Covering the politics, policies and people of New York State government.
After a month-long delay, Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday announced a “conceptual agreement” on a $229 billion state budget for the 2024 fiscal year. The budget would hold State Operating Funds spending to under 3 percent in the coming fiscal year and would increase the state’s reserves to 15 percent, […]
New York continues to lag the nation in job recovery but creating the new profession of “career criminal” is not the answer. Crime across the state, and particularly in New York City, has become completely entrenched in our daily lives. While the Assembly Minority Conference continues to push our counterparts […]
Courage for America — a group of military veterans, educators, faith leaders, and community leaders from across the country who are pushing back against the far-right Make America Great Again agenda — stopped in Albany on Wednesday, April 12 to urge Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, and other MAGA Republican House […]
In observance of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, New York State is using the last Wednesday of April — April 26 — to recognize Denim Day, which was created in 1999. It began when a young woman in Italy was denied justice after the Italian Supreme Court stated that since “the […]
Gov. Kathy Hochul has granted clemency to seven individuals, including five pardons and two commutations, noting the individuals have demonstrated remorse, exemplified rehabilitation and displayed “a commitment to improving themselves and their communities.” One commutation includes a reduced sentence for an individual originally convicted under the Rockefeller Drug Laws who […]
State University of New York Chancellor John King announced on Tuesday, April 11 that the mandate for student COVID-19 vaccine requirements will be lifted in tandem with President Joe Biden’s announcement the previous day that the country is no longer in a state of national emergency. Though the vaccine is […]
On March 8 — International Women’s Day — the group One Fair Wage held a flash mob and rally to increase tipped workers’ wages in the state Capitol. Restaurant workers and their supporters orchestrated a 75-person flash mob as part of a rally on wages at the Million Dollar Staircase […]
A new Siena poll of New York state residents released Wednesday April 12 shows that 70 percent of New Yorkers are happy they live here, while 30 percent wish they lived somewhere else. In relation to that, 71 percent plan to continue to live in New York five years from […]