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The image depicts a traffic jam in New York City, with a cluster of yellow taxi cabs at the front.
New Yorkers Are Driving More, Even as Climate Plan Hinges on Driving Less

From New York City to Buffalo, people are driving a lot more than they did before the pandemic.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   September 17, 2024
Solar Companies Scammed Queens Homeowner Into Predatory Loan, Lawsuit Alleges

The retiree says a local rooftop solar company and its partners forged her signature to sign her up for a loan she could not afford.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   September 11, 2024
Three empty seats inside of a wood-paneled hearing room.
Kathy Hochul’s Parole Board Blunders

The governor promised to fill the chronically understaffed Board of Parole. Nearly half of her nominations have ended in disaster.

Chris Gelardi   ·   September 10, 2024
Governor Cuomo signing a bill
Small School Districts Face Costs of Settling Decades-Old Abuse Claims

Hundreds of Child Victims Act cases have been filed against New York schools, some over accused serial offenders that could leave districts with tens of millions of dollars in liability.

Bianca Fortis   ·   September 5, 2024
Hochul reading a piece of paper against the backdrop of energy bills
As Utilities Push for Higher Energy Bills, Will New York Fund the Watchdogs Pushing Back?

New York’s consumer advocacy groups struggle to compete with well-funded utilities and corporations. Lawmakers want to level the playing field.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   August 29, 2024
Donald Trump walking
Trump Plans to Kill Congestion Pricing. Hochul’s Pause Could Let Him.

There are at least three ways a Trump administration could try to stop the transit-funding toll.

Sam Mellins   ·   August 26, 2024
New York State Is Illegally Stalling on Food and Cash Aid Decisions, Lawsuit Charges

More than 53,000 New Yorkers are allegedly facing delays regarding eligibility for benefits.

Julia Rock   ·   August 19, 2024
Senator Proposes $1,000 “Baby Bonus” to Help People Afford to Have Children

Payments for newborns have reduced poverty elsewhere, but are a novel idea in New York.

Julia Rock   ·   August 15, 2024
Watchdog Asks Hochul to Veto Real Estate Tax Break Until It’s Clear If It Works

The Citizens Budget Commission wants the governor to halt a just-passed extension of the Industrial and Commercial Abatement Program so a study of the controversial subsidy can be completed.

Julia Rock   ·   August 13, 2024
Legislators Wrote a Bill in 2023 to Address the Housing Crisis — But Never Got to Vote on It

A newly discovered 80-page housing package would have included good cause eviction, but legislators were dissuaded by Kathy Hochul’s opposition.

Sam Mellins   ·   August 12, 2024
Hochul at a podium
Hochul Punts on How to Reduce Traffic and Pollution in NYC

Hochul says she’s working with the legislature to replace congestion pricing, but key legislators say they aren’t aware of any conversations.

Sam Mellins   ·   August 9, 2024
The New York state Capitol against a wall of code
Hackers Nabbed State Employees’ Credit Card and Social Security Numbers

It’s unclear whether the legislature is taking steps to address its security vulnerabilities.

Sam Mellins   ·   August 6, 2024
A $100 bill behind a transparent photo of an EKG reading.
Deaths Abound in New York’s Jail Infirmaries. So Do Profits.

More counties are turning to private corporations to run medical care in jails. The companies have deadly track records.

Laura Robertson   ·   July 18, 2024
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie at his desk in the state Capitol
The Lobbyist Dating Carl Heastie Was Just Laid Off. He Was Not Pleased.

Rebecca Lamorte was let go by her employer in June, prompting the Assembly Speaker to place an upset call to her boss.

Chris Bragg   ·   July 17, 2024
Kingston Made Rent Law History Two Years Ago. That Was the Easy Part.

For tenants in the first upstate city to adopt rent stabilization, benefiting from the law’s basic protections is an uphill battle.

Emma Whitford and Sam Mellins   ·   July 16, 2024
A sign for the Guthrie Cortland Medical Center
How Upstate Retirees Fought Privatized Health Care And Won

Medicare Advantage plans are spreading across upstate New York, despite a reputation for denying care. In Cortland County, retirees kept it at bay.

Chris Stanton   ·   July 9, 2024
Governor Kathy Hochul at an event
Hochul Waves Away Questions on Congestion Pricing Replacement

After the governor declined to answer questions, a New York Focus reporter was ejected from her event.

Sam Mellins   ·   June 24, 2024
Traffic on a Manhattan street
Hochul Halts Congestion Pricing as Manhattan Traffic Reaches Record High

The constant gridlock is a major drag on Manhattan’s businesses, and source of frustration for commuters. And it’s never been so bad.

Sam Mellins and Colin Kinniburgh   ·   June 12, 2024
A blurred Kathy Hochul
Hochul in Hiding as Congestion Pricing Hangs by a Thread

Since announcing her plan to put the program on ice, the governor has not appeared in public.

Sam Mellins   ·   June 7, 2024
DOL Commissioner Roberta Reardon (red jacket, left) with Governor Kathy Hochul at a Women's Equality Day event in Albany on August 26, 2022.
Hochul Administration Pushes Back Against Unemployment Benefit Overpayment Reform

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.

Maxwell Parrott   ·   June 6, 2024
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