Burmese community in New York organizes aid
Reporter: Gregory Catherine Simmons
Producer: Betwa Sharma

May 9 -- More than a million people in Burma, also known as Myanmar, are in desperate need of food, water and shelter after a cyclone battered the country last week. The government has been slow to give access to aid workers despite warnings that the country is on the verge of a medical catastrophe. Here in New York, the Burmese community is frustrated at the slow pace of relief but are doing what they can to coordinate donations.

Pressure mounting on Fossella to resign
Reported and Produced by: Tamara Lindstrom

May 9 -- Two weeks ago, Rep. Vito J. Fossella, a congressman who represents Staten Island and other parts of Brooklyn, was arrested for drunk driving in Virginia. A week later, the married father of three admitted he also has a mistress with whom he fathered a three-year-old daughter. Tamara Lindstrom reports from Staten Island on how his constituents are responding to the news.

Construction costs keep rising for the city's new water filtration plant
Reporter: Martha St. Jean
Producer: Olivia Pratten

May 9 -- In the Bronx, the city is building a water filtration plan in Van Cortland Park. Although the Department of Environmental Protection originally estimated the project to cost approximately $1 billion, now - 10 years later - the cost has tripled. Martha St. Jean reports on the skyrocketing budget woes.

New PistolCam records police encounters
Reporter: Linzi Sheldon
Producer: Jordan Smith

May 9 -- In New York last month, the Sean Bell trial raised questions about police accountability and relied on testimony alone. Now a New York inventor says his product, the PistolCam, could add clarity to future cases involving the police. Linzi Sheldon reports.

Fighter Moms battle to help their children live normal lives
Reporter: Amalia Goro
Producer: Janelle Burrell

May 9 -- The annual "Fighter Mom Friday" is a special event for mothers whose children are suffering. On this Mother's Day, Amalia Goro reports on how moms can connect with others whose children have disabilities or are suffering from serious illnesses.

New Yorkers look for new ways to commute
Reporter: Lylah Holmes
Producer: Kristel Mucino

May 9 -- Oil prices have more than doubled in the past year. As gas prices cut deeper into people's budgets, many commuters are choosing not to drive their automobiles. Lylah Holmes explains the alternative ways some New Yorkers are getting around.

A new report says race a factor in marijuana arrests
Reporter and Producer: Kristel Mucino

May 2 -- Marijuana drug possession arrests have jumped significantly in New York City over the past decade. A new report by the New York Civil Liberties Union charges that the NYPD arrests for marijuana are racially biased. Kristel Mucino talks to New Yorkers about the data behind the report.

New York City scores low in air quality
Reporter: Lylah Holmes
Producer: Gregory Catherine Simmons

May 2 -- The American Lung Association reports that New York City is one of the worst in the country for air pollution. Lylah Holmes looks into what causes the city's poor air quality and what can be done to improve it.

Too much, too soon? How sexualized images affect young girls
Reporter: Betwa Sharma
Producer: Tamara Lindstrom

May 2 -- The recent Vanity Fair photo of 15-year-old Miley Cyrus, star of Hannah Montana, sparked debate about the sexualization of girls in America. Betwa Sharma reports on how teen idols and peer pressure affect some young girls in New York.

Headhunters
Reporter: Gregory Simmons
Producer: Shira Sky

April 25 -- The University of Michigan’s survey of consumer confidence hit its lowest point in more than a quarter of a century, with 80 000 people losing their jobs. As Gregory Simmons reports, these losses are affecting the headhunters as well.

Hybrid: Saving green by going green
Reporter: Jordan Smith
Producer: Eliza Browning

April 25 -- Many New Yorkers have been finding ways to go green lately, from recycling to eating organic food and buying halogen bulbs. The latest in 'Eco-friendliness' now includes the cars some of them drive.

Acquittals in Sean Bell shooting
Reporter: Linzi Sheldon
Producer: Megan Chuchmach

April 25 -- Three NYPD detectives are found not guilty in a controversial Queens case.

Feeding the hungry
Reporter: Ranjini Srinivasan
Producer: Lylah Holmes

April 25 -- With the economy slowing, food banks are seeing an increase in the number of people seeking their help.

Ireland's New Faiths
Reporter / Producer: Betwa Sharma

April 25 -- A wave of immigrants is creating a multi-faith society in a country once dominated by Roman Catholicism.

The Church in New York: The changing culture of Catholicism
Reporter/Producers: Megan Chuchmach, Lylah Holmes, Ivette Feliciano
Producer: Olivia Pratten

April 18 -- St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan is the central church of the New York Archdiocese, but the influence of the Catholic Church in New York City spreads far beyond its bronzed doors. Columbia News Tonight reporters examine the changing facets of the Catholic Church in all five boroughs in this special report.

Pope Benedict the XVI Visits New York
Reporter: Terra Hall
Producers: Claire Obusan and Shira Sky

April 18 -- Pope Benedict touched down at JFK Airport today for the first events of his three-day visit to New York. In an address to the United Nations, Benedict urged the international community to restore and preserve human rights. But while many traveled to the city to celebrate His Holiness, some also protested his presence.

Food calories on display
Reporter and producer: Ashe Reardon

April 18 -- Starting Monday, many city restaurants will have to tell you the number of calories in each of their offerings. But will that change what people choose?

Haiti food prices and impact at home
Reporter: Tamara Lindstrom
Producer Amalia Goro

April 18 -- The UN announced today that it will distribute 8000 more tons of food and other aid to Haiti. This after riots erupted due to escalating food prices. And rising food costs are not just affecting other countries; we are also paying the price here at home.

Small-town Pennsylvanians not offended by Obama’s remarks
Reporter: Gregory Simmons
Producer: Tesfaye Negussie

April 18 -- Senator Barack Obama’s remarks that small-town Pennsylvania residents were “bitter” and “cling to guns or religion or antipathy” set off a firestorm of criticism. Columbia News Tonight travelled to Easton, Pa. and found that many rural Pennsylvanians are too concerned about gas, oil and the Iraq war to worry about candidate quarreling.

Cancellations leave travelers flightless and fed up
Reporter: Tamara Lindstrom
Producer: Lylah Holmes

April 11 — As the number of cancelled flights from American Airlines grows, so do passengers’ frustrations. While inspecting its fleet of MD-80 jets, the airline cancelled hundreds of flights in one day, leaving thousands of passengers stranded.

Brewers worry as the price of beer hops grows
Reporter: Ashe Reardon
Producer: Megan Chuchmach

April 11 — Along with milk, gold, and oil, the cost of beer hops is on the rise—and small batch brewers in New York are feeling the pinch. In the past four years, the price of hops has increased by 36 percent. The solution? New recipes…or pricier pints.

Pro-Tibetan protesters raise their voices against Beijing
Reporter: Gregory Simmons
Producer: Linzi Sheldon

April 11 — The Olympic torch passed through San Francisco and Buenos Aires this week, but in New York, pro-Tibetan protesters were out in full force. Students for a Free Tibet and other organizations plan to protest every day until the Beijing Olympics, but some Chinese are calling the demonstrations “disgusting.”

New York church preps for a visit from the Pope
Reporter: Terra Hall
Producer: Yang Guo

April 11 — New York is the second and last stop on Pope Benedict the Sixteenth’s visit to the United States, and the city is busy getting ready for his holiness. At Saint Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue, preparations were underway for the high-profile visit—but not all New Yorkers are pleased about the fuss.

Job losses in New York
Reporter: Peter Cardwell
Producer: Gregory Simmons

April 4 –- The Labor Department reported today that the economy lost a record 80,000 jobs in March, and job cuts are hitting hard here in New York.

Catholic school teachers strike
Reporter: Lauren Moraski
Producer: Yang Guo

April 4 -- Teachers at some Catholic schools in New York staged a limited strike today, protesting what they say are unfair labor practices by the Archdiocese.

Anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr. assassination
Reporter: Linzi Sheldon
Producer: Olivia Pratten

April 4 -- Forty years ago today, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. New York residents reflect on the changes he’s brought to their lives.

Dropout rates at city schools
Reporter: Martha St. Jean
Producer: Janelle Burrell

April 4 –- There is some controversy over how serious the high school dropout rate is in New York City. Educational activists say however you look at it, the numbers are dismal.

The Strand: a book browser’s delight
Reporter: Mohammad al-Kassim
Producer: Terra Hall

April 4 –- If the Strand Bookstore lined up every book in its shop, the collection would stretch five miles longer than the island of Manhattan.

A science fair in a different light
Reporter: Jordan Smith
Producer: Marina Yaloyan

March 28-- Students at the New York Institute for Special Education had a lot to celebrate yesterday...their annual science fair and the school's 175th anniversary. And though many of the students are visually impaired, they created experiments to teach the community everything they know.

Setback for Penn Station renovation
Reporter: Megan Chuchmach
Additional Reporting: Tamara Lindstrom

March 28-- Madison Square Garden announced yesterday that it is no longer cooperating with the 14-billion dollar renovation plans for Penn Station—a big setback for New York City commuters.

Fighting congestion pricing
Reporter: Peter Cardwell
Producer: Gayle Issa

March 28-- Mayor Michael Bloomberg's congestion pricing plan is going to cost New York drivers big bucks....as much as two thousand dollars a year. The idea is to get people out of cars and onto mass transit, but the plan has obstacles, both in the halls of power and on the streets.

The battle for Basra
Reporter: Ashe Reardon
Producer: Betwa Sharma

U.S. forces launched airstrikes overnight in Basra after fighting erupted between Shi-ite militias and Iraqi security forces earlier this week.

Revisiting the Rockefeller Drug Laws
Reporter: Rhema Thompson
Producer: Tesfaye Negussie

March 28-- For over three decades, the Rockefeller Drug Laws have put thousands of first-time drug offenders behind bars. A campaign is working to get the laws repealed.

New York to D.C.: A (really cheap) bus trip
Reporter: Kristel Mucino
Producer: Yang Guo

March 28-- There's a new bus company in town and it just might change what you think about bus travel. These buses promise free internet, more leg room and video entertainment for the price of…. one dollar.

Soaring gold prices
Reporter: Ranjini Srinivasan
Producer: Claire Obusan

Mar. 14 – Record gold prices turn some jewelry buyers into sellers.

Consumer inflation
Reporter: Ivette Feliciano
Producer: Kristel Mucino

Mar. 14 -- The bright spot in economic news today is that consumer inflation didn't rise quite as fast as expected this month. But economists say consumer inflation will be back up again next month. And anyone who's been to the supermarket knows that consumers are getting hammered.

New York's new governor
Reporter: Terra Hall
Producer: Amalia Goro

March 14-- Although he wasn’t elected, on Monday David Paterson will become the first African American to governor of New York. He is also legally blind. A look at the challenges the new governor will face.

Ancient fighting stirs debate
Reporter: Marina Yaloyan
Producer: Jordan Smith

March 14-- Mixed Martial Arts has been around since the time of the Ancient Greeks. But is the fight too violent for modern audiences?

Times Square bomber hunted
Reporter: Ivette Feliciano
Producer: Sruthi Pinnamaneni

Mar. 7 -- The hunt continues for the bicyclist suspected of causing an early-morning explosion in Times Square Mar. 6. Police have now shut down one part of the inquiry.

Bronx remembers fire victims
Reporter: Gayle Issa
Producer: Rhema Thompson

Mar. 7 -- It has been one year since the deadliest fire in New York City since the 9/11 tragedy. The Highbridge community in the Bronx held a memorial service at the site.

Democrats deadlocked on delegates
Reporter: Janelle Burrell
Producer: Kristel Muciano

Mar. 7 -- The Democratic National Committee, the candidates and state parties in Michigan and Florida are trying to figure out how to get the votes of these states to count. Delegates were lost when the states held primary contests ahead of schedule.

A buck a bagel
Reporter: Claire Obusan
Producer: Lauren Moraski

Mar. 7 – After a faltering economy has caused the price of flour to rise, even New York's signature breakfast isn't safe from rising prices.

Cell phone driving ban catches on
Reporter: Betwa Sharma
Producer: Jordan Smith

Mar. 7 -- If you're driving and the phone rings, think twice about picking it up. More states are cracking down on people who use their cars as phone booths.