviser, was spotted by photographers from the New York Daily News walking into the criminal courthouse ahead of an expected arraignment on bribery charges on Thursday. The New York Times reported the charges will involve two businessmen who allegedly gave Lewis-Martin’s son a $100,000 loan he used to buy a Porsche.
Queens judge puts hold on plan for new Long Island City bike plans

Oct 27, 2024 | gothamist.com | Ramsey Khalifeh |Stephen Brown

A state judge has put a project to add bike lanes through an industrial section of Long Island City on pause after businesses along the stretch claimed the process to redesign the roads went through illegally. The judge said before the project can move forward, it’ll need to go through a city environmental review process — calling into question whether new bike lanes could be completed this year.
Mayor Adams’ Turkish bribery case involves national security information, prosecutors write

Oct 4, 2024 | gothamist.com | Stephen Brown

Some of the evidence against Mayor Eric Adams in his corruption case involves classified material that could endanger national security if disclosed, prosecutors wrote in a new letter to a judge.
New Yorkers flock to highest point in Brooklyn to watch eclipse

Apr 8, 2024 | gothamist.com | Rosemary Misdary |Stephen Brown

Hundreds of New Yorkers flock to the highest point in Brooklyn, Green-Wood Cemetery, for a rare solar eclipse, bringing towels, beach chairs and telescopes. The vibe at the historic cemetery was more like a music festival, with food and drinks. Organizers had a hefty stash of solar glasses to distribute to as many as 7,000 people. Numerous telescopes equipped with solar lenses were pointed at the sun.
Man shot inside Brooklyn’s Hoyt-Schermerhorn subway station, police say

Mar 14, 2024 | gothamist.com | Bahar Ostadan |Phil Corso |Stephen Brown

A man was shot inside the Hoyt-Schermerhorn Street subway station on Thursday and officials have taken a person of interest into custody, police said. The shooting occurred around 4:50 p.m., police said. The condition of the victim was not immediately known. The MTA said A and C trains were running with limited service between the Jay Street-MetroTech station and Broadway Junction. Trains were also bypassing the Hoyt-Schermerhorn station, the MTA said. The shooting comes less than a week after Gov.