Topics Reporting
Bill to Loosen Education Standards Quietly Circulates in Albany

Yeshivas and other nonpublic schools face a looming deadline to prove they offer an education similar to the state’s public schools. A proposed bill would loosen those rules and potentially delay the deadline.

Bianca Fortis   ·   April 3, 2025
NYPD Stop-and-Frisks Soared in 2024

Officers recorded over 25,000 stops last year, a 50 percent increase over the previous year. Nine in 10 people stopped by the NYPD last year were Black or Latino.

Surina Venkat   ·   April 2, 2025
Trump’s Anti-Trans Order Clashes With New York Law

New York law mandates gender-affirming care — but some hospitals are backing down anyway.

Nathan Porceng   ·   April 2, 2025
Climate Groups Sue Hochul Administration Over Climate Law Backtracking

Environmentalists have long charged that New York is falling short of its climate mandates. Now, they’re taking the state to court.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   March 31, 2025
Trump’s Federal Cuts Push New York Mental Health Programs to Brink of Collapse

Mental health providers are scrambling to prevent mass layoffs and program closures, leaving advocates urging state leaders to step in before it’s too late.

Jie Jenny Zou   ·   March 31, 2025
NYC’s Employee Health Fund Has Hit Zero — What It Means for Public Workers

Longstanding perks like premium-free insurance could be at risk due to a city budget crunch.

Sam Mellins   ·   March 31, 2025
St. Regis Mohawk School at Risk as State Funding Falls Short

Governor Hochul’s budget allocates only a fraction of what the state Board of Regents suggested for three state-owned Indigenous schools.

Bianca Fortis   ·   March 30, 2025
As Deaths Mount in New York Jails and Prisons, Advocates Rally for Oversight

They want to beef up the powerful but little-known State Commission of Correction.

Chris Gelardi   ·   March 29, 2025
‘I’m Doing This for My Friend’: Imprisoned Man Recounts Watching Guards Beat Messiah Nantwi to Death

Nantwi’s cellmate, the only incarcerated witness in the room as guards allegedly killed the 22-year-old, speaks out for the first time.

Chris Gelardi   ·   March 28, 2025
The Behind-the-Scenes Rainmakers of Andrew Cuomo’s Campaign

The campaign has created 64 public fundraising web pages for people to raise money on its behalf. But it didn’t disclose any intermediaries.

Julia Rock and Chris Bragg   ·   March 28, 2025
State Lawmakers Push for $900 Million to Save Child Care Voucher Program

Roughly 60,000 children will lose vouchers over the next year without more funding.

Julia Rock   ·   March 27, 2025
Canceling Subscriptions Could Get Much Easier in New York — If Lawmakers Get Their Way

Governor Kathy Hochul’s proposal to make canceling subscriptions easier would exempt many major companies. The Senate wants to eliminate that loophole.

Sam Mellins   ·   March 27, 2025
New York’s Teacher Misconduct Cases Face Years-Long Delays, Leaving Students in Limbo

A New York Focus investigation finds that the state can take up to seven years to resolve complaints against educators.

Bianca Fortis   ·   March 26, 2025
Food Stamp Theft Could be Much Higher Than Reported, Survey Suggests

Thousands of New Yorkers have had their food benefits stolen. Meanwhile, Congress will likely move forward with major cuts to the lifeline program.

Jie Jenny Zou   ·   March 26, 2025
Trump Freeze Leaves New York Farmers in Limbo

In rural New York, even some Republicans are frustrated as the administration halts $186 million in conservation payments to farmers.

Clara Hemphill   ·   March 25, 2025
A silhouette of an adult and child holding hands over an daycare classroom interrupted by TV static.
What Losing Child Care Would Mean to These Parents

Unless Albany offers more money, tens of thousands of parents in New York City are set to lose child care assistance this year. We spoke to six of them.

Julia Rock   ·   March 24, 2025
Cuomo and Burgos
Cuomo Failed to Disclose Lobbyists Who Bundled Donations

Donors solicited by at least three undisclosed bundlers — Tonio Burgos, Jim Whelan, and Rick Ostroff — were told their gifts would be matched with public funds, despite that being barred by city election law.

Chris Bragg and Julia Rock   ·   March 20, 2025
Governor Kathy Hochul and her health department commissioner James McDonald at a desk
Fraudster-Linked Company Set to Begin Massive Insurance Contract for Home Health Workers

The company used to help employers avoid paying for workers’ benefits. Now it’s slated to administer health insurance for tens of thousands of low-wage New Yorkers.

Sam Mellins   ·   March 20, 2025
The Solidarity PAC logo is superimposed on the sky behind New York City Hall.
Pro-Israel Group Raised Tens of Thousands for NYC Council Candidates

The candidates did not disclose Solidarity PAC’s fundraising role in campaign finance disclosures.

Chris Gelardi and Julia Rock   ·   March 20, 2025
How Eric Adams’s MyCity Portal Became a $100 Million Question Mark

The mayor enlisted an army of contractors to build a one-stop benefits platform. Two years and $100 million later, the website is a skeleton of what it was supposed to be.

Zachary Groz   ·   March 19, 2025