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Sunlight illuminates Renay Lynch's smiling face as she sits on a leather couch next to the window.
When Conviction Integrity Units Exonerate the Innocent, Prosecutors Escape Blame

In New York, half of CIU exonerations involve prosecutorial misconduct, but DAs rarely acknowledge who got it wrong.

Ryan Kost and Oishika Neogi   ·   March 13, 2025
Climate Left to the Margins of Budget Plans

Here’s where the Senate, Assembly, and governor stand on funding New York’s green transition.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   March 12, 2025
Heastie and ASC in front of a child care classroom
Legislature Proposes More Money for Child Care, But Not Enough to Avert Funding Cliff

The budget plans set up a fight with Governor Kathy Hochul, who did not propose substantial new investments at all.

Julia Rock   ·   March 12, 2025
Millionaire Tax Hikes? Inflation Rebate Checks? New York’s 2025 Budget Showdown

Here’s what the key players in the state budget process are proposing on spending and taxes.

Sam Mellins   ·   March 12, 2025
How the New York State Budget Is Made

We answer your questions on the state’s notoriously opaque budget process.

Sam Mellins   ·   March 12, 2025
Cuomo’s State-Funded Defense Lawyers Are Throwing Him a Fundraiser

They got tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to defend Andrew Cuomo against scandal. Now, they’re helping fund his comeback.

Chris Bragg, Akash Mehta and Julia Rock   ·   March 11, 2025
A yellow gas pipe stretches aboveground along a street.
New York Utilities Pour Billions Into Replacing Old Gas Pipes. Is There a Better Way?

In many cases, electrifying homes is cheaper, according to one new study.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   March 10, 2025
Four Takeaways From Our Investigation Into New York’s Judicial Patronage Problem

No time to read our big investigation? Here’s a quick summary of everything you need to know.

Chris Bragg   ·   March 7, 2025
James Pugh stands in a stark field covered with snow.
We Investigated the DA Units That Review Innocence Claims. Here’s What We Learned.

The secretive units have fallen short on their promise to help wrongfully convicted New Yorkers.

Ryan Kost and Willow Higgins   ·   March 6, 2025
Patronage Never Left: New York Courts Still Favor the Politically Connected

A New York Focus investigation reveals how party officials and politically connected law firms continue to profit from court-appointed roles.

Chris Bragg   ·   March 5, 2025
New York’s Prison System Is in Crisis. We Investigated Its Ruling Family.

Former prison agency staff and newly released documents describe a patronage network centered on Commissioner Daniel Martuscello III’s family.

Chris Gelardi   ·   March 4, 2025
The Martuscello Dynasty: Power and Patronage in New York Prisons

This isn’t Daniel Martuscello’s first crisis. An investigation reveals how his family weathered one scandal after another on their road to dominating New York’s prison system.

Chris Gelardi   ·   March 3, 2025
An illustration of a house with solar panels and a charging sign on it, with text from New York’s draft all-electric building code in the background
New York Advances Gas Ban, Sidelines Other Green Building Rules

The state is pushing ahead on all-electric buildings, but a draft update to the building code leaves out other key recommendations from the state’s climate plan.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   February 28, 2025
Thousands of NYC Parents Are About to Lose Child Care Assistance

Absent more money from the state, city officials warn that they will hit a funding cliff as early as April.

Julia Rock   ·   February 28, 2025
Kathy Hochul stands in front of the blurred out text of a bill draft.
Hochul Administration Stalls on All-Electric Building Code

The state has yet to publish a building code update, promised in December, which should include requirements to phase out fossil fuel appliances in new homes.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   February 24, 2025
A school bus for a Yeshiva in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
New York’s Ultra-Orthodox Yeshivas Challenge New State Education Mandates

New state education rules will cut funding to private schools that can’t provide the same level of education as public schools. The ultra-Orthodox community is fighting back.

Mel Hyman   ·   February 24, 2025
Unshowered and Hungry, Incarcerated People Wait Out Prison Guard Strike

With nearly all of New York’s state prisons on lockdown, those on the inside struggle to get by.

Chris Gelardi and Sara G. Kielly   ·   February 22, 2025
In the foreground, two ICE officers enter a person's warmly-lit home. In the background, black and white image of Ithaca from afar.
‘A Chilling Effect:’ Central New York County Faces Federal Threats for Not Complying with ICE

The Trump administration, eager to force local officials to collaborate with ICE, is coming for a Tompkins County sheriff who released a man who’d served his sentence.

Julia Rock and Chris Gelardi   ·   February 21, 2025
The Biggest Issue Behind the New York Prison Guard Strike

The HALT Solitary Confinement Act altered the balance of power within New York’s prisons.

Chris Gelardi   ·   February 20, 2025
A worker holding up a sign that says "Just a few "Rogue" NYSCOPBA Members"
New York Prison Guards Are Walking Off the Job. What’s Behind Their Demands?

Wildcat strikes have spread to over half of the state’s prisons.

JB Nicholas and Chris Gelardi   ·   February 19, 2025
Split screen: left - New York Focus Article, "New York's Health Department is Ignoring a Law that Could Save Lives;" right - Health Commissioner James McDonald.
Health Department Promises Action on Organ Donation After New York Focus Reporting

A legally mandated program to reimburse organ donors has languished since 2022. The health department now says it’ll fix that this year.

Sam Mellins   ·   February 19, 2025
A photo collage depicting a sign for social services and the Capitol building in Albany
Do You Work for a Social Service Department in New York?

We are expanding our coverage and want to hear from you.

New York Focus   ·   February 14, 2025
Lawmakers Press State on Lagging Efforts to Stanch Food Stamp Theft

The social services commissioner says New York wants to join other states adopting more secure cards, but lacks funds for the upgrade.

Jie Jenny Zou   ·   February 13, 2025
DAs Promised to Help Wrongfully Convicted New Yorkers. In Many Cases, They Made Things Worse.

Our investigation identified dozens of cases in which a wrongful conviction unit denied someone’s application, only for a judge to later exonerate them.

Ryan Kost and Willow Higgins   ·   February 13, 2025
State Urges Investigation Into Opponents of Hochul Home Care Plan Following New York Focus Reporting

The health commissioner has asked the state’s Attorney General and lobbyist watchdog to launch a ‘formal inquiry.’

Chris Bragg   ·   February 11, 2025
A New York state benefits card with a cut-out yellow outline where a digital chip would go. In the background, a black and white photo of produce in  a grocery store.
A Simple Fix Could Stop Millions in Food Stamp Theft. Will New York Commit?

Chip technology has been standard in credit and debit cards for a decade. It could stop New York’s surging rate of stolen benefits.

Jie Jenny Zou   ·   February 11, 2025
The photo shows Governor Kathy Hochul standing at a podium during a press conferene. The podium bears a sign that reads, "Fighting Crime" and "Ending Recidivism."
Hochul’s Criminal Justice Plan Could Leave Defendants in the Dark

Prosecutors have urged the governor to roll back some of New York’s discovery reforms. Public defenders worry about reverting to a time when they had to fight their cases “blindfolded.”

Chris Gelardi   ·   February 11, 2025
Black and white photograph of someone's hands resting on a laptop keyboard, a photo of Kathy Hochul appears on the laptop screen. Around the border of the image, the logos of Verizon, Comcast, At&T, Disney Plus, Hulu, Apple TV, and Amazon Prime Video appear.
Canceling Your Cable Subscription in New York Won’t Get Easier This Year

The governor’s proposal could make it easier to cancel your gym subscription — but harder to cancel your phone or internet plan.

Sam Mellins   ·   February 10, 2025
A screenshot of a zoom meeting between local social services officials and OTDA officials.
Local Reps Blast New York Over Heating Assistance Lapse

“I really felt like the carpet was ripped out from underneath us,” said one county official. The state still hasn’t fully explained why it put HEAP on hold so suddenly.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   February 7, 2025
A voucher ticket shows an image of two children playing with colorful toys. In the background, text from the document, "Making Child Care More Affordable, Accessible and Equitable for New Yorkers."
In Brief: Child Care Assistance

New York has spent more on child care assistance in recent years, but high child care costs continue to drive families out of the state and into poverty.

Julia Rock   ·   February 7, 2025
Photo collage: blurred images of the application for New York state's Home Energy Assistance Program, foregrounded by an alarm clock set to 5pm, dollar bills floating away, and a yellow question mark.
New York Won’t Say Why it Froze Heating Assistance in the Middle of Winter

The HEAP program abruptly closed to applications in January, months ahead of schedule. It has since reopened, but key questions remain about why it shut down so suddenly in the first place.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   February 5, 2025
A person witting in a bed receiving home care. A silhouette of a figure with a question mark over their face holds out a handful of money.
Mystery Donor Funds $10 Million Campaign Against Hochul Home Care Plan

The money is being routed through a nonprofit — possibly running afoul of state lobbying rules.

Chris Bragg   ·   February 4, 2025
Photo of a prison wall with barred windows and two yellow security cameras pointing outwards.
A Decade and $600 Million Later, New York Prisons Still Lack Cameras

After footage of the killing of Robert Brooks sparked national outcry, Governor Kathy Hochul promised to fully equip New York prisons with cameras. The project has stalled for years.

Rebecca McCray and Chris Gelardi   ·   February 3, 2025
Hochul’s Deportation Stance Sparks Fear, Confusion

The governor’s announcement appears to expand New York’s ability to cooperate with federal immigration authorities — but it’s not clear if the state has actually changed its policy.

Julia Rock and Chris Gelardi   ·   February 1, 2025
Photo triptych of three images: Governor Kathy Hochul at a Buffalo Bills game, frozen water pipes, and the Court of Appeals.
Reporters’ Notebook: Bills Receipt, Clean Water Funding, and Court of Appeals

A $1,700 Bills suite tab was paid with campaign funds, bipartisan support for clean water funding, and New York’s top court upheld a man’s conviction despite his negligent lawyer.

Chris Bragg, Sam Mellins and Colin Kinniburgh   ·   January 31, 2025
Photo collage of two pairs of hands holding a paper cutout of a pair of kidneys, in front of a pile of hundred dollar bills.
New York’s Health Department is Ignoring a Law That Could Save Lives

The governor is proposing a tax break to reimburse volunteer organ donors for their gift. Meanwhile, the state has failed to implement a 2022 law that would do the same thing.

Sam Mellins   ·   January 30, 2025
New York Student Test Scores Show Little Improvement Post-Pandemic

Student performance in math and reading is still below pre-pandemic levels, according to new data — but on par with the national average.

Bianca Fortis   ·   January 29, 2025
Photo collage of a desk with a notepad and voice recorder in a newsroom.
Reporters’ Notebook: Green Funding Feint, Foundation Aid Update, and Lobbying Fines

Hochul proposes school funding updates and a climate funding alternative. A prominent lobbying firm racks up fines.

Bianca Fortis, Colin Kinniburgh and Chris Bragg   ·   January 24, 2025
Photo collage of President Donald Trump standing in front of several windmills. Faded in the background, the text of the executive order reading, "Temporary Withdrawal of All Areas on the Outer Continental Shelf from Offshore Wind Leasing and Review of the Federal Government’s Leasing and Permitting Practices for Wind Projects."
Trump Throws Wrench Into Offshore Wind, Putting New York’s Clean Energy Plans In Doubt

On his first day in office, President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies to halt all new approvals for offshore wind, which New York is counting on to meet climate law targets.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   January 23, 2025
Split screen of two photos: On the left, Bronx residents as Eric Adams speaks to them following the 2022 fire. On the right, in black and white, a firefighter leans out of an empty window in the burned building of the Twin Parks apartment complex.
After a Catastrophic Fire in The Bronx, Nearly $400,000 in Donations Remains Unspent

The Bronx Community Foundation spent almost none of the funds it raised for victims of the 2022 Twin Parks apartment fire.

Sam Mellins   ·   January 22, 2025
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