New York government is notoriously corrupt. Decisions that impact all of our lives are often made during backroom deals, with little public input.

Jan 15, 2025 · But the bigger news was what Hochul didn’t include: a plan to move ahead this year with cap and invest, the flagship climate funding program she has promised for the last two years.Instead, in the briefing book accompanying her speech, Hochul appeared to further delay the program, once again calling into question New York’s ability to deliver on its climate law.

New York Focus is an independent nonprofit newsroom investigating power in the Empire State. Launched in October 2020, New York Focus publishes in-depth journalism that explains how the state really works.

1 day ago · Pricey Bar Tab at Probed Bills Game. For over a year, state ethics regulators have been investigating a complaint alleging that New York’s top politicians and lobbyists — including Governor Kathy Hochul, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, and Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes — abused their power while attending an NFL game in 2023.. Now, records obtained by New York Focus ...

Dec 18, 2024 · Districts can also try to include the buses in their annual budgets. About 80 percent of those attempts have been successful this year, according to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, or NYSERDA, the agency charged with assisting districts with the transition.. Many district leaders, especially those in rural areas, say their communities believe the state is rushing ...

Jan 15, 2025 · When it comes to housing, Governor Kathy Hochul has been banging on the same drum for years: New York isn’t building enough. In public appearances and interviews, she has repeatedly emphasized that New York’s housing shortage is …

Jan 15, 2025 · But public defenders worry that Hochul’s changes would gut the heart of discovery reform. “The governor’s proposal would allow prosecutors to disregard these timeframes in every single case, move forward without providing all of the evidence, and shift the burden to the defense to request evidence in order to obtain it,” said Eli Northrup, criminal defense policy director for The Bronx ...

Jan 15, 2025 · New York has among the highest child poverty rates in the country, with nearly one in five kids living in poverty. That number fell by more than 40 percent when the federal child tax credit was temporarily expanded in 2021, but increased again when the measure expired.. The state’s Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council, set up by a 2021 state law to cut child poverty in half, recently ...

Jan 17, 2025 · New York government is notoriously corrupt. Decisions that impact all of our lives are often made during backroom deals, with little public input.

Dec 11, 2024 · Here are our key findings: New Yorkers are eager for change. Residents explained that the decline of local news has left a major hole when it comes to finding basic civic information about municipal, town, village, county, and even state government.