A $1,700 Bills suite tab was paid with campaign funds, bipartisan support for clean water funding, and New York’s top court upheld a man’s conviction despite his negligent lawyer.

1 day ago · On the afternoon of Friday, January 17, New York City officials got an unexpected notice from the state. HEAP, the aid program which helps low-income New Yorkers pay their heating bills during the winter, was on the verge of closing, more than two months earlier than usual.. It was a jarring message to receive just before the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

5 days ago · After Trump took office the first time in 2017, then-Governor Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order prohibiting state officials from asking about or disclosing an individual’s immigration status, except in limited circumstances. Hochul reissued the order earlier this month, and her office claims that her recent announcement falls in line with it.

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

15 Jan 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 …

13 Jan 2025 · 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 updated about the subjects they care about between the time it takes to publish our longer, more in-depth articles.

15 Jan 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 driving up costs and pushing people out of the state.

11 Mar 2024 · In the coming weeks, New York’s lawmakers will pass a budget that determines how the state will spend over $230 billion in public money. It’s a massive sum, bigger than most countries’ budgets, and outpacing every other state except California.

7 Jul 2022 · A New Conservative Majority on New York’s Top Court is Upending State Law A new four-judge bloc has consistently voted together in its most recent term, impacting criminal defendants, workers and people suing police.

22 Jun 2023 · New York’s top court finished its term last week, closing out a tumultuous year that saw the court gain a new, left-leaning chief after the state Senate shot down the governor’s first choice for the role. The leadership change raised the possibility that a court previously dominated by a conservative bloc of judges would see a new liberal era.