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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