Covering the politics, policies and people of New York State government.
Following Gov. Kathy Hochul’s budget proposal that could create new charter schools in New York City, a poll commissioned by the state’s largest teachers unions indicates there is little public support for the idea. The poll conducted by Hart Research Associates for the New York State United Teachers and the […]
On Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, state legislators joined student advocates outside the state Senate chamber to show support for a bill that would create public banks in the state of New York. “I am here with the best people money can’t buy,” said Sen. James Sanders Jr., D-Queens, who chairs […]
On Valentine’s Day, United University Professions leaders and supporters will be in Albany for a day-long lobbying effort called “Love Your SUNY.” SUNY professors, students, staff and supporters are calling for a “fully-invested” SUNY fund in the 2024 FY budget. “The Executive Budget, if enacted, would be a flat budget […]
State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa testified before the Legislature’s Joint Budget Committee on Wednesday Feb. 8, where she stressed the importance of early childhood education, advanced high school classes and vocational programs. This was the third of the New York State Legislature’s 2023 Joint Budget hearings, which focused on issues […]
On Thursday, Feb. 2 — 24 hours after unveiling her 2024 FY budget — Gov. Kathy Hochul spoke at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, breaking down her $1 billion plan to set an adequate standard of mental health care in New York state. “This is the […]
I have been writing columns for many years. One such column was meant to be statewide in New York and the other a local Berkshires column. We are talking so many years that I really don’t remember when it all started. I am now, incredibly, 81 years old. I have […]
Earlier today at the Convention Center in Albany, Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado was the keynote speaker at the fourteenth annual Stand Up For Recovery Day. This was the first in-person Albany lobbying and advocacy day that Friends Of Recovery – New York have hosted since the pandemic. Stand Up For […]
Echoing through the Million Dollar Staircase in the State Capitol on Tuesday, passers-by heard only one thing; “WHAT DO WE WANT? TREATMENT NOT JAIL! WHEN DO WE WANT IT? NOW!” The rallying cries expressed passionate support for a bill introduced by Sen. Jessica Ramos; the Treatment Not Jail Bill […]