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Arabella Saunders is a Report for America corps member covering economic development for New York Focus. Her reporting has also appeared in Vice, HuffPost, DCReport, and The Assembly NC.
![A mostly-empty floor of slot machines at Resorts World Catskills, with one gambler sitting off to the side.](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/X-ndk4w0kAaf1fdsoxGpfIRxUGy-hvHtBGunaJ0ttYg/w:600/h:400/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/f:jpg/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9ydy1jYXNpbm8tZmxvb3IuanBn.jpg)
Legislation to accelerate New York’s casino process copies a lobbying firm’s draft version nearly word for word.
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/wKY52EjuxuooMj9lFizVLwagdu2cCqZogX1JpYNhPG4/w:600/h:400/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/f:jpg/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9kaXN0cmlidXRpb24tY2VudGVyLUlEQS1leHBsYWluZXIucG5n.jpg)
What are industrial development agencies?
![An overhead view shows streets, buildings, trees, and a river in the forested town of Kingston, New York, the Ulster County seat.](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/YAsDwadxUFcs52-_4RMs9DyZ-5LLbVwRAdIw_ukOjc0/w:600/h:400/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/f:jpg/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9raW5nc3Rvbi1hZXJpYWwuanBn.jpg)
The county is ready to restart real estate subsidies after a two-year pause. Residents fear it won’t fix their housing crisis.
![A sign reads "IDAs DRAIN $1.8 BILLION A YEAR FROM NEW YORK SCHOOLS."](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/0op4brTqzO53NycsYhRSumxCx2rA-AnP5rpjB3jDr1o/w:600/h:400/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/f:jpg/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9zaWduLkpQRw.jpg)
When local authorities hand out subsidies, school budgets lose revenue. The state teachers union is now pushing back.
![Window looking into a darkened foreclosed home. A yellow sign says "LENDER FORECLOSURE" and "PUBLIC HOME AUCTION." Smaller paper signs say "Warning No Trespassing" and note a lawn maintenance company.](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/vmpS5-XTaioxILKZHiFNCLtgsakitqGbg4p4qvUIiZU/w:600/h:400/rt:fill/g:fp:0.478:0.2629/q:90/f:jpg/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9mb3JlY2xvc3VyZS5qcGc.jpg)
New York municipalities used to keep the surplus from foreclosed homes sold at auction. Then the Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional.
![New York governor Kathy Hochul kneels in a red suit with a child looking out in distress](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/AtNemPN1FANiwOpNLxjlkx3tsjQiM_f0CNUlZPCxrjs/w:600/h:400/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/f:jpg/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9ob2NodWwtY2hpbGRjYXJlLmpwZw.jpg)
The clock is ticking for the governor to sign or veto a bill to expand child care assistance. Her administration might decide it costs too much — but supporters say their numbers are off.
![Gray poster-style houses over a sepia landscape.](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/gkxCOHuXd3x0x71H47k2IKmcnq_Dko9SvjBxsxOzTvc/w:600/h:400/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/f:jpg/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9pZGEtaG91c2luZ19pbGxvLmpwZw.jpg)
As the governor urges more housing, IDAs are looking to pitch in. Critics say it goes beyond their legal role.
![Sign reads:
Grow your business here!
Town of Riverhead Empire Zone
631-208-0570
www.riverheadzone.com](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/BEsbAmquY-vTxuzfyui7VZMJNADeSYy7ZPI1y4oyl4Y/w:600/h:400/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/f:jpg/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9yaXZlcmhlYWQtdGF4LWZyZWUuanBn.jpg)
A growing local faction is demanding that the IDA be dissolved.
![Resorts World Catskills casino in front of a bright, gray sky](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/C_wkSnuirrRi8M-J6pTXUF8uu-H6gBQEPwbfF25EpWY/w:600/h:400/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/f:jpg/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9ydy1leHRlcmlvci5qcGc.jpg)
With crowds bussed in from New York City, Resorts World Catskills gave a boost to the local economy. What happens when competition moves in downstate?
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A raucous emergency meeting featured escalating alarm, bewilderment, a hot mic, dueling accusations of conflicts of interest, and a dramatic vote with two surprise twists.