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21 Counties Have Closed Applications for New York’s Biggest Child Care Affordability Program

There are 1,500 families on the program waitlist in New York City alone, new state data shows.

Julia Rock   ·   August 8, 2025
A silhouette of an elderly person sitting alone in a chair in a warm living room. Cracks appear over the image, indicating precarity.
Trump’s Assault on Social Services Is Taking Aim at New York’s Elderly

Poverty rates among New York’s aging population are rising as the federal government pares back support for longstanding social service programs.

Jie Jenny Zou   ·   August 7, 2025
Does New York Spend More Per Public School Student Than Any Other State?

New York school districts are budgeted to spend $89 billion on public education in the 2024–25 school year.

Ferdi Ferhat Özsoy   ·   August 6, 2025
Comptroller to ‘Slow Roll’ Returning Lost Money to New Yorkers

Several states already proactively send out payments in much larger amounts than New York currently does.

Chris Bragg   ·   August 5, 2025
A person inside an extremely hot prison cell sits hunched over.
Summers Are Brutal in New York’s Prisons. This Year Is Worse Than Ever.

Short-staffed since a strike this winter, the prison system is keeping people locked in their boiling cells and dorms for upwards of 21 hours a day.

Chris Gelardi   ·   August 4, 2025
Did New York Undercount Covid-19 Nursing Home Deaths?

Then-Governor Andrew Cuomo repeatedly cited federal data placing New York state 38th or 39th nationally.

Ferdi Ferhat Özsoy   ·   July 31, 2025
A television showing a staticky, distorted image of New York state.
New York Public Media Will Lose At Least $57 Million in Federal Funds After Congressional Cuts

Nearly $50 million will come specifically from public radio and TV stations, including rural ones that rely heavily on federal money.

Kate Harloe   ·   July 30, 2025
Judge Skewers Hochul Administration Over New York’s Climate Law Delays

The judge suggested he’ll rule that the state is violating its climate law.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   July 29, 2025
Will New York Focus Start Publishing Fact-Checks?

Yes. This claim is accurate.

New York Focus   ·   July 29, 2025
Are More Working-Class Residents Leaving New York City Than Wealthy Residents?

Affordability concerns — especially housing and the cost of raising a family — are major drivers of population loss in New York state.

Ferdi Ferhat Özsoy   ·   July 29, 2025
Kathy Hochul’s Nuclear Vision Faces Big Questions and Bottlenecks

Building nuclear will test whether New York state is still capable of constructing megaprojects as it has done in the past.

Alexander C. Kaufman   ·   July 26, 2025
New York’s Landmark Climate Law Goes on Trial

As environmental justice groups seek to compel the state to follow its climate law, the Hochul administration is set to argue that it deserves a pass.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   July 25, 2025
‘Worse Than I’ve Ever Seen’: New York Among Slowest States to Pay Unemployment Benefits

And the delays have gotten worse in recent months.

Julia Rock   ·   July 25, 2025
Why Won’t New York Lawmakers Call a Special Session to Address Trump’s Cuts?

Fiscal advocates warn the governor and state lawmakers against punting a difficult discussion on how to deal with imminent cuts.

Jie Jenny Zou   ·   July 24, 2025
Regulators Crack Down on a Troubled New York Solar Company

Attyx, formerly known as SUNCo, is set to lose its license to operate in the state over what regulators called “false and misleading” sales pitches.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   July 23, 2025
A close-up photo of a New York State DOCCS badge on a concrete background.
Four Months After Guard Strike, Prison Staffing Crisis Persists

The prison agency’s security ranks are 4,700 corrections officers and sergeants short of what it says it needs to run every program and housing area effectively.

Chris Gelardi   ·   July 22, 2025
New York’s Health Companies Could Pocket Millions Meant for Low-Wage Care Aides

Offering hard-to-use benefits instead of cash could help two state-funded companies dodge a 2011 law meant to boost care workers’ pay.

Sam Mellins   ·   July 21, 2025
New York to Scale Back Key Energy Affordability Program

Empower+ helps thousands of New Yorkers afford energy efficiency upgrades. The state is planning to slash funding by nearly two-thirds in two years.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   July 18, 2025
The logo of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives appears town down the middle.
‘Consequences Will Be Lethal’: New York ATF Enforcement To Be Slashed Under Trump

New York’s gun shop owners are wary about the loss of federal oversight, with politicians warning the cuts will lead to increased trafficking, violence, and theft.

Mel Hyman   ·   July 18, 2025
A video still of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon with a caption reading, "We hear you and the DOL is here to help you."
Does Anyone Answer New York’s Unemployment Hotline?

One week in June, only a third of the people who called the Labor Department’s unemployment help line reached a real person.

Julia Rock   ·   July 14, 2025
The Race to Build Solar and Wind Before Trump’s Tax Credit Deadline

Trump’s megabill gives wind and solar companies one year to put as many shovels in the ground as possible. They want New York officials to help.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   July 11, 2025
Adams at India Parade
Eric Adams Withdraws From Event Honoring Anti-Muslim Activist

He was slated to be the guest of honor at an event featuring a Hindu nationalist activist who has called for violence and boycotts against Muslims.

Deep Kaushik Vakil, Sam Mellins and Meghnad Bose   ·   July 10, 2025
Congress Passed Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill,’ Gutting New York’s Safety Net. Now What?

New York is staring down billions in lost federal funding for Medicaid and food assistance over the next decade

Jie Jenny Zou   ·   July 9, 2025
How Renters Fueled Zohran Mamdani’s Victory

Andrew Cuomo won 11 out of 13 majority-homeowner districts — but Mamdani swept the floor in renter-heavy areas, where turnout surged.

Charlie Dulik   ·   July 4, 2025
How Congress is Reversing New York’s Progress on Clean Energy

Already, the state’s green energy businesses are feeling the impact of the pending Congressional spending bill that includes phasing out Inflation Reduction Act tax credits.

Clara Hemphill   ·   July 3, 2025
How Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ Could Impact Disabled and Hungry New Yorkers

New Yorkers across the state describe how sweeping federal cuts to Medicaid and food assistance could derail their lives.

Jie Jenny Zou   ·   July 3, 2025
19 States Have Expanded Medicaid for People Exiting Incarceration, Saving Lives and Taxpayer Dollars. New York Isn’t One of Them.

The state’s efforts around reentry healthcare have stalled and face an uphill battle under the Trump administration.

Jie Jenny Zou   ·   July 3, 2025
Court Temporarily Reverses Prison Agency’s Suspension of Solitary Confinement Law

The prison agency has suspended solitary confinement restrictions since a corrections officers strike in February.

Chris Gelardi   ·   July 2, 2025
Workers at Wafler Farms between two rows of trees.
New York Farms Refuse to Follow New Union Contracts

Four farms upstate won’t sign or follow contracts awarded by state-appointed arbitrators after bargaining stalled.

Julia Rock   ·   July 2, 2025
These 5 Charts Show How Hotels Became New York’s Response to Homelessness

Social services agencies across the state now place nearly half of all individuals and families seeking shelter in hotels, leaving people without resources like food and help finding housing.

Spencer Norris and Joel Jacobs   ·   July 1, 2025
Why Is It So Hard for New York to Pass Climate Bills?

Environmentalists increasingly blame Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie — who’s firing back.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   June 27, 2025
Zohran Mamdani speaking at a podium
Can Zohran Mamdani’s Agenda Survive Albany?

Mamdani’s plans for universal child care, fare-free transit, and affordable housing rely on Albany getting on board.

Sam Mellins, Julia Rock and Colin Kinniburgh   ·   June 26, 2025
The Stradford-Moses family stands outside its home. Jasmine Stradford holds one of the family’s dogs in her hand.
How Hotels, Once a Last Resort, Became New York’s Default Answer to Homelessness

Statewide spending on hotels has more than tripled in recent years. The shift away from shelters has prevented families from accessing services like child care and help finding housing.

Spencer Norris   ·   June 24, 2025
Photo collage of a desk with a notepad and voice recorder in a newsroom.
Shadowy Political Attack Targets Harrison Mayor Amid Primaries

A harsh mailer capitalized on recent reporting about a controversial rezoning deal in the Westchester town.

Chris Bragg   ·   June 24, 2025
New York Comptroller Tom DiNapoli Warns Private Equity Against Union Busting

Letters show how the state’s pension funds are enforcing new labor standards for private equity.

Julia Rock   ·   June 23, 2025
Cuomo Tried to Stop a $550 Million Debt Scam. It Didn’t Go as Planned.

As Attorney General, Andrew Cuomo put fraudulent debt collection firms on notice. He may have strengthened their hand.

Sam Mellins   ·   June 22, 2025
How the Clock Ran Out on One of Albany’s Biggest Environmental Bills

Wrangling over a major bill to cut packaging waste continued until the final hours of the legislative session, assemblymembers said.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   June 19, 2025
She Says She Was Sexually Abused in New York Prisons. Now She’s Fighting the State From Her Hospital Bed

Sierra Johnson is one of nearly 1,600 women who filed claims under the Adult Survivors Act alleging sexual abuse in state prisons.

Jessy Edwards   ·   June 19, 2025
New York Owes $20 Billion in Lost Cash. An Upstart Challenger Says He’ll Give It All Back.

Drew Warshaw is taking on Comptroller Tom DiNapoli with a pledge to repay the entire pot of unclaimed funds as soon as ‘humanly possible.’

Chris Bragg   ·   June 18, 2025
Albany Capitol superimposed over 100 dollar bill money printer
Here’s How to Check If You’re Owed Money in New York

New York is sitting on a $20 billion pot of unclaimed money, and some of it might be yours. Here’s how to see if you’re on the list.

Chris Bragg   ·   June 18, 2025
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