Covering the politics, policies and people of New York State government.
A coalition of watchdog groups is calling for Senate and Assembly hearings on the “failures of the state’s ethics laws” and to assess how New York can restore the confidence of the public in ethics enforcement, while reducing conflicts of interest. In an April 21 letter to legislative leaders, the […]
The coronavirus pandemic has put many of New York’s favorite traditions on hold, such as the New York State Fair, which was shuttered last year for the first time since World War II. But with virus rates continuing to go down, the fair is expected to make a long-awaited return […]
As of late last week, 16 COVID vaccination sites across New York are now accepting walk-in appointments for individuals age 60 and older. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the new walk-in vaccination sites last Wednesday during an event in Yonkers, joining Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Assemblyman Nader Sayegh, Westchester County […]
On April 21, the state Assembly passed bill S.830/A.4448 that would automatically restore voting rights to individuals who were formerly incarcerated, convicted of a felony. The Senate previously passed the bill on Feb. 24. New York is one of the few states that allows people released into community supervision the […]
Gov. Andrew Cuomo is celebrating the lowest COVID-19 positivity rate and the lowest number of hospitalizations since before the start of the holiday season last year. During several appearances access the state this week, Cuomo celebrated the decline of COVID-19 positivity rate and hospitalizations, which have been the lowest since […]
To the Editor, There are many important provisions in this year’s state budget, including record funding for our schools, our environment, and our healthcare system. I want to highlight a budget provision that has not gotten much attention: the property tax circuit breaker, totaling $382 million this year and helping […]
As the spring semester winds down, SUNY colleges reached an important milestone in the battle against COVID-19. SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras announced on April 19 that SUNY campuses have eclipsed two million COVID-19 tests for students, faculty and staff on campus since the beginning of the 2020 fall semester. The […]
I am writing this column just to show that I have been right about Tough Guy Andrew all along. It is so clear that Andrew has done what most of us could not. As his “Tough Guy” appellation suggests, he hangs tough no matter what hell is going on around […]
