The Reporters’ Notebook features bite-sized stories and updates from New York Focus reporters on the topics they cover. It’s our way of keeping readers informed about the subjects they care about between the time it takes to publish our longer, more in-depth articles.

How One of New York’s First Nonprofit Cannabis Partnerships Went South

In 2022, a year after New York state legalized recreational cannabis, two nonprofits — The Bronx Defenders and the Bronx Community Foundation — teamed up to create a resource for New Yorkers looking to obtain highly coveted state licenses to sell marijuana.

The state had mandated that New Yorkers with prior cannabis convictions be given preference during the industry’s licensing rollout, and the newly formed Bronx Cannabis Hub was an effort to help them take advantage of this new era. US Senator Chuck Schumer said he hoped the hub would “serve as a model” for similar efforts “throughout the country.”

The two nonprofits seemed to work well together: The Bronx Defenders honored the Bronx Foundation’s cofounders, Desmon Lewis and his brother Derrick, at the Defenders’ annual gala fundraiser in October 2022.

But a letter obtained by New York Focus shows the partnership ended less than a year later, when The Bronx Defenders accused Desmon of having an inappropriate business relationship with one of the hub’s clients ...

‘Wasn’t an Isolated Incident’: Black Prison Workers Associations Speak Out on Killing

Associations representing New York prison and parole officers are publicly denouncing the killing of Robert Brooks, the 43-year-old incarcerated man who died last month after prison guards beat him.

In a public statement and an interview with New York Focus, leaders of the state prison and parole branches of the Grand Council of Guardians, a fraternal organization representing Black law enforcement officers in New York, argued that what happened to Brooks is emblematic of violence rife within the prison system.

“The incident wasn’t an isolated incident,” said Rodney Young, a recently retired parole officer and second vice president of the New York State Parole Guardians ...

New York Quietly Publishes Disappointing Emissions Update

In the final days of December, New York released its annual report on statewide greenhouse gas emissions, updated with data from 2022. The report shows that emissions slightly increased that year, as they did the year before, while the state’s economy rebounded from Covid-19 lockdowns.

At 371 million metric tons, the 2022 emissions remained a bit lower than pre-pandemic levels.

In one sense, the increase in 2022 isn’t surprising. US and global emissions followed a similar pattern amid pandemic recovery.

But it also reflects policy choices ...