NEWSLETTER
 
Claver Campbell sits at her dining table in Queens, New York, September 2024. Colin Kinniburgh
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.
By Colin Kinniburgh

If you’ve scrolled through social media lately, there’s a good chance you’ve seen an ad for rooftop solar. The latest government incentives are so generous, some ads claim, that you can get a new roof for free with the panels — and eliminate your electric bills in the process.

Claver Campbell, a 76-year-old homeowner in Queens, came across one such ad on Facebook about a year ago, she recalled. It promised a new roof and solar panels to qualifying seniors, an appealing proposition for Campbell, who was having a hard time affording her energy bills. She called the listed number and connected with a solar company she’d never heard of, called SUNco. Two days later, a salesperson named Mitchell Sims sat at her dining table, giving a detailed presentation on how much SUNco’s offer could save her. By the end of the day, there was a contract in her email inbox for a 25-year project loan.

More New Yorkers are installing rooftop solar with the hopes of lowering their energy bill, but some aren’t getting what they signed up for. Are you one of them? We’d love to hear your story.

Please fill out our form and include as much information as possible below. (We won’t publish your contact information — we just ask so we can get in touch. Your name and story will only appear publicly with permission.)

 
 
As part of her first State of the State policy agenda in 2022, Governor Kathy Hochul promised to fully staff the board. Her efforts have resulted in one mishap after another. Denis Kuvaev / Canva
The governor promised to fill the chronically understaffed Board of Parole. Nearly half of her nominations have ended in disaster.
By Chris Gelardi

Brandon Stradford was nearly two hours late to his first day as a commissioner on New York’s Board of Parole. He said he’d accidentally slept in.

It was a rocky start to his first high-level government job, and things only got rockier from there. According to testimony from the board’s chair, Stradford would arrive to meetings and parole hearings late, or not at all, without explanation. When he did show up, he sometimes left for long periods. And when he stuck around, he often exhibited “extreme sleepiness,” occasionally dozing off.

He didn’t last long on the parole board, which decides whether to release incarcerated people who’ve hit their minimum prison sentences. Two months into his tenure, which began a year ago, the board placed Stradford on leave. Governor Kathy Hochul approved firing him this past May.

Year after year, teachers in New York have had to fill in the gap left by their schools’ thin budgets for expenses as essential as classroom supplies. New York Focus education reporter Bianca Fortis told Radio Catskill why we’re collecting stories from teachers across the state. 

 
 

Copyright © New York Focus 2024, All rights reserved.
Staying Focused is compiled and written by Alex Arriaga
Contact Alex at alex@nysfocus.com

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