The wait is over. For the first time since 1973, the New York Knicks are NBA champions. In this special championship edition of NYC Now, we get reactions from sports reporter Priya Desai and talk with two lifelong Knicks fans from the WNYC newsroom about what it feels like to finally see their team reach the top.

You know that voice that tells you to "please stand from the platform edge" when you take the train? That's Bernie Wagenblast. Bernie has been the voice of the New York City subway since 2009, and this month she's one of four grand marshals at NYC Pride. She joins us to talk about growing up knowing she was trans, and what it took to finally live that truth decades later. Photo: Courtesy of Bernie Wagenblast -Got any questions, comments or story ideas? Send us a message at [email protected]

The city is expanding free childcare for two-year-olds this fall. Will that actually convince New York parents to grow their families, though? WNYC reporter Karen Yi tells us about parents who have been going into debt, leaving the workforce, and rethinking second kids while waiting for the city's childcare promises to catch up. Photo: Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images -Got any questions, comments or story ideas? Send us a message at [email protected]

When Zohran Mamdani ran for mayor, he promised to reduce the NYPD’s role in responding to issues like mental health crises and homelessness while investing in civilian alternatives. Six months into his administration, the mayor is planning to add hundreds of police officers, while Mamdani’s proposed Department of Community Safety remains far smaller than what he campaigned on. WNYC and Gothamist reporter Elizabeth Kim explains how the mayor’s approach to policing has evolved, why some supporters are frustrated, and what the shift could mean for public safety and politics in New York City. [Photo: Marika Hacking/Gothamist] — Got any questions, comments or story ideas? Send us a message at [email protected]

In this week’s Arts & Culture Check-In, WNYC & Gothamist editor Matthew Schnipper shares stories coming off his desk, including a look back at New York City in 1973, new steakhouses reshaping the city’s dining scene, and a guide to Pride Month events happening across the five boroughs. Got any questions, comments Got any questions or story ideas? Send us a message at [email protected] Photo: Getty Images/ Bettman (Original Caption) “4/29/1973-New York, NY- Knick's Phil Jackson prepares to enter a cab at LaGuardia Airport, after the team's return from Boston and a 94-78 win over the Celtics. The Knicks will meet the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA championship series.”

Inspired in part by Mayor Mamdani's Rental Ripoff Hearings, tenants are fed up by broken elevators, heat outages, and flooding in "luxury" buildings charging $4,000 to $6,000 a month. WNYC housing reporter David Brand joins us to talk about the new class of tenant associations fighting back. Photo: David Brand -Got any questions, comments or story ideas? Send us a message at [email protected]

New York City police are taking a skyrocketing number of people to criminal court for sleeping or spreading out on the public transit system. WNYC public safety reporter Samantha Max joins us to understand how this is affecting New Yorkers, and why charges were up 3000% last year. Photo: Samantha Max

For the first time since 1999, the New York Knicks are headed to the NBA Finals. Sports reporter Priya Desai joins us to discuss the team’s dominant playoff run, the electric atmosphere around the city, and why this moment feels bigger than basketball for generations of Knicks fans. Photo cred: David Dee Delgado / Stringer via Getty Images -Got any questions, comments or story ideas? Send us a message at [email protected]

New federal SNAP work requirements are now affecting thousands of New Yorkers, including veterans, older adults, young people, and parents who were previously exempt. With the June 1 deadline approaching, reporter Karen Yi joins us to explain why the city is urgently knocking on doors across the five boroughs to keep people from losing food assistance. Photo: Karen Yi/ Gothamist : People wait in line at a food pantry. Got any questions, comments or story ideas? Send us a message at [email protected]

What does it actually mean to feel safe in New York City? WNYC and Gothamist health reporter reporter Caroline Lewis joins us to talk about her conversation with the city’s first Community Safety Commissioner, Ayesha Delaney-Brumsey, and the new office now tasked with tackling issues like mental health crises, gun violence. Plus, WNYC and Gothamist reporter Liam Quigley Liam Quigley returns with new reporting on the city’s underground tow truck economy, including a Queens operator openly promoting unlicensed towing crews on social media while officials struggle to crack down. —Click here to listen to Liam’s full story on unlicensed tow trucks: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/special-investigation-how-new-york-city-lost-control/id1681278959?i=1000749236747 Photo: Gothamist illustration/Photo courtesy of City Hall -Got any questions, comments or story ideas? Send us a message at [email protected]