All Articles
A Pension Battle Is Heating Up in Albany. Here’s What to Know.

Unions want state leaders to sweeten their retirement packages. What would it cost, and what would it achieve?

Sam Mellins   ·   March 23, 2026
Hochul Unveils Eleventh-Hour Push to Defang New York’s Climate Law

Under the governor’s proposal, the most concrete deadline for climate action would be pushed out to the end of her potential second term.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   March 20, 2026
Putting a Price Tag on ‘Universal’ Pre-K

The state’s universal pre-K funding model is notoriously complex. How does it actually work, and can the governor’s plan fix it?

Melissa Manno   ·   March 20, 2026
New York Gave These Broadway Shows Millions — And They Flopped Anyway

Sold as a pandemic-era emergency program, the state’s theater tax credit has quietly sent hundreds of millions to short-run flops and blockbuster hits.

Nick Garber   ·   March 19, 2026
New York Sues Solar Company, Says It Cheated Thousands

Attorney General Letitia James alleges Attyx “built its business by defrauding consumers.”

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   March 19, 2026
Bill Seeks to Prevent Prisons From Turning Away Visitors After Scanners Pick Up Their Tampons

The bill follows reporting from New York Focus and other news outlets on prison staff mistaking menstrual and contraceptive products for hidden contraband.

Chris Gelardi and Raina Lipsitz   ·   March 19, 2026
ICE Is Trying to Send Hundreds of New York’s African Asylum Seekers to a Country They’re Not From

Over the last three months, ICE attorneys in New York state have petitioned to send half of the African asylum seekers who had immigration hearings to Uganda.

Liv Veazey   ·   March 18, 2026
Screenshots of documents the prison system sent in response to New York Focus's public records requests.
New York Focus Is Suing the State Prison Agency

Prison officials have refused to release crucial records on how the agency handles allegations of sexual abuse.

Nick Pinto   ·   March 17, 2026
Lawmakers Join Battery Developers in Fight With ConEd Over NYC’s Grid

ConEd says New York’s battery boom could overload the grid. The industry and its allies are pushing back.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   March 13, 2026
Your Guide to the 2026 State Budget Fight

We read the governor’s, Senate’s, and Assembly’s budget proposals — so you don’t have to.

New York Focus   ·   March 12, 2026
Legislators Push for Stronger Safety Net but Stop Short of Restoring Benefits

Senate and Assembly budget proposals would leave New Yorkers at risk of losing their benefits from federal cuts.

Jie Jenny Zou and Chris Bragg   ·   March 11, 2026
State Legislature Proposes Major Boost to Immigrant Legal Services

The governor and legislature are negotiating over immigration legislation outside of the budget process.

Liv Veazey   ·   March 11, 2026
Albany Unites on Universal Child Care, Splits Over Education Funding

The Senate and Assembly budget proposals included most of the governor’s ambitious child care plans — but lawmakers have other ideas for Foundation Aid.

Melissa Manno   ·   March 11, 2026
How a Fee To Fight Insurance Fraud Became a Cash Cow for Police

Critics say the $10 annual fees state drivers pay to fight car insurance theft and fraud aren’t being used as intended.

Chris Bragg   ·   March 11, 2026
A Quieter Budget Battle on Criminal Justice and Prison Reform

Amid a crisis in the state’s prison system, the governor’s and legislature’s budget proposals differ, but largely lack major reforms.

Chris Gelardi   ·   March 10, 2026
Lawmakers Want to Stay the Course on Climate

The Senate and Assembly are resisting Hochul’s push to relax New York’s emissions targets and are instead pressing for renewed clean energy funding.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   March 10, 2026
State Senate Joins Hochul in Trying to Speed Up New Housing

It remains to be seen whether the Assembly will get on board.

Sam Mellins   ·   March 10, 2026
What’s Behind the Escalating Fight Over New York’s Climate Law?

The legislature left the climate law untouched for now, but Governor Kathy Hochul could still push for changes in coming weeks.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   March 10, 2026
State Legislature Backs Tax Hikes on Wealthy, Adding Fuel to Mamdani’s Push

The Senate and Assembly’s budget proposals include many of the mayor’s desired revenue-raisers and give the city a larger cut of state funds.

Nick Garber   ·   March 10, 2026
Lawmakers Call for Investigation Into Women’s Prison, Citing New York Focus Article

Two women have died by suicide and a third from cancer at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, the reporting found.

Rebecca McCray   ·   March 10, 2026
Thousands of 4-Year-Olds Couldn’t Apply to Universal Pre-K Last School Year

Dozens of school districts have opted out of the state’s program. Will the governor’s proposed funding boost be enough to help school districts close the gaps?

Melissa Manno   ·   March 9, 2026
Mamdani’s New Albany Asks: Smaller Corporate Tax Hike, Fees on Pricey Home Sales

The mayor narrowed his big business tax proposal in the hopes of making it easier to pass.

Nick Garber   ·   March 6, 2026
Third Death in Four Weeks Rocks Bedford Hills Women’s Prison

This week’s death, which incarcerated people and advocates described as a suicide, comes at a time of turmoil in the facility.

Rebecca McCray   ·   March 5, 2026
New Legislation Would Advance ‘Virtual Power Plants’ in New York

A bill introduced by Assemblymember Anna Kelles aims to harness home batteries, electric vehicles, and other clean tech to meet reliability needs.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   March 4, 2026
An illustration shows figures walking along next to a barbed wire fence, a large pile of paperwork, a person in a green prison uniform lying down with a book on top of them, a guard holding a baton stick and a woman in a red suit waving her hand while standing at a podium.
It’s Dangerous to Feel This Desperate: How to Ease the Chaos in New York’s Prisons

When the governor doesn’t commute sentences, and the legislature won’t act, the carrot-and-stick system of rehabilitation disintegrates.

John J. Lennon   ·   March 3, 2026
Mamdani’s Small Business Czar Wants Economic Justice for Workers

As Small Business Services commissioner, Kenny Minaya will be charged with slashing fees and helping street vendors.

Nick Garber   ·   March 2, 2026
Eric Adams's failed attempt to fix New York City's broken property tax system shows why it won’t be easy for Mamdani to do so either.
Mamdani Wants to Fix Property Taxes. Eric Adams’s Failure Is a Warning Sign.

As Zohran Mamdani prepares to unveil property tax reforms, he must weigh a plan he inherited from his predecessor.

Nick Garber   ·   March 2, 2026
How to Push Utilities Toward a Cheaper, Cleaner Future: A Q&A With Jigar Shah

The energy expert discusses his vision for a more flexible grid — and what’s standing in the way.

Colin Kinniburgh and Jack Carroll   ·   February 28, 2026
Is a Solution to New York’s Food Stamp Theft Finally on the Horizon?

New Yorkers could see new benefit cards in 2027 as officials pledge to prioritize a long-awaited upgrade.

Jie Jenny Zou   ·   February 27, 2026
‘I Was Just Desperate to Find a Lawyer’: Three Journeys Through New York’s Asylum Maze

It’s almost impossible to win an asylum case without an attorney. Finding one is a tall order.

Liv Veazey   ·   February 26, 2026
Why a NIMBY Councilmember Said Yes to Affordable Housing

The threat of a new appeals board pushed Vickie Paladino to approve a new development.

Nick Garber   ·   February 24, 2026
Top Horse Racing Investigator Resigns After New York Focus Investigation

The investigator was initially placed on leave after New York Focus revealed that state gaming regulators ignored evidence of a massive horse doping ring.

Sam Mellins   ·   February 20, 2026
State Prison Officials Said an Employee Accused of Sexual Assault Didn’t Exist. We Found Him.

The state rescinded its request to dismiss a sexual abuse lawsuit after a judge became aware of New York Focus’s findings.

Chris Gelardi   ·   February 20, 2026
How a More Flexible Grid Could Save New York Billions

Officials have long eyed “virtual power plants,” which coordinate energy use across thousands of homes, but the state has lagged in adopting them.

Jack Carroll and Colin Kinniburgh   ·   February 18, 2026
Photo collage of a desk with a notepad and voice recorder in a newsroom.
Hochul Seeks to Reverse Funding Increase for Prison Oversight Body

Last year, after prison guards were caught beating an incarcerated man to death, Governor Hochul allocated millions to a prison oversight body. This year, she doesn’t want to renew the grant.

Chris Gelardi   ·   February 17, 2026
Mayor Zohran Mamdani testifies at the 2026 Joint Legislative Budget Hearing in Albany.
Mamdani’s Albany Agenda Narrows as Tax Fight Crowds Out Other Issues

The mayor campaigned on more than a dozen state-level policy demands, but some are taking a backseat.

Nick Garber   ·   February 12, 2026
Red states and blue states superimposed over housing.
New York Could Lose Seats in Congress Because It Won’t Build Housing

As housing construction booms in red states, blue states are falling behind. That will likely boost Republicans in federal politics.

Sam Mellins   ·   February 12, 2026
New York City Had a Chance to Ease Its Staffing Crisis. It Quietly Gave Up.

Civil service exams can slow down government hiring by months or even years. New York City is one of the only areas of the state that hasn’t opted into a program to bypass the process.

Nick Garber   ·   February 11, 2026
ICE Collaboration and Prisons in Crisis: Four Questions for State Law Enforcement

A hearing Thursday gives lawmakers an opportunity to grill police and prison leaders.

Chris Gelardi   ·   February 11, 2026
Photo of the bank of the Amawalk Reservoir
A Real Estate Battle Tests the State’s New Superfund Powers

New York environmental regulators have deemed a developer liable for an $18 million Westchester cleanup — but they haven’t yet made the company pay.

David McKay Wilson   ·   February 10, 2026
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