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Prison Commissioner Daniel Martuscello III stands in front of prison bars.
Prison Agency Seeks to Dramatically Narrow Solitary Confinement Law

Prison officials are using a novel legal reading to argue that the HALT Solitary Confinement Act doesn’t apply to units where most people are incarcerated.

Chris Gelardi   ·   November 13, 2025
‘Blindsided’ Counties Struggle to Implement Trump’s SNAP Work Rules

Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers could lose their food benefits due to new SNAP work requirements, after the Trump administration phased them in months earlier than expected.

Jie Jenny Zou   ·   November 10, 2025
New York Approves Trump-Backed Gas Pipeline

The Northeast Supply Enhancement pipeline had been rejected by environmental regulators three times but was revived this spring after talks between Hochul and Trump.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   November 7, 2025
Three checks for an unknown amount fanned out across the logo for the Office of Addiction Services and Supports.
Opioid Settlement Advisors Say Hochul Administration is Keeping Them in the Dark

The board overseeing opioid lawsuit settlements is raising the alarm that New York could use the funds, which are meant to expand substance abuse initiatives, to backfill federal cuts.

Jie Jenny Zou   ·   November 7, 2025
A map of New York state, with some headshots of successful candidates
It’s Not Just Mamdani: Democrats, Progressives Rack Up Victories Upstate

Working Families Party–backed candidates flipped county legislatures, won big-city mayoralties, and secured an Assembly seat in Elise Stefanik’s backyard.

Colin Kinniburgh and Isabelle Taft   ·   November 6, 2025
A photo collage of Zohran Mamdani in front of a roof with solar panels on it; a cityscape in the background.
What Zohran Mamdani’s Win Means for Climate Politics

The mayor-elect’s approach reflects a view that is going mainstream: To succeed, climate policies may need to lose the label.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   November 5, 2025
A photo collage of Donald Trump and Zohran Mamdani over either side of a photo from a No Kings protest, with a sign shaped like a hand in the middle reading "Hey Trump! Hands off our cities."
Trump Said a Mamdani Win Could Trigger a National Guard Deployment. What Can the Mayor-Elect Do?

State officials and local activists may be more influential, but the mayor still has a role to play.

Isabelle Taft   ·   November 5, 2025
A photo collage of Zohran Mamdani in front of the New York state Capital.
Zohran Mamdani’s Next Big Battle is in Albany

Mamdani convinced New York City voters to back his agenda. Now he needs to convince Albany politicians.

Sam Mellins and Chris Bragg   ·   November 5, 2025
The main building of the Mt Van Hoevenberg Olympic Sports Complex near Lake Placid, NY.
What Is Ballot Proposal 1?

Voters across the state are scratching their chins about a question on their ballots concerning an Adirondacks winter sports facility. Here’s what’s going on.

Sam Mellins   ·   November 3, 2025
New York Teen Returns Home After Judge Rules His ICE Detention Illegal

After nearly three months behind bars, Carlos Guerra Leon spent an extra night in a Louisiana detention center after officers and local ICE officials said they didn’t get the court’s order.

Isabelle Taft   ·   November 1, 2025
Documents Shed Light on Cuomo’s Five-Year-Old Donor

A child’s donation highlights New York’s City’s straw donor headaches.

Chris Bragg   ·   October 31, 2025
A calendar with November 1 circled, in front of a photo of the United States Capitol and a document showing the new SNAP work rules.
SNAP Is Set To Be Frozen in November. Here’s What New Yorkers Need to Know.

The federal government shutdown and new work requirements will throw New York’s food stamps program into chaos.

Jie Jenny Zou   ·   October 30, 2025
A photo collage of Kathy Hochul standing in front of the Ulster County Courthouse.
A Court Ordered New York to Issue Major Climate Rules. What’s Next?

“We have time to work it out,” Governor Kathy Hochul said.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   October 30, 2025
Close-up of the corner of a prison cell.
‘This Place Is a Circus’: Eight Months Since a Guard Strike, State Prisons Remain in Crisis

Many incarcerated New Yorkers say the new normal is endless lock-in.

Chris Gelardi   ·   October 30, 2025
Cupped hands giving or receiving a kidney, surrounded by an outline of New York state.
Health Department Launches First-in-the-Nation Program to Boost Organ Donations

The rollout follows years of reporting by New York Focus on delays and missed deadlines.

Sam Mellins   ·   October 28, 2025
Homeland Security Is Billing Immigrant Kids $5,000

The Trump administration is slapping unaccompanied teenagers with fees for crossing the border.

Isabelle Taft   ·   October 24, 2025
New York Is Violating Its Flagship Climate Law, Judge Rules

The law required a state agency to issue major regulations more than a year and a half ago, and it had no excuse not to, the court found.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   October 24, 2025
‘Not Much We Can Do’: Chinatown Raid Shows Limits of Local Power Against ICE Arrests

As legislators brace for more ICE arrests, they’re scrambling to figure out how to respond.

Isabelle Taft   ·   October 24, 2025
Climate Advocates ‘Haunt’ State Meeting, Demanding Energy Efficiency Funds

Governor Kathy Hochul has yet to indicate whether, or how, New York might plug a funding hole for Empower+, a key energy affordability program.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   October 23, 2025
Transparency Advocate Rejected From Ethics Commission Plans to Sue

Gary Lavine says law school deans illegally blocked his nomination to the state’s ethics body.

Chris Bragg   ·   October 22, 2025
Who’s In Hochul’s Mystery Universal Child Care Coalition?

Hochul appears to have snubbed advocates, providers, and unions, while they try to figure out how serious she is about universal child care.

Julia Rock   ·   October 21, 2025
Governor Hochul at a press conference
Hochul Vetoes Public Records Bill, Leaving ‘New Era of Transparency’ Still Pending

Governor Hochul vetoed a measure to speed up New York’s public records process, which is among the slowest in the nation. We asked our reporters about their most protracted records requests.

New York Focus   ·   October 20, 2025
Lawmakers, Top Judges Push to Expand Mental Health Courts

Statewide diversion courts could keep thousands out of jail, but they’ll need more investments in treatment to succeed.

Eliza Fawcett   ·   October 17, 2025
A collage of Hochul and the route 17 highway
Hochul Hits Pause on Hudson Valley Highway Expansion

Reporting from New York Focus last year found that the project would save drivers six minutes max, at a cost of $1.3 billion.

Sam Mellins   ·   October 14, 2025
Sierra Johnson, Who Fought for Victims of Sexual Abuse in NY Prisons, Dies Waiting for Own Lawsuit to Be Heard

Johnson was one of roughly 1,600 women to sue the state under the Adult Survivors Act alleging they were sexually assaulted in state prisons.

Jessy Edwards   ·   October 13, 2025
She Says Her Lawyer Stole Her Money. She Can’t Get the DA to Return Her Calls.

Despite mounting evidence that a disbarred attorney stole client funds, Manhattan prosecutors have taken no action.

Chris Bragg   ·   October 10, 2025
Surprise Trump Move Will Upend New York Food Stamps

New York counties thought they had months to prepare to implement SNAP work requirements. Now, they have weeks.

Jie Jenny Zou   ·   October 9, 2025
A box of books with a label reading "return to sender" sits on a metal table in front of prison bars.
New York’s Biggest ICE Detention Center Bans Book Deliveries

Rejected books include a Spanish-English dictionary, a Spanish translation of a George R.R. Martin novel, and “The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work.”

Isabelle Taft   ·   October 8, 2025
An unreachable phone seen from inside a jail cell.
ICE Detainees in New York Jails Can’t Talk to Their Lawyers

Some immigrants held in county jails are struggling to access legal advice, phone calls, and even their own court hearings.

Julia Rock and Isabelle Taft   ·   October 6, 2025
Lawmakers Scrutinize Secretive Process Behind Energy Bill Hikes

In a state Senate hearing on spiraling energy bills, consumer advocates lamented the closed-door negotiations at the heart of New York’s ratemaking process.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   October 2, 2025
Two city officials at a council hearing
NYPD Plans Massive Expansion of Real-Time Surveillance in NYCHA Housing

The City Council held an emergency hearing on the NYPD’s use of a free internet program to gain real-time access to public housing cameras, in response to New York Focus’s reporting.

Zachary Groz   ·   October 1, 2025
Apple Pickers Are Still Waiting for Promised Union Protections

An entire season has come and nearly gone, and Wafler Farms still isn’t following its union contract.

Julia Rock   ·   October 1, 2025
Adams Locks In Big Apple Connect Through 2028, One Day Before Oversight Hearing

The renewal locks New York City into well over $100 million in costs for the controversial program.

Zachary Groz   ·   September 29, 2025
Shadows over an asylum application form
Asylum Seekers in Panic Over Trump’s Unclear $100 Fee

The Trump administration’s lack of clarity about when and how to pay new fees sparked chaos and misinformation among immigrants with pending asylum applications.

Liv Veazey   ·   September 29, 2025
Whatever Happened With the State’s ‘Migrant Relocation’ Program?

The initiative to resettle asylum seekers outside New York City reached half the targeted number of familes. ICE has deported some participants.

Isabelle Taft   ·   September 29, 2025
The State Spent Millions to Resettle Asylum Seekers. ICE Is Arresting Them.

The Migrant Relocation Assistance Program helped families leave crowded shelters and put down roots. Trump’s immigration crackdown is upending that.

Isabelle Taft   ·   September 29, 2025
Climate Hawks Vow Election Showdown If Hochul Greenlights Gas Pipeline

Pipeline opponents say that approving NESE could bite Hochul in next year’s elections.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   September 26, 2025
In Brief: New York’s Essential Plan

Massive changes are coming to the state’s comprehensive, low-cost healthcare plan.

Jie Jenny Zou   ·   September 26, 2025
The State Commission of Correction's logo
Five Sleepy Minutes With New York’s Jail Watchdog

Jails and prisons across the state are facing many crises. Someone should tell the Commission of Correction.

Chris Gelardi   ·   September 25, 2025
Half-Billion Dollar Casino Rescue Plan Hinges on Boom. Analysts Predict Bust.

Sullivan County is telling investors there will be massive growth at a Catskills casino resort, but its own consultants predict decline.

Chris Bragg   ·   September 25, 2025
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