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NY Lawmakers Say Colleagues Are Stalling Prison Oversight Bill

A push to expand the state’s independent prison oversight body appears to have stalled in the Assembly. The effort comes after Robert Brooks was killed last December while incarcerated at Marcy Correctional Facility. Progressive lawmakers have re-surfaced legislation first introduced four years ago that would triple membership of what they say is the underfunded and […]

NY School Administrators Don’t Back Gov. Hochul’s ‘Bell-to-Bell’ Smartphone Ban

New York’s school boards, superintendents and building administrators aren’t on board with Gov. Kathy Hochul’s plan to prohibit students from using their smartphones during the school day, arguing schools need more flexibility. Hochul’s proposal aims to keep students off their phones from “bell to bell,” meaning all day, including in breaks between classes. But a […]

Gov. Kathy Hochul Wants to “Streamline” NY’s Discovery Law. Some Say She’s Trying to Kill It

Marty Tankleff spent almost 18 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted of murdering his parents as a teenager in their Long Island home. His case turned on an unsigned confession, allegedly coerced but eventually disavowed. But for years, records show, prosecutors in the 1988 slayings case neglected to tell him and his lawyers about […]

Halting Federal Climate Funding Could Raise New Yorkers’ Energy Bills, Comptroller Warns

A new report from the state comptroller warns that New Yorkers’ energy bills could rise if President Donald Trump follows through on his call to pull federal support for some projects related to increasing energy efficiency and reducing the use of fossil fuels. Since 2022, the federal government has awarded nearly $2 billion in funding […]

National Weather Service Suspends ‘Vital’ NY Weather Monitoring After Trump’s Staffing Cuts

Weather forecasts could become less accurate in New York after the National Weather Service recently halted a weather balloon launch in Albany, putting farmers and other industries that rely on weather data at risk, according to climate scientists. The NWS announced last week that it is “temporarily suspending” weather balloon launches in New York’s capital […]

Should Seniors Only be Eligible for Rebate Checks? NY Lawmakers Think So

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s marquee budget proposals are facing new pushback, with top legislators now saying a plan to send rebate checks to taxpayers should only apply to seniors. Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said Democrats who control the chamber believe the planned relief should be more precisely targeted to people who need it. […]

New York Farms and Factories Left Scrambling Amid Uncertainty Around Trump Tariffs

Business leaders in upstate New York say they are bracing for the effects of new tariffs on Canadian products — and they warn that prices will rise if the tariffs actually materialize. Factories would face higher costs for goods like aluminum and wood pulp. Fuel, natural gas and electricity that flow over the borders with […]

Indictment Charges Seven with First-Degree Murder in Alleged Torture Death of Sam Nordquist

Note: The following story contains references to physical and sexual abuse. Seven people accused in the death of 24-year-old Sam Nordquist have been indicted on charges that include first-degree murder. Ontario County officials announced the upgraded charges Wednesday in connection with a brutal death of Minnesota man discovered last month. His body was found last […]

Trump Push to Scuttle CHIPS Act Befuddles New York Leaders

President Donald Trump says lawmakers should “get rid” of a $52 billion program providing subsidies to Micron and other semiconductor investments in New York and across the nation. Trump said during his joint address to Congress on Tuesday night that companies will come without assistance to avoid the tariffs he has begun imposing on foreign […]