Topics New York City
Staying Focused
Sign up for our free newsletter, and we'll make sure you never miss a beat.
Photo collage of a desk with a notepad and voice recorder in a newsroom.
Reporters’ Notebook: Covering Governor Hochul’s 2025 State of the State

Our team will be descending upon Albany on Tuesday. Here’s what they’ll be watching.

New York Focus   ·   January 13, 2025
Photo collage of a desk with a notepad and voice recorder in a newsroom.
Reporters’ Notebook: Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Cannabis Connections, and Prison Abuse

Updates about an increase in emissions, violence within New York’s prison system, and a breakup of two nonprofits over cannabis in NYC.

Sam Mellins, Chris Gelardi and Colin Kinniburgh   ·   January 9, 2025
Brandon Bishunauth sits for a portrait inside his family's home.
Five Key Takeaways From Our Investigation Into the Queens Surrogate’s Court

Here are the major findings from a months-long investigation into what allegedly takes place inside the Queens Supreme Courthouse.

Chris Bragg   ·   January 7, 2025
The Queens Supreme Courthouse houses the Surrogate's Court, where Brandon Bishunauth's court case has played out over the past two years.
In Fight Over Fortune, a Young Man Takes on the Kingmakers of Queens

Brandon Bishunauth is an unlikely candidate to pick a fight with a bastion of old-time machine politics.

Chris Bragg   ·   January 6, 2025
Trump’s Education Priorities, Foundation Aid, and Mayoral Control: 2024 in Review

New York Focus education reporter Bianca Fortis reflects on the most important education stories in New York this year, and what to keep an eye on next year.

Bianca Fortis   ·   December 30, 2024
A collage of a Rochester police car overlayed on the Rochester skyline.
Rochester Cops Were Offered Training on Discredited Diagnosis Connected to Daniel Prude’s Killing

A newly obtained document sheds light on how the disavowed diagnosis infiltrated the Rochester Police Department before Prude’s death.

Chris Gelardi   ·   December 21, 2024
Photo collage of an injured worker - two other people are bandaging their arm up. A calendar showing several months in a year in the background.
New York City Delays the Most Workers’ Comp Insurance Claims in the State

The NYC Law Department, which runs the city’s insurance program, has been cited over 10,000 times for legal infractions each year since the pandemic.

Maxwell Parrott   ·   December 19, 2024
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 Bronx Community Foundation, Established to ‘Eradicate Inequity,’ Faces Turmoil

The foundation offered few explanations for its hefty spending on overhead, or what it’s doing with millions in government grants.

Sam Mellins   ·   December 16, 2024
A photo collage, photo of smoke billowing above trees in Jennings Creek layered over an photo of brush on fire.
New York Isn’t Ready to Fight More Wildfires

New York could see more frequent and destructive blazes, but the state doesn’t have enough forest rangers and firefighters to respond to the growing threat.

Nathan Porceng   ·   November 26, 2024
A photo illustration showing the New York Stock Exchange building and the street sign for Wall Street.
Why’s a Finance Titan Dropping $1 Million on Bronx Elections?

The whole thing is just — weird.

Sam Mellins   ·   November 25, 2024
Photo of 3057 Coney Island Avenue.
Eric Adams, the Erdogan Family, and a Brooklyn Medical Fraud Hotspot

One Brighton Beach property connects political donations, Medicaid scams, and a Turkish charity

Will Bredderman   ·   November 21, 2024
Photo collage of Donald Trump in front of school desks, with a map of New York state in the background.
What Trump’s Second Term Could Mean for New York Schools

A review of Trump’s first term, along with his campaign promises and details found within Project 2025, indicate what’s to come in New York.

Bianca Fortis   ·   November 20, 2024
A collage with the background image of three wind turbines in the ocean. Overlayed is an image of President-elect Donald Trump with his fist in the air.
Donald Trump Could Blow a Big Hole in New York’s Climate Plan

Offshore wind is crucial to the state’s plans for cleaning up its electric grid, and construction is already behind schedule. The incoming president could slow it down a whole lot more.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   November 19, 2024
We Investigated the Bronx Democratic Party. Here’s What We Learned.

Our reporting spurred the disclosure of millions in spending and illuminated the networks behind the Bronx political machine.

Sam Mellins and Chris Bragg   ·   November 15, 2024
A roll of "I Voted" stickers
How Low Voter Turnout Helped Trump Gain Ground in New York

Trump picked up some votes in New York this year. But Democrats lost far more.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   November 9, 2024
A photo illustration showing President Donald Trump and NYC Mayor Eric Adams with backgrounds of the White House and Albany Capitol Building.
A Weak Showing From Harris, a Strong One from Congressional Dems, and a Win for Abortion Access: How New Yorkers Voted

Last month, we asked five questions about what would happen in the election. Here are the answers.

Sam Mellins and Chris Bragg   ·   November 6, 2024
State Senator Jamaal Bailey is shown during a senate session at the NY State Capitol in 2019.
Payday: Bronx Dems Spent Nearly $300,000 on Consultancy Tied to Party Chair Jamaal Bailey

It’s not clear what the money was used for in a county where Democrats outnumber Republicans ten-to-one.

Sam Mellins and Chris Bragg   ·   October 24, 2024
The word "fixed" is overlaid on top of a Bronx city skyline with a background of $20 bills.
Oh, There It Is! Bronx Dems Fix Disclosure Failure After New York Focus Reporting.

The disclosures included over a dozen missing or incomplete reports covering a period of more than four years.

Sam Mellins and Chris Bragg   ·   October 22, 2024
Law Firm Receiving Lucrative Contracts Has Donated to Mayoral Candidate Brad Lander

Pomerantz LLP attorneys have donated to comptroller candidates for decades, highlighting a loophole in rules meant to keep government contractors from spending in city elections.

Julia Rock   ·   October 21, 2024
1 2 3 4 5