Despite facing funding challenges in a tough economy, the Brooklyn Public Library has put a lot of energy into new initiatives. Since it's mid-July unveiling, “The Book of HOV” [like "stove”] exhibit at the Central Library has celebrated rapper Jay-Z’s journey from Bed-Stuy’s Marcy Projects to international acclaim, drawing in 300,000 visitors. Due to its immense success, the exhibit will now remain open to the public through the end of the year. WNYC’s Janae Pierre toured the Central Library to uncover the exhibit’s transformative effect.

It was a celebratory summer for hip-hop as the culture marked 50 years since it first emerged on the streets of the Bronx. WNYC and Gothamist are keeping the party going as we highlight the voices of women from our area who've made their own distinct mark on the genre. Violeta Galagarza is the executive artistic director of KR3TS dance company, and the founder of the nonprofit organization, Keep Rising to the Top. She hails from Spanish Harlem. The transcript of Violeta Galagarza's story has been lightly edited for clarity  The first time I was influenced with hip-hop was on our block, when they used to DJ and plug the equipment on the lampposts. I'm based in Spanish Harlem. I'm the executive artistic director of KR3T's dance company. And I have a nonprofit organization called Keep Rising to the Top. Our mission is to train amateurs to become professionals. A lot of dancers that we deal with come from low-income families or are struggling in other ways. We develop and prepare them for the industry. I was a professional dancer at a young age at Alvin Ailey. I got a scholarship for four years, then I got another scholarship. But at a young age, I became a mom, and I had responsibilities, but at least I still had access to a place for rehearsal. And I felt that I can maybe show others my talent -- pass the torch. So, I saw that I had another style of something that I can pursue and stay in the culture, and I can present and help others. Hip-hop brought the best out of me, with attitude and character. When you heard the music, there was a vibe, that everybody would follow -- whenever we went to battles in the park, in clubs, like it was everywhere. I'm from the rawness of when hip-hop began at that time, so I trained very well and you can see by the many I trained that are now with Beyoncé, Chris Brown. J. Lo, Lady Gaga, Doug E. Fresh, all the old school and the new school dancers who now know the old hip-hop and the new hip-hop, how to express it, and they're hungrier about the past.

There are no heat-specific federal or New Jersey laws regulating conditions for the roughly 25,000 farmworkers in New Jersey — even as state environmental experts expect the number of heat-related deaths to double over the next three decades.A Biden administration initiative to protect farmworkers from heat, setting standards for limits on working hours, remains years away from realization. Most states — including New Jersey — have no such protections of their own. And labor organizers say they have limited clout to help the workers, many of them migrants, fueling the Garden State's $1 billion agriculture economy. Farm workers, often paid by the piece, have few incentives to take breaks. Many are housed in labor camps without air conditioning. Farmers, often operating on the margins, themselves, have few incentives to make upgrades.For workers who suffer in the heat, it's a problem that threatens to grow quickly. This year is on track to be the world’s hottest on record, and climate experts agree scorching summers will only get worse.

For the past six years the MTA has allowed a small group of people in the Access-A-Ride program to take as many trips as they want, whenever they want, using an app-based taxi service. Each ride costs just $2.75. But last month, the agency killed the program. WNYC’s Stephen Nessen reports on what happened next.