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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
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
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
Photo collage of Governor Kathy Hochul signing papers in front of the Capitol Building in Albany.
Here’s Every Bill That Kathy Hochul Vetoed in 2024

One hundred and twenty-four laws that almost were.

New York Focus   ·   January 3, 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
Photo of Chris Bragg in front of a photo of the Capitol Building in Albany.
Albany Love, Secret Meetings, and Powerful Interests: 2024 in Review

Chris Bragg, New York Focus’s Albany bureau chief, reflects on how even the most familiar topics brought new twists to his coverage in 2024.

Chris Bragg   ·   December 29, 2024
Photograph of Julia Rock in front of a photo of a power plant.
Climate Change, Child Poverty, and a Whirlwind Tour of New York Policymaking: 2024 in Review

New York Focus reporter Julia Rock reflects on her varied coverage of state policy in an end-of-year wrapup.

Julia Rock   ·   December 28, 2024
New York’s Climate Law, Traffic Congestion, and a Second Trump Term: 2024 in Review

New York Focus climate reporter Colin Kinniburgh reflects on his environmental coverage over the past year and what’s coming on the beat in 2025.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   December 27, 2024
New York’s Jails, Police, and Parole Boards: 2024 in Review

New York Focus reporter Chris Gelardi reflects on the criminal justice reporting that shined light on overlooked agencies and shady practices in 2024.

Chris Gelardi   ·   December 26, 2024
Black and white photo of three smokestacks overlaid with a diagonal yellow dotted line corresponding to modeled data of emissions decreases in New York State.
New York May Finally Put a Price on Pollution in 2025

The state is due to unveil a “cap and invest” program — its biggest effort yet to fund climate initiatives. But fears about hiking prices may limit its scope.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   December 23, 2024
Photograph of Sam Mellins in front of a photo of Route 17 in New York, showing signs to Scranton and Syracuse.
New York’s Secret Senate, Highway Love, and Political Machines: 2024 in Review

New York Focus reporter Sam Mellins reflects on what he learned this year, and teases what lies ahead for 2025.

Sam Mellins   ·   December 23, 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 Kathy Hochul hugging a young child, background image of tax forms.
New York State Council Issues Child Poverty Recommendations

An advisory group set up under a 2021 state law finalized its proposals to cut child poverty in half.

Julia Rock   ·   December 20, 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
A row of electric Lion school buses charge at a row of charging stations.
‘In a Bind’: Some New Yorkers Reject Transition to Electric School Buses, Despite Mandate

New York’s push for electric school buses by 2027 has districts across the state struggling with voter approval and funding.

Bianca Fortis   ·   December 18, 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
Warehouse workers remove packages from shelves.
Hochul Weighs Warehouse Safety Bill as Injuries Continue to Climb

The Business Council, whose members include major warehouse owners UPS and Amazon, is pressing Governor Kathy Hochul to veto or amend the bill.

Julia Rock   ·   December 13, 2024
A black and white photo of the state Assembly chamber with yellow highlighting several empty seats.
Brain Drain: Key Assembly Staff Positions Sit Vacant as Pay Stagnates

Much of Albany’s lawmaking process is controlled by a platoon of mostly young, low-paid employees who craft policy ideas into potential laws. And they’re turning over in droves.

Sam Mellins   ·   December 11, 2024
Photo collage from events New York Focus hosted across our four listening sessions. Photos in the collage show community members smiling at one another, journalists listening intently while participants speak, and speakers gesturing with their hands.
What New Yorkers Want From Local News

New York Focus traveled across the state to meet with communities about their local news needs.

Alex Arriaga and Kate Harloe   ·   December 11, 2024
Governors Kathy Hochul and Josh Shapiro spliced together
Josh Shapiro Is Using Highway Money to Save Mass Transit. Could Hochul Follow?

New York has a little-noticed tool to shift billions of highway dollars to climate-friendly public transit projects. The governor doesn’t seem interested.

Sam Mellins   ·   December 9, 2024
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