Topics New York State
Arcane Accounting Rule Is Draining Millions From New York Classrooms

There are nearly 4,000 outstanding claims currently in a queue that stretches back more than a decade.

Bianca Fortis   ·   May 13, 2025
What’s in the 2025 New York State Budget? Here’s Everything You Need to Know.

Our searchable database breaks down what was proposed and what made it in this year’s budget among key topics like education, family policy, criminal justice, climate, and more.

New York Focus   ·   May 10, 2025
The State Is Making New York City Spend $275 Million More for Child Care Vouchers

The state budget, finalized this week, increased the spending requirement on the city for the first time since the 1990s.

Julia Rock   ·   May 9, 2025
Photo montage showing NY Governor Kathy Hochul speaking on April 28 against a greyed-out backdrop of solar panels and a wind turbine.
State Budget Goes Small On Climate

New York’s budget includes $1 billion for climate action — a record amount, but less than the state was supposed to raise by charging polluters.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   May 9, 2025
State Budget is a Mixed Bag for Social Services Amid Barrage of Federal Cuts

The final budget stops short of what legislators and advocates hoped for and appears to reflect more of Governor Hochul’s funding priorities.

Jie Jenny Zou   ·   May 9, 2025
Albany’s Blueprint for Schools: Cell‑Free Halls, Looser Yeshiva Rules, New Aid Math

Hochul’s budget includes $37 billion for education, but the state Education Department is slamming one policy change as “educational malpractice” and a political retreat.

Bianca Fortis   ·   May 9, 2025
New York Will Boost Unemployment Benefits, Labor and Businesses Celebrate

The state will spend $8 billion to pay off its debt to the feds and increase unemployment benefits for the first time in six years.

Julia Rock   ·   May 8, 2025
State Budget Will End Subscription Traps, Making It Easier to Cancel Cable or Streaming Services

The final budget excludes a loophole that would have exempted corporate giants like Spotify and Amazon, after New York Focus reported on the carveout in February.

Sam Mellins   ·   May 7, 2025
A bulldozer sits on top of a landfill full of trash.
Chemical Industry Redoubles Campaign Against New York Waste Bill

A national trade group has nearly doubled its spending in Albany since the packaging reduction bill was introduced and taken out attack ads on Democrats in swing districts.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   May 6, 2025
5 Key Takeaways: How Yonkers Mayor’s Family Profited from His Administration

Nick Spano went from prison sentence to multimillion-dollar lobbying comeback.

Chris Bragg   ·   May 5, 2025
A school corridor lined with yellow lockers is distorted as though underwater.
New York’s School Districts Are Shrinking — But Their Financial Problems Are Growing

New York’s comptroller has flagged 22 school districts as fiscally stressed — up sharply from last year.

Bianca Fortis   ·   May 2, 2025
Marchers in lower Manhattan stage a "die-in" on March 15 to protest proposed cuts to Medicaid.
Medicaid Cutbacks Could Trigger Healthcare Crisis for Millions in New York

From preventive screenings to addiction treatment, critical care hangs in the balance for millions of New Yorkers relying on Medicaid.

Clara Hemphill   ·   May 1, 2025
Photo collage of a desk with a notepad and voice recorder in a newsroom.
Health Execs’ Charity Gave Away Millions. Don’t Ask Where it Went.

The Modim Foundation is tied to a health insurer that will begin providing coverage to thousands of New York’s home health aides in May. It refuses to disclose where its gifts go, in a violation of tax law.

Sam Mellins   ·   May 1, 2025
For a Yonkers Political Dynasty, a Succession of Blurred Lines

Mayor Mike Spano has stated his administration has not been lobbied by his powerful brother’s firm. Emails indicate otherwise.

Chris Bragg   ·   April 30, 2025
An insurance claim has first been stamped "approved," but then stamped "denied."
Home Health Aides Are Getting New Insurance Coverage — From a Company With a History of Cutting It Off

Health insurer Leading Edge once tried to cancel a coma patient’s insurance and, in another case, retracted approval for surgery after the bill arrived.

Sam Mellins   ·   April 28, 2025
Three NYSIC gang member identification documents appear scattered on a desk.
When People Become Data Points

This week was data-focused, as our reporters documented lengthy mental health wait times and a secretive gang database that feeds directly to the Trump administration.

Alex Arriaga   ·   April 26, 2025
Three NYSIC gang member identification documents appear scattered on a desk.
The New York State Police Are Feeding ICE a Gang Database

For 20 years, the state police have been quietly building a database of suspected gang members — and they’re feeding it to Donald Trump’s administration.

Chris Gelardi   ·   April 23, 2025
Thousands Wait for Long-Term Help While Hochul Pushes Involuntary Commitment

In some counties, the waitlist for state-funded mental health treatment programs can exceed two years.

Julia Rock and Chris Gelardi   ·   April 22, 2025
Prison Agency Is Considering Invoking Bogus Emergencies to Skirt Solitary Reforms, Lawsuit Alleges

The lawsuit reveals that DOCCS is considering pausing solitary confinement law on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and any other day designated by the commissioner.

Chris Gelardi   ·   April 18, 2025
Trump’s China Tariffs Hit New York’s Clean Heat Experiment

The country’s biggest public housing authority is counting on a Chinese company to supply thousands of new energy-saving window heat pumps.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   April 15, 2025