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A voucher ticket shows an image of two children playing with colorful toys. In the background, text from the document, "Making Child Care More Affordable, Accessible and Equitable for New Yorkers."
In Brief: Child Care Assistance

New York has spent more on child care assistance in recent years, but high child care costs continue to drive families out of the state and into poverty.

Julia Rock   ·   February 7, 2025
From a spectator point of view, an iPhone screen held up to a Knicks game. The game is in color on the screen and black-and-white outside of it. The screen shows there dollar signs indicating a gambling profit.
In Brief: Sports Betting in New York

In the last three years, New York has become the sports betting capital of the US.

Julia Rock   ·   January 16, 2025
The image shows a collage with Kathy Hochul in the foreground and grey smokestacks in the background, with dollar signs among the smokestacks.
What is ‘Cap and Invest’?

New York’s plan to put a price on carbon could arrive in 2025. Here’s how it would work.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   January 10, 2025
Photograph of an empty prison cell with the door open, showing an empty bed with no sheets.
In Brief: Why Has New York’s Prison Population Declined?

New York’s faster-than-average decarceration has led to dozens of prison closures.

Chris Gelardi   ·   December 19, 2024
The interior of the New York State Capitol.
In Brief: Why Can’t New York Build an Effective Ethics Agency?

In a state known for scandals, Albany’s ethics enforcement has long been criticized.

Chris Bragg   ·   November 22, 2024
Rows of desks in a classroom with a roll of dollar bills on each desk.
In Brief: What Is Foundation Aid, New York’s School-Funding Formula?

Here’s a simple explanation of a complicated and archaic formula — and why the state is updating it.

Bianca Fortis   ·   November 18, 2024
In Brief: Has New York Built Its Last Fossil Fuel Plant?

Some want New York to rethink its climate mandates. Could new gas plants be on the table?

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   November 5, 2024
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Governor Kathy Hochul, and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins before three tall stacks of paper.
How the New York State Budget Is Made

We answer your questions on the state’s notoriously opaque budget process.

Sam Mellins   ·   March 11, 2024
These Local Agencies Hand Out Over a Billion in Tax Breaks Across New York

What are industrial development agencies?

Arabella Saunders and Julia Rock   ·   March 6, 2024
An upwards-pointing arrow made of a hundred-dollar bill, against a background of an energy bill.
Why Your Energy Bills Are Going Up

New York’s labyrinthine “rate case” process, explained.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   August 7, 2023