All Articles
Three Questions About Medicaid for New York Officials

State officials have so far dodged questions about the future of New York’s largest health plan. A hearing on Tuesday could provide some insight.

Jie Jenny Zou   ·   February 9, 2026
Does Mamdani’s Claim that Albany is Shafting New York City Hold Up?

The mayor’s Tin Cup Day speech hinges on a bold claim about the city’s relationship with the state.

Nick Garber   ·   February 9, 2026
How New York’s Court System Intertwines With Party Politics

A foreclosure case in Brooklyn highlights ties between the courts and political party clubhouses.

Chris Bragg   ·   February 6, 2026
For Sale: Brooklyn Five-Bedroom. Price: $100

New York Focus identified more than a thousand cases where a disputed interest formula increased a home’s bidding price at auction, allowing a bank to obtain it for a pittance.

Chris Bragg   ·   February 5, 2026
Five Questions for New York’s Social Service Agencies

Will this week’s budget hearing provide insight into the state’s plan to salvage its safety net?

Jie Jenny Zou, Melissa Manno and Chris Gelardi   ·   February 4, 2026
New York Lawmakers Want to Put Pipeline Spending on the Map

New York utilities spend $1 billion a year replacing old gas pipes. New legislation would force them to reveal where that money is being spent.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   February 4, 2026
‘I’m a Human Rights Violator’: Staff at Youth Prison Recount Lockdowns, Turmoil, 24-Hour Shifts

A yearslong staffing crisis at state-run facilities has taken its toll on incarcerated kids and the workers who watch over them.

Chris Gelardi   ·   February 4, 2026
Photo of uber lit up in windshield
Uber Pours $3M Into New Election Spending Group Poised to Back Hochul

The move came weeks after Hochul proposed measures to lower the cost of auto insurance.

Chris Bragg   ·   February 3, 2026
Landlord That Won Big in Cuomo’s Penn Station Plan Makes a Comeback Under Trump

Vornado Realty Trust has a stake in Halmar’s proposal to rebuild the Manhattan rail hub.

Nick Garber   ·   February 2, 2026
Hochul Proposed Banning ICE Collaboration Contracts. Here’s What You Need to Know.

The bill would dissolve contracts that allow federal immigration authorities to use county jails, but would leave more informal collaboration with local law enforcement untouched.

Liv Veazey   ·   January 31, 2026
Hochul Could Try to Change New York’s Emissions Math Again. Here’s Why It Matters.

State officials have voiced renewed interest in changing how New York counts its greenhouse gas emissions.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   January 30, 2026
An adult and child wearing winter coats walk across a motel parking lot with three cars parked in it. The child is smiling and turns back to look at the adult, who is facing away from the camera.
New York Homeless Families Placed in Hotels Weren’t Guaranteed Social Services. New Regulations Could Change That.

The proposal follows a New York Focus and ProPublica investigation that found counties had placed thousands of adults and children in often-dilapidated hotels as the main response to homelessness.

Spencer Norris   ·   January 28, 2026
Five Questions for New York’s Education Leaders

The state’s top education officials head to the hot seat Thursday for a lengthy budget hearing. Here are some questions we’d put on the table.

Melissa Manno   ·   January 28, 2026
Loose Rules Let State Police Hand Out Lax Penalties for Serious Misconduct

New York State troopers used the badge to settle personal scores and elicit favors. Still, they remained on the job, an investigation found.

Sammy Sussman   ·   January 28, 2026
Three Questions for New York’s Climate and Energy Leaders

Lawmakers will be grilling top state energy and environmental officials Wednesday in a marathon budget hearing. Here are some of the questions we’d ask.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   January 27, 2026
The Catch-22 Keeping New Yorkers Stuck in Prison

Nine months after the prison guard strike, incarcerated people are being denied early release after not completing programming that they don’t have access to.

Rebecca McCray and Emma Rosenberg   ·   January 26, 2026
Meet Our Newest Reporters and Editors

We’re expanding our coverage of education, immigration, and politics.

New York Focus   ·   January 24, 2026
Police Department Retrains Officers on Immigration Enforcement Policies After New York Focus Investigation

Some officials and residents in Cheektowaga want a broader overhaul of their cops’ interactions with immigration agents.

Isabelle Taft   ·   January 23, 2026
Times Square at night
Broadway Bigwigs Donated Heavily to Hochul Before Proposed Tax Credit Expansion

The governor’s campaign got an influx of donations from theater producers as its trade group lobbied her office to “enhance” the credit.

Nick Garber and Chris Bragg   ·   January 22, 2026
Governor Kathy Hochul in a meeting
As She Raises Millions, Hochul Isn’t Saying Who She’s Meeting With

The governor’s meeting logs are 15 months out of date, and she won’t release her calendar.

Chris Bragg   ·   January 20, 2026
‘What Stood Out Was What Wasn’t Said’: Antonio Delgado on Hochul’s Speech

New York Focus interviewed Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado as he challenges his boss for the Democratic nomination for governor.

Sam Mellins   ·   January 16, 2026
Photo of Carrie Woerner
After New York Focus Investigation, Governor and Lawmakers Call for Consequences in Horse Doping Case

State regulators ignored FBI evidence of horse drug purchases for years. That was a “huge failing,” a key assemblymember said.

Sam Mellins   ·   January 16, 2026
Mamdani and Hochul are Looking Cozy. Can it Last?

A sweeping child care expansion and opposition to President Trump have united them, but significant divisions remain.

Sam Mellins   ·   January 15, 2026
On Energy and Climate, Hochul Goes Nuclear: State of the State 2026

Hochul outlined a slew of proposals on Tuesday to curb energy bills and clean up the grid, but her push for a nuclear energy renaissance looms over them all.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   January 14, 2026
Child Care Promises Leave Funding Questions Open: State of the State 2026

Hochul has proposed a multibillion-dollar plan that she says would ultimately deliver free child care to every New York family — without tapping additional revenue sources.

Melissa Manno   ·   January 14, 2026
Hochul Stands by Her Plan to Avoid Tax Hikes: State of the State 2026

A boom year on Wall Street may help offset federal cuts — for now.

Chris Bragg   ·   January 14, 2026
More Subway Cops, No Prison Reforms: State of the State 2026

On criminal justice, there were notable omissions in the governor’s address.

Chris Gelardi   ·   January 14, 2026
Hochul Stays Mum on Sanctuary Bill: State of the State 2026

Immigrant rights advocates and some lawmakers welcomed her proposals, but said that the measures don’t go far enough.

Liv Veazey   ·   January 14, 2026
Hochul on New York’s Fraying Safety Net: State of the State 2026

The governor’s vision for tackling historic cuts to public benefit programs remains blurry.

Jie Jenny Zou   ·   January 14, 2026
Hochul, Unions Rally in Defense of Offshore Wind

New York’s building trade unions are turning out in force to try to save the mammoth energy projects from Trump’s latest attack.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   January 13, 2026
magnifying glass illustration
Help Us Investigate Conviction Integrity Units in New York

Our investigation into conviction integrity units reveals that they reinforce a broken system. Help us expand on this reporting.

Willow Higgins, Ryan Kost, Curtis Brodner, Oishika Neogi and Alex Arriaga   ·   January 13, 2026
Kathy Hochul holding up papers in each hand. One hand has an official State of New York document and the other is a Bingo game card that was illustrated.
BINGO! 2026 State of the State

Follow along with New York Focus as we cover the governor’s annual address.

New York Focus   ·   January 12, 2026
Covering the 2026 State of the State

Here’s what our reporters will be watching for during Governor Kathy Hochul’s agenda-setting address that will kick off state budget negotiations.

New York Focus   ·   January 12, 2026
The State Is Locking Kids in Solitary Confinement Without Toilets, Lawsuit Alleges

Office of Children and Family Services facilities keep youth in small cells for days or weeks at a time, violating state regulations, the suit claims.

Chris Gelardi   ·   January 9, 2026
5 Takeaways From Our Investigation Into Horse Drugging

New York racing regulators have failed to take action against drug buyers for years, even after federal law enforcement gave them clear evidence of illegal activity.

Sam Mellins   ·   January 8, 2026
FBI Wiretaps, Illegal Drugs, and Dead Horses

The feds gave New York key evidence on horse racing’s largest doping ring. State regulators have done nothing with it for years.

Sam Mellins   ·   January 7, 2026
A photo collage of Representative Ritchie Torres and Michael Blake in front of images of tanks and screenshots of Blake's campaign video, lambasting Torres for his investments in weapons companies and his support of sending arms to Israel.
Bronx House Candidate Had Shadow Career at Defense Contractor

Michael Blake blasted Representative Ritchie Torres for his investments in firms serving the military — but has long worked for one himself, disclosures show.

Will Bredderman   ·   January 6, 2026
New York Counties Have Received Millions From Opioid Lawsuits, But Many Won’t Say How They’ve Spent It

Drug policy advocates are calling a new reporting mandate a missed opportunity for needed transparency and sustained action.

Jie Jenny Zou   ·   January 5, 2026
New York Governor Kathy Hochul, seated, holds a document that has been edited to read "New York Focus Quiz!" in front of a background covered in question marks.
Who Ran New York in 2025?

You stuck with us through another rollercoaster year in New York politics. To show our gratitude, we’re giving you a test.

New York Focus   ·   December 31, 2025
A man wearing a mask installs pink fiberglass insulation on the inside of a home.
New York Shores Up Funding for Key Energy Efficiency Program

The state plans to stabilize the Empower+ program with a record amount of money from the pollution pricing program RGGI.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   December 23, 2025
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8