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Collage of photos of Anthony Annucci
Prison Chief Anthony Annucci to Retire

Annucci has been characterized as an institutionalist loyal to the prison system above all else — even, at times, the law.

Maia Hibbett   ·   May 18, 2023
Photo of a shocked woman with paperwork
Are Your Gas Bills Paying for the Campaign Against Banning Gas?

National Fuel customers paid for a website directing New Yorkers to oppose electrification mandates, documents show.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   May 17, 2023
Photograph of a green sign saying "Social Service Administration"
Need Food Stamps in New York? Come Back in a Few Months.

Counties across the state are blowing past legal deadlines to process SNAP applications, leaving families struggling to eat. The delays may be about to get even worse.

Alex Lubben   ·   May 15, 2023
An empty Belmont Park Winners Circle on May 4, 2023.
Half a Billion in the Bank — And Next to No One in the Stands

At Belmont Park’s opening day, local brass celebrated a windfall of state cash. Hardly any fans showed up.

Sam Mellins   ·   May 8, 2023
New York’s Minimum Wage Hike Has a Big Catch

New York tied its minimum wage to inflation — but exceptions in Governor Hochul’s plan will likely cancel wage increases in many years.

Sam Mellins   ·   May 5, 2023
Anthony Annucci’s Ten-Year Temp Job

Andrew Cuomo named Anthony Annucci acting commissioner of New York prisons back in 2013. Now, someone his agency incarcerates is trying to take him out.

Rebecca McCray   ·   May 4, 2023
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Governor Kathy Hochul, and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins before three tall stacks of paper.
Your One-Stop Guide to the 2023 New York State Budget

It’s finally here. Late Tuesday night, lawmakers voted on the last of New York’s 10 budget bills. We broke down what’s in them.

New York Focus   ·   May 3, 2023
A bail bonds sign
Here’s What the Budget Would Do About Bail

Budget legislation released Monday night includes eight pages of bail law markups — significantly more than the governor announced last week. A vote is imminent.

Chris Gelardi   ·   May 2, 2023
Updates: New York ‘Conceptually’ Has a Budget

Kathy Hochul and the legislators are closing in on a final state budget. As they settle their differences, we’ll keep you up to date on the latest.

New York Focus   ·   April 25, 2023
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz speaks at a holiday celebration in Queens on December 19, 2021.
Queens DA to Pursue NYPD-Enforced Curfew for Pretrial Defendants

Police will receive photos of defendants with curfews and report alleged violations to District Attorney Melinda Katz.

Chris Gelardi   ·   April 24, 2023
Housing Nixed in Latest Budget Talks

“It’s done. It’s not happening,” an Assembly source told New York Focus. Lawmakers are poised to reject measures to boost housing supply and protect renters.

Sam Mellins   ·   April 20, 2023
A New Liberal Era for New York’s Highest Court?

The confirmations of Rowan Wilson and Caitlin Halligan may reverse the Court of Appeals’ rightward trend.

Sam Mellins   ·   April 19, 2023
The State Assembly Is Foreclosing Hochul’s Housing Supply Plan

Democratic Assembly leaders refused to entertain the governor’s primary tactic to achieve housing growth and affordability.

Sam Mellins   ·   April 18, 2023
Why You’re Still Paying for Someone Else’s Gas Line

New York law requires utilities to build out gas infrastructure at customers’ expense. The Senate wants to close the spigot.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   April 18, 2023
Hochul’s Top Court Pick Represented Chevron in Climate Case Against Steven Donziger

Private attorney Caitlin Halligan helped let Chevron off the hook for billions of dollars it owed Ecuadorians over the company’s pollution of the Amazon.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   April 17, 2023
Inflation Is Putting Food Out of Reach in New York Prisons

The confluence of rising commissary prices, stagnant wages, and a package ban are making basic items inaccessible.

Freddy Medina   ·   April 11, 2023
Hochul Nominates Liberal Rowan Wilson for Chief Judge

As the governor negotiates the state budget with a legislature that rejected her last chief judge pick, she has selected a sitting liberal to lead the Court of Appeals.

Sam Mellins   ·   April 10, 2023
A Law Hasn’t Fixed Solitary Confinement in New York. Can a Lawsuit?

A new legal challenge takes aim at the New York prison department for locking hundreds of people up in solitary over offenses that should be exempt.

Chris Gelardi   ·   April 7, 2023
New York City Pensions to Divest Future Private Equity Holdings From Fossil Fuels

Comptroller Brad Lander is scrutinizing the climate impacts of private equity investments — an area his counterpart in Albany has yet to address.

Lilah Burke   ·   April 6, 2023
Judge Who Censored The New York Times on Behalf of Project Veritas Seeks New Term as a Democrat

As Westchester Democrats weigh whether to endorse the former Republican, the party chair calls his critics a “lynch mob.”

Sam Mellins   ·   April 5, 2023
Hochul Throws Climate ‘Grenade’ Into Budget Talks

Last-minute legislation would transform New York’s climate law, allowing significantly higher emissions over the next decade.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   April 4, 2023
Hochul Has a New Bail Proposal. It’s a Lot Like Her Old One.

With budget talks at a stalemate, Hochul offered the legislature new draft language on bail. It would accomplish largely the same result as her previous plan: a dramatic expansion in judges’ ability to set bail.

Chris Gelardi   ·   March 31, 2023
Hochul Quietly Bets on Police to Battle Fentanyl

The governor buried policies in her budget proposal that would give police and prosecutors more leverage over people with opioid addictions.

Spencer Norris   ·   March 30, 2023
Whatever Happened to New York’s School Facial Recognition Ban?

In 2020, New York became the first state to ban biometric technology from schools. But administrators are still seeking “face analytics” tools and other gray-area tech — with scant guidance from the state.

Rebecca Heilweil   ·   March 28, 2023
Inside the Fossil Fuel Industry’s ‘Existential’ Battle Against New York’s Climate Plan

Deceptive Facebook ads, hundreds of thousands of mailers to customers, six-figure lobbying campaigns — here’s how fossil fuel companies are fighting to keep electrification at bay.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   March 27, 2023
New Chief Judge Shortlist Features Previously Excluded Liberal Judges

Hochul has a month to nominate one of the seven candidates to be New York’s next chief judge, after the state Senate rejected her first pick last month.

Sam Mellins   ·   March 24, 2023
Albany to Suburbs: We’ll Pay You to Build Housing. Suburbs to Albany: No Thanks

Mayors said they aren’t interested in state grants to expand housing. “You can’t dig a hole in the ground for that kind of money,” one told New York Focus.

Sam Mellins   ·   March 23, 2023
Why Does Rikers Island Still Lock People in Shower Stalls?

So-called “de-escalation units” were supposed to help people cool off after violent encounters. But months after their implementation, Rikers staff still use the old brutal methods.

Chris Gelardi   ·   March 22, 2023
Rikers Intake Is a Mess, But We Can’t Expect Too Much Progress, Federal Judge Rules

Nearly a year and a half after they were supposed to fix their system, jail officials still don’t know how long they’re keeping people in notorious intake pens.

Chris Gelardi   ·   March 21, 2023
Lawmakers Aren’t Sure Their Own Plan to Build More Housing Will Work

The legislature signed on to Hochul’s goal of 800,000 new homes. But they aren’t confident their plan can get there.

Sam Mellins   ·   March 20, 2023
Here’s Your Guide to the 2023 State Budget Fight

We added up the governor and the legislature’s joint priorities and broke down their major divisions. The splits will define the year’s big legislative battles.

New York Focus   ·   March 16, 2023
The New Belmont Park Could Become the Country’s Deadliest Track for Horses

Dozens of horses die at the Long Island track each year. Governor Hochul — and now the state legislature — want to give it a state-funded renovation.

Sam Mellins   ·   March 14, 2023
Fossil Fuel Companies Enlist Customers to Fight New York’s Climate Law

National Fuel urged customers to oppose a gas appliance ban. It’s just one strategy in the fossil fuel industry’s mounting offensive against climate action.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   March 7, 2023
Prison Department Writes Its Way Out of Following Solitary Confinement Law — Again

After months of ignoring reforms, the corrections department published new rules. They look a lot like the old rules.

Chris Gelardi   ·   March 6, 2023
Can Half a Billion Dollars Save New York Horse Racing? We Spoke With the Man Who Says Yes.

A conversation with consultant Shuprotim Bhaumik, whose firm wrote a study arguing that New York state can revitalize the failing horse racing industry by funding a $455 million track renovation.

Sam Mellins   ·   March 1, 2023
Meet the Top Private Earners Among New York Lawmakers

A handful of state legislators made far more from second jobs than they did representing their constituents, a New York Focus analysis found. Find your rep in our database.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   March 1, 2023
Hochul Calls for Rail Safety Regulations — After Vetoing Keystone Rail Safety Bill

In December, the governor vetoed legislation requiring freight trains to be staffed with at least two crew members. Rail workers say it’s a bare minimum for safety.

Julia Rock   ·   February 28, 2023
Hochul’s Budget Pads Prosecution Funding Without Match for Public Defense

The governor proposed an outsized boost worth tens of millions for prosecutors — drawing comparisons to New York’s history of public defense neglect.

Chris Gelardi   ·   February 27, 2023
For Scandal-Plagued For-Profit Colleges, No State Is More Welcoming Than New York

As ASA College prepares to shut its doors after years of controversy, New York continues to shell out tuition subsidies to for-profit colleges — at rates higher than any other state.

Lilah Burke   ·   February 23, 2023
Hochul Projects Horse Racing Renaissance, Declines to Share Evidence

Hochul says it “goes without saying” that a taxpayer-funded track renovation will bring jobs and boost attendance. Her proof: an industry-commissioned study that she refuses to release.

Sam Mellins   ·   February 22, 2023
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