MTA Upgrades, New Housing Plan, Tips for Delivery Drivers, Storefront Vacancies Rise, and TPS Protections Expire

Upgrades are coming to the subway. WFUV’s Lainey Nguyen has more on the MTA’s plan to address pain points for one of the city’s most used transportation options. A vacant lot is being turned into almost one-thousand new apartments in Queens. And two-thirds of the units will be affordable for extremely low to moderate income households. It’s part of “Block by Block,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s housing plan for New York City. WFUV’s Sienna Reinders reports. In January, New York City passed a series of laws to protect delivery workers. Mayor Zohran Mamdani says those laws are working. WFUV’s Livia Regina has more on a new report about how pay for delivery drivers has gone up. Storefront vacancies rose nearly 30% between 2020 and 2024 in New York City. Yet rental prices mostly stayed the same. A new small business report suggests commercial landlords are intentionally leaving storefronts vacant so they can sell them instead of renting. WFUV’s Xenia Gonikberg has more on how small business owners are responding. On June 25th, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court voted in a 6-3 ruling to end Temporary Protected Status designations for over 6,000 Syrians and more than 300,000 Haitians. Final protections expired on Monday, July 27, 2026. WFUV’s Sonia Weliwitigoda has more. Host/Producer: Sonia Weliwitigoda Editor: Tess Novotny / Nathan Ray Reporter: Lainey Nguyen Reporter: Sienna Reinders Reporter: Livia Regina Reporter: Xenia Gonikberg Reporter: Sonia Weliwitigoda Theme Music: Joe Bergsieker