![A $100 bill behind a transparent photo of an EKG reading.](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/tVO5AV75G1R_J6jMcHQheSrjdNs7eLBM6d3wCihLPgE/w:600/h:400/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/f:jpg/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9KYWlsLU1lZGljYWwtQ2FyZS1JbGxvLnBuZw.jpg)
More counties are turning to private corporations to run medical care in jails. The companies have deadly track records.
![Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie at his desk in the state Capitol](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/RSLFpS9BlUzLzGiZM4LgvhXzOa_IvRrJjif8u2qPl5M/w:600/h:400/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/f:jpg/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9oZWFzdGllX3NwZWFrZXJfcGxhY2FyZC5qcGVn.jpg)
Rebecca Lamorte was let go by her employer in June, prompting the Assembly Speaker to place an upset call to her boss.
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/YubH6G3yrrWUHY23b--vP5cKN1m6sBuO-6Zr-GpSmxY/w:600/h:400/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/f:jpg/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9jaXptYXppYS1raW5nc3Rvbi1yZW50LXJlZ3VsYXRpb25zLmpwZw.jpg)
For tenants in the first upstate city to adopt rent stabilization, benefiting from the law’s basic protections is an uphill battle.
![A sign for the Guthrie Cortland Medical Center](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/JnhFO3colPD_gwyee3N0o8BIY9rgHQou8r86Utm4QmY/w:600/h:400/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/f:jpg/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9ndXRocmllLWNvcnRsYW5kLW1lZGljYWwtY2VudGVyLmpwZw.jpg)
Medicare Advantage plans are spreading across upstate New York, despite a reputation for denying care. In Cortland County, retirees kept it at bay.
![Governor Kathy Hochul at an event](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/_A46OmTK27BFCM-WJzZbK4DgNRv1e4-8oAHbdnyxf2I/w:600/h:400/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/f:jpg/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9ob2NodWxfY29uZ2VzdGlvbl9wcmljaW5nX3F1ZXN0aW9ucy5qcGc.jpg)
After the governor declined to answer questions, a New York Focus reporter was ejected from her event.
![Traffic on a Manhattan street](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/6cp4T7m3GRJMFBFCPClpZ93tth5kdFc3P_Rncf1FHWA/w:600/h:400/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/f:jpg/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9NYW5oYXR0YW5fY29uZ2VzdGlvbi5qcGc.jpg)
The constant gridlock is a major drag on Manhattan’s businesses, and source of frustration for commuters. And it’s never been so bad.
![A blurred Kathy Hochul](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/2JfwV7CwBQoqAfDAs-u0YgXCW19U7AOigWZUoxwaymU/w:600/h:400/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/f:jpg/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy83XzIwMjQtMDYtMDctMTUxNTA0X2t2dmwuanBn.jpg)
Since announcing her plan to put the program on ice, the governor has not appeared in public.
![DOL Commissioner Roberta Reardon (red jacket, left) with Governor Kathy Hochul at a Women's Equality Day event in Albany on August 26, 2022.](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/_RvCr3JPGbgaZeenO8rgM_qH-HJUPCWtfr2VBryKK3o/w:600/h:400/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/f:jpg/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9yZWFyZG9uLWhvY2h1bC5qcGc.jpg)
No state pursues workers for overpaid unemployment benefits as aggressively as New York. A proposed reform is colliding with New York’s own repayment problem.
![New York State Capitol in front of question marks](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/M6F27FtwFni0zLkJUlsCFTOVh0tMlYp_2-UTkdI-VpM/w:600/h:400/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/f:jpg/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9zZWNyZXQtc2VuYXRlLXdvcmtpbmctcnVsZXMtZ3JvdXAuanBn.jpg)
A secret group of Senate Democrats helped decide the fate of nearly 650 bills over the last month. Just don’t ask any questions.
![Kathy Hochul in front of traffic](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/4R9-ZKRT2zJQoU_sXVWvF51MgEW4LOE__Ks2TUKzsAw/w:600/h:400/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/f:jpg/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9ob2NodWxfY29uZ2VzdGlvbl9wcmljaW5nLmpwZw.jpg)
Lawsuits had threatened to kill congestion pricing. Now, it might take a lawsuit to save it.
![Three men in suits, including former acting prison commissioner Anthony Annucci and acting prison commissioner Daniel Martuscello III, stand at a memorial ceremony in Albany.](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/4QbnWQ65iKnaJFMLIKdzpZktMLrRvf5JGYcUVqAwvKU/w:600/h:400/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/f:jpg/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9tYXJ0dXNjZWxsby1hbm51Y2NpLmpwZw.jpg)
The Senate will consider Daniel Martuscello III’s bid to run New York’s prison and parole agency. His supporters point to his decades of experience. His opponents say that’s the problem.
![Joe Biden talking with reporters in 1994](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/p1yO86jW7AzjV82-TemQuCWJQVmO__gKcOW8jAywEgE/w:600/h:400/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/f:jpg/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9iaWRlbl9jcmltZV9iaWxsLmpwZWc.jpg)
After New York’s top court overturned Harvey Weinstein’s conviction, state lawmakers want to let prosecutors bring evidence from past uncharged sexual assaults.
![Sarahana Shrestha holding a sign that says "Public Power Now"](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/PKPWFvfbKSlB5ME4nfBbOF_DVlXOrtiNzcj6RBpv5ZY/w:600/h:400/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/f:jpg/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9TYXJhaGFuYVNocmVzdGhhX0tpbmdzdG9uUmFsbHlDZW50cmFsSHVkc29uLTEuanBn.jpg)
State lawmakers are set to introduce a sweeping proposal for a public takeover of Central Hudson, the region’s scandal-plagued gas and electric utility.
![An illustration of a McDonalds sign above the New York State Capitol](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/YaVCj_e4AijMZP7ZeToAyYb28AIFBpS9SnJbBFnCPmM/w:600/h:400/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/f:jpg/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9lbXBpcmUtc3RvcnktdmVyc2lvbi0xLmpwZw.jpg)
New Yorkers for Local Businesses has spent half a million dollars trying to kill a bill to help workers recover stolen wages. Almost all its backers appear to own McDonald’s franchises.
![The New York State Department of Labor office in Brooklyn, New York.](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/Yg_6S1ZGRkkQnmBHF41n6W3FBlzThdoiMyg23ryfBUg/w:600/h:400/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/f:jpg/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9kb2wtZXh0ZXJpb3IuanBn.jpg)
In New York, unemployment recipients can be found guilty of fraud even if they thought their information was true. The state demands repayment at the highest rate in the country.
![New York Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie speaking at a press conference in 2021](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/cYePgtDnXliK02ky12dv3BWbsNUSjEtHTTTsWNqMM_k/w:600/h:400/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/f:jpg/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9oZWFzdGllLXByZXNzZXItMjAyMS5qcGc.jpg)
While Heastie privately pledged to avoid meetings with relevant interests, lobbyist Rebecca Lamorte has sought to keep representing them before the Assembly, according to her employer’s attorney.
![A New York City subway on the left, and highway traffic on the right.](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/a6y3tDTHzGOwb_wRMKTaBFNTUIAtfLDbudwOMb4jZWE/w:600/h:400/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/f:jpg/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9pU3RvY2stNTMzOTEwNzkxLmpwZw.jpg)
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law directed billions toward public transit in New York, but the state is choosing to spend billions more on highways.
![A group of people before the judges of the Court of Appeals](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/QUx80aNpIg2gCJPhvuFQc7kXqPMHfzpSl5aWdb8alus/w:600/h:400/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/f:jpg/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9yb3dhbi13aWxzb24tY291cnQtb2YtYXBwZWFscy5qcGc.jpg)
Some Court of Appeals judges are far more likely to grant requests to hear appeals than others, a New York Focus analysis found.
![A collage of book covers, including Richard Wright's Native Son](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/ovvcH1h3w-7irUt9mFtOd6oxOu2vyY01aUIau5n_moE/w:600/h:400/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/f:jpg/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9iYW5uZWRfYm9va3NfY29sbGFnZS5qcGc.jpg)
As book banning sparks outrage in schools and libraries, the censorship of classics like Native Son persists in New York prisons.
![Governor Hochul in a hard hat](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/QhULKMIPqyA8LkHP1X0tAWVo-rkBHU51OnwL51P-j5s/w:600/h:400/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/f:jpg/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy81MTUwMzc3MzIzM19hZWQyODc4OTA0X2guanBn.jpg)
The governor and the Senate have aligned on large swathes of the NY HEAT Act. The Assembly might be ready to move on it, too.