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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
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
Hochul and Senate Clash on Public Power, With Utility Workers on Sidelines
The New York Power Authority manages resources built half a century ago. But a plan to make it the vanguard of clean energy could be hamstrung by labor-environmentalist divisions.
Lee Harris   ·   February 16, 2023
Hochul Ditched Promise of Health Insurance for Undocumented People. She Could Cost New York $500 Million.
The move will leave tens of thousands of undocumented New Yorkers uninsured.
Sam Mellins   ·   February 9, 2023
Kathy Hochul Bets Half a Billion on Horse Racing. Will the Industry Pay Her Back?
New York’s biggest racetracks have been declining for decades. They’ll likely need more state subsidies to cover their debts.
Sam Mellins   ·   February 7, 2023
How Hochul Plans to Build Hundreds of Thousands of Homes Near Train Stations
The governor’s proposal for “transit-oriented development” has so far gotten a mixed reception from suburban legislators, who killed a similar plan last year.
Sam Mellins   ·   February 2, 2023
Hochul’s New Bail Reform Plan Would Reverse Decades-Old Protections
Long before 2019, New York law mandated that judges setting bail consider only a person’s likelihood of returning to court. Hochul’s proposal would strip that limit.
Chris Gelardi   ·   February 1, 2023
What Kathy Hochul’s Budget Tells Us About New York’s Cap-and-Invest Plan
And what it doesn’t.
Colin Kinniburgh   ·   February 1, 2023
Kathy Hochul Calls for ‘Cap and Invest’ to Slash Emissions
The idea is winning over skeptics. Will the harmony last when it’s time to hammer out the details?
Colin Kinniburgh   ·   January 11, 2023
Hochul Vetoed Water Protection Bill Because New York Lacks the Staff to Enforce It
Two years ago, Andrew Cuomo vetoed a clean water bill, citing staff cuts. Last Friday, Kathy Hochul used the same argument to turn it down again.
Colin Kinniburgh   ·   December 15, 2022
Here’s Every Bill Hochul Hasn’t Signed
The governor has three weeks and 265 potential laws to consider. New York Focus compiled them all.
New York Focus   ·   December 12, 2022
The Cap-and-Trade Fight Comes to New York
While the state climate council weighs a “cap-and-invest” program, environmental justice groups are pressing for new taxes on the rich and the polluters.
Colin Kinniburgh   ·   December 5, 2022
The Private Equity ‘Black Box’ Pours New York Pensions Touting Divestment Into Fossil Fuels
Routing $500 million through a Blackstone fund, the New York State Common Retirement Fund is among the largest investors in a notorious Ohio coal plant.
Lilah Burke   ·   November 30, 2022
Mayor Issues Ultimatum on Retiree Health Care, Seeking End to Standoff
The City Council must enable budget-cutting new health insurance options for retirees, warns Eric Adams’s chief labor negotiator — or City Hall will eliminate existing insurance plans.
Sam Mellins   ·   October 31, 2022
Most of New York Gas Tax Holiday Savings Don’t Go to New Yorkers, Analysis Finds
Out of every dollar the gas tax suspension costs the state, less than 50 cents are going into New Yorkers’ pockets.
Colin Kinniburgh   ·   October 26, 2022
Community Health Clinics Set to Lose Critical $100 Million Funding Stream
A little-known federal initiative, the 340B Drug Pricing Program, supports services that wouldn’t otherwise get reimbursed.
Aviva Stahl   ·   October 4, 2022
Understaffing Threatens to Slow New York Climate Plans
Renewable energy developers are hungry to build in New York, but staffing at the bodies charged with managing the process hasn’t kept up.
Colin Kinniburgh   ·   September 29, 2022
Home Care Workers Battle Their Own Union on 24-Hour Shifts
1199 SIEU says it wants to end 24-hour shifts - but it has opposed city and state bills that would do so, and some question the sincerity of its objections.
Maxwell Parrott   ·   September 28, 2022
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