New York's tourism industry has rebounded in a big way since pandemic lockdowns began more than four years ago, according to a new state report on travel released ahead of an extended Fourth of July weekend.

An analysis of travel by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli found people are visiting New York state close to pre-2020 levels. But there are still some challenges to face.

Whether New Yorkers are buying a new outfit for a special occasion at a local boutique, or getting everyday food items from area grocers, they rely on small businesses. Yet many of those businesses face challenges, and need support to stay afloat.

"Things are going in the wrong direction, particularly for independent retailers," said Ashley Ranslow, New York state director of the National Federation of Independent Business.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation into law Wednesday aimed to increase access to state parks by removing potential financial and regulatory barriers.

One bill prohibits the mandated use of credit cards as a means of payment for use of its facilities. The governor’s office said while credit cards offer convenience, not everyone has access to them.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has nominated James Caras, most recently the special counsel to the current speaker of the New York City Council, to sit on the state’s ethics watchdog panel, her office announced Wednesday.

As a nominee to the Commission on Ethics in Lobbying in Government, Caras will be presented to the Independent Review Committee, which is composed of the deans of New York’s law schools, to review his qualifications.

A legal expert on Wednesday criticized the Supreme Court's decision regarding presidential immunity, saying he believes many Americans are “disappointed” by the ruling.

The high court's conservative majority on Tuesday ruled that former presidents are shielded from prosecution for official acts within their "exclusive sphere of constitutional authority." The decision means that presidents hold immunity for official actions, but not for personal or unofficial activities.

Liz Urbanski-Farrell has spent a career in the U.S. and elsewhere trying to change the health outcomes of people who live in rural areas.

As the new executive director of the New York state Association for Rural Health, she told Capital Tonight that 44 of New York state’s 63 counties are either partly or fully rural, a number that comprises 85% of the state, including enormous swaths of upstate.

Employers across the state want Gov. Kathy Hochul and federal officials to implement an expected new tax on health providers in a way that will not lead to increased insurance premiums for New Yorkers after it takes effect.

The last budget created a new tax on Managed Care Organizations, which the state Health Department pays for Medicaid services. New York lawmakers decided to cash in on a loophole that other U.S. states like California have used to generate billions of additional dollars in federal Medicaid reimbursements to support health providers.

BUFFALO, N.Y. - Following the 2020 presidential election and the Jan. 6 riots, social media companies began stepping up moderation of content they considered misleading or harmful.

University at Buffalo Political Scientist Shawn Donahue said not long after, some states began passing laws to push back.

New Yorkers can start call I-90 the "semiconductor superhighway." Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer already is after announcing a $40 million investment through the CHIPS Act that is coming to the state.

“In a few years, a quarter of all the chips manufactured in the United States will be along this corridor. Is that amazing?" Schumer said. "Not just a quarter of New York’s, but a quarter of all those in the United States of America. This is great.”

The judge in former President Donald Trump's Manhattan criminal hush money trial has delayed his sentencing until at least Sept. 18 as Trump seeks to have the conviction overturned following a Supreme Court ruling that granted broad immunity protections to presidents.

Judge Juan M. Merchan postponed the July 11 sentencing date after prosecutors with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office said earlier on Tuesday they would be open to a delay in order to file a response to Trump’s motions.

As of the end of last year, 1,200 children have been successfully recovered through AMBER Alerts nationwide. But high-profile AMBER Alert cases in the Capital Region in the last year have sparked questions about how the system works, the length of time it can take to activate an AMBER Alert and if changes are necessary.

This past spring, an AMBER Alert was activated after the disappearance of a 10-month-old girl in Schenectady. It was later canceled, and law enforcement allege the baby died as a result of her mother's actions.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul plans to run for another term as governor in 2026, she told reporters Tuesday at an event in New York City.

While answering questions at an event at Riverbank State Park on summer recreation, Hochul said she is running for another term two years from now and also plans to keep Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado on the ticket.

Ending Parkinson's disease — they are words that those who live with the progressive brain disorder have been waiting to hear. While there is no cure available yet, public officials say they have a plan to hopefully set us on the right path.

More than a million Americans are believed to be living with Parkinson’s disease, and now the federal government for the first time is making a coordinated effort to try to prevent and cure the progressive brain disorder.

Rudolph Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, federal prosecutor and legal adviser to Donald Trump, was disbarred in the state on Tuesday after a court found he repeatedly made false statements about Donald Trump's 2020 election loss.

A New York appeals court in Manhattan ruled that Giuliani be “disbarred from the practice of law, effective immediately, and until the further order of this Court, and his name stricken from the roll of attorneys and counselors-at-law in the State of New York.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration said Tuesday that it was providing $504 million in implementation grants for a dozen technology hubs in Ohio, Montana, Nevada and Florida, among other locations.

The money would support the development of quantum computing, biomanufacturing, lithium batteries, computer chips, personal medicine and other technologies.

Donald Trump’s lawyers on Monday asked the New York judge who presided over his hush money trial to set aside his conviction and delay his sentencing, scheduled for next week.

The letter to Judge Juan M. Merchan cited the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling earlier Monday and asked the judge to delay Trump’s sentencing while he weighs the high court’s decision and how it could influence the New York case, according to the letter obtained by The Associated Press.

Good-government groups want New York lawmakers to open up the state's primary elections after unofficial results from last week's primary show less than a quarter of eligible voters participated across the state.

An average of 15% of voters in each district participated in 44 local, state and federal primary contests last Tuesday, according to state Board of Elections data.

The Supreme Court weighed in on former President Donald Trump’s claims of immunity against prosecution when it comes to allegations that he tried to overturn the 2020 election.

The ruling, written by Chief Justice John Roberts, is confusing, with Roberts writing on one hand, that “Trump asserts a far broader immunity than the limited one we have recognized," and on the other hand, that “Trump is… absolutely immune from prosecution for the alleged conduct involving his discussions with Justice Department officials” about the 2020 election.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Of the 90 candidates who ran in state Legislature primaries last week, 75 opted in to the state's new public campaign financing system.

New York Public Interest Research Group Executive Director Blair Horner said, as usual, incumbents were largely successful in protecting their lines.

With the city budget finalized, Mayor Eric Adams is now in celebration mode.

On Monday, Adams highlighted the return of seven-day service to the city’s libraries.

Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, is suing Fox News over the right-wing network’s 2022 mock trial series “The Trial of Hunter Biden” under New York’s revenge porn law, according to a court filing on Monday.

Hunter Biden’s attorneys argued in the filing that Fox News and its parent company “targeted Mr. Biden in an effort to harass, annoy, alarm, and humiliate him, and tarnish his reputation” and used “non consensual intimate images” in violation of New York state law.

The "How Many Stops Act," which requires officers to record the race, age and gender of the civilians they approach during investigative encounters, has officially taken effect.

The City Council passed the legislation back in December. Mayor Eric Adams vetoed the bill, but lawmakers overrode his decision a few weeks later.

New York City and upstate county leaders clarified plans Thursday to relocate more than 1,500 migrants living in upstate hotels by the end of the year.

Mayor Eric Adams' Chief of Staff Camille Joseph Varlack and officials in the city's Office of Asylum Seekers Operations held a 45-minute remote meeting with New York State Association of Counties and leaders of counties housing migrants not under a resettlement program.

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday signed a bill to form a land authority tasked with finding new purposes for several properties owned by the former College of Saint Rose in the Pine Hill neighborhood of Albany, according to the state Senate.

The legislation creates the Albany County Pine Hills Land Authority Act to help redevelop dozens of properties left vacant by the recent closure of the more than 100-year-old college, which held its final graduation ceremony this spring.

With only two days left on the clock, the mayor and the City Council finally reached a deal on the city budget.

Mayor Eric Adams and Council Speaker Adrienne Adams shook hands over their $112 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

AMHERST, N.Y. — In 1983, the United States was in the midst of the Cold War, Phillips introduced the compact disc and Return of the Jedi topped the box office.

It was also the year New York set a minimum interest rate counties must charge for delinquent property taxes at 12% based on the federal prime rate at the time. State Sen. Sean Ryan, D-Buffalo, said while that rate hasn't exceeded 12% since October 1984, the law has remained the same.

Joe Biden and Donald Trump were in the same room Thursday night for the first time in four years. The last time the two were in the same room was during the final debate of the 2020 cycle.

While the CNN debate was much less chaotic than four years ago, by many accounts, Joe Biden didn’t accomplish the one thing he needed to accomplish: Reassure the American people he’s not too old to be president. While Trump appeared more forceful, his responses were riddled with falsehoods and exaggerations.

The influential, left-leaning New York Working Families Party had a mixed night on Tuesday. While firebrand and progressive up-and-comer Rep. Jamaal Bowman lost his primary to more moderate George Latimer in New York's 16th Congressional District, the party’s other incumbents retained their seats, plus they racked up several Assembly primary wins.

At the same time, the Working Families Party line may be being used by Republicans to trip up another congressional candidate in the Hudson Valley: former Rep. Mondaire Jones, with whom the WFP has a love-hate relationship with since he endorsed George Latimer.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- It's a scenario few pet owners want to imagine but is common nonetheless.

Like people, pets have health emergencies. New York State Veterinary Medical Society Executive Director Tim Atkinson said medicine and technology has become very sophisticated but that also means it comes at a cost.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday threw a wrench into the complicated negotiated settlements between Purdue Pharma, the Sackler family and the many interested parties – including New York state – that have claims against Purdue for contributing to the opioid crisis.

The settlements that Purdue and the Sackler family had reached promised $6 billion to claimants in exchange for personal immunity from liability for the Sackler family.

New York state is using $20 million to help refugees find and maintain employment, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday. The funding is going to 17 community-based organizations across the state.

The initiative aims to provide comprehensive support to refugees, addressing challenges they face when entering the workforce.

Rep. Tim Kennedy (NY-26) took to the floor of the House of Representatives to call for federal action in response to gun violence after a 3-year-old was shot and killed outside his home last week in Buffalo.

Ramone Carter, 3, was killed while riding his tricycle, and his sister, Jamia Griffin, 7, was also wounded by gunfire. Two teenage boys were indicted Tuesday in the shooting.

Early detection of cancer remains the single-best way to combat a disease that is the second-leading killer in the world. But many of the resources in the fight against cancer are devoted to relatively ineffective late-stage treatments. Bruce Ratner, known by many New Yorkers for his real estate projects, is entering the cancer battlefield, co-authoring a book that’s calling for a new approach to combating the disease.

Ratner, who sits on the board of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Weill Cornell Medical College, is making a push for better cancer screening. He joined NY1’s Errol Louis in front of a live audience at the Center for Brooklyn History to discuss his book, “Early Detection: Catching Cancer When It’s Curable,” and how the death of his brother from metastatic cancer brought him to write it. They also talked about the importance of early screenings and expanding access to cancer screenings in poor communities.

All 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives are up for reelection in November, including the 26 in New York. Spectrum News political reporters will be providing updates throughout the campaign season on New York's congressional races.

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Four years after he ousted a longtime congressman, Democratic incumbent Jamaal Bowman conceded his own primary defeat Tuesday.

The loss to Westchester County Executive George Latimer by well north of 10,000 votes amounts to a high-profile speedbump for the progressive movement. Bowman is the first member of the so-called “Squad” of progressive lawmakers to face an electoral loss.

New York state Sen. John Mannion was victorious over Dewitt Town Councilor Sarah Klee Hood in the Democratic primary for New York’s 22nd Congressional District Tuesday. Now, it’s on to the general election against incumbent Republican Rep. Brandon Williams.

The 22nd Congressional District represents all of Onondaga and Madison counties, as well as parts of Cayuga, Cortland and Oneida counties.

An audit of New York state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic which, so far, has cost almost $2 million, included inaccurate information, may not have consulted with key players in the state Department of Health and falsely claimed that the state comptroller’s office didn’t consult with the DOH before releasing its own audit in 2022.

Additionally, according to reporting by The Albany Times Union, the Olson Group will not discuss its findings because the firm signed a nondisclosure agreement with the Hochul administration.

ALBANY, N.Y. -- New York's new law requiring parental consent in order for minors to have access to predictive algorithms that tailor their content on social media platforms was one of Gov. Kathy Hochul's top priorities this year.

Supporters argue the algorithms are addictive, exploitative and damage children's mental health. Hochul signed the bill last week, however, George Mason Law School professor Carl Szabo said it's flawed legislation.

Carbonated ciders are becoming a more popular choice of beverage, especially as the calendar enters the summer months, but producers say an outdated tax law is hindering business.

“We are competing with things like fruited beer, hard seltzer and ready-to-drink carbonated cocktails,” explained Nine Pin Cider cofounder and head cidermaker Alejandro del Peral.

With some differences left on the bargaining table, the deadline for the mayor and the City Council to come to an agreement on a final budget is fast approaching.

Legally, City Hall has a June 30 deadline to finalize the fiscal year 2025 budget. Local lawmakers continue to call on Mayor Eric Adams to completely restore cuts to key city agencies.

Getting queer voices a seat at the table in Albany is what Assemblymember Anna Kelles hopes her bill will do after passing in the state Assembly and Senate. It creates an LGBTQ+ advisory board that would advise elected officials on the issues facing queer New Yorkers.

“How we can best serve them in all the services that we provide?" Kelles said. "For educational systems, in every aspect that the state government has a role to play.”

For New York Court of Claims Judge Seth Marnin, the job has always been about equality and justice.

“I think it's really important to instill faith in the judiciary,” said Marnin.

Incumbent Democrats were projected to win two primary races for the state Assembly in the Hudson Valley on Tuesday.

The Associated Press late Tuesday projected progressive incumbent Sarahana Shrestha defeated challenger Gabi Madden in the 103rd Assembly District.

Gabriella Romero, a public defender who represents Albany's Center Square neighborhood on the city's common council, is the projected winner as she led a crowded field of Albany County Democrats in Tuesday's primary for the state Assembly's 109th District.

Romero jumped ahead early in a race that pitted a half-dozen elected officials from the Albany City Council and Albany County Legislature to become the party's expected nominee in November.

Incumbent Demond Meeks has defeated challenger Willie Lightfoot in the 137th Assembly District Democratic primary race, The Associated Press projects.

Meeks, a former labor organizer, did not have party's backing in this election, or in 2020, when he was first elected.

Voters from around Central New York went to the polls Tuesday for primary elections for several offices, including two state Senate seats.

As of early Wednesday morning, the Associated Press had called winners in two of the contests.

In a race that became a referendum on public safety and criminal justice reform, defense attorney Lee Kindlon is the projected winner over Albany County District Attorney David Soares Tuesday in a Democratic primary race, but Soares said they are still waiting for more votes to be counted.

"It’s going to be a new kind of DA’s office," Kindlon said in an interview with Spectrum News 1 after the polls closed Tuesday.

State Sen. John Mannion has secured the Democratic nomination in the race for New York’s 22nd Congressional District, the Associated Press projects.

The two-term Albany lawmaker and longtime teacher defeated DeWitt Town Councilor Sarah Klee Hood in Tuesday’s primary elections, dealing Klee Hood her second loss for the Democratic Party’s nod for Central New York’s seat in the House of Representatives.

Westchester County Executive George Latimer has defeated the incumbent, Rep. Jamaal Bowman, in the 16th Congressional District Democratic primary, The Associated Press projects.

According to the AP, with more than 88% of the expected vote tallied as of 12:05 a.m. Wednesday, Latimer had 58.4% of the vote, while Bowman had 41.6% of the vote.

U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney secured the Republican nomination in her bid for another term representing New York’s 24th Congressional District, the Associated Press projects.

Tenney was defeating Geneva attorney Mario Fratto in Tuesday’s primary elections 61% to 40%, according to to the latest unofficial results from AP.

David DiPietro is the winner of the Republican primary in New York’s 147th Assembly District, the Associated Press projects.

The incumbent is a retired owner of a dry cleaning business, the former mayor of East Aurora and is seeking his seventh term in the Assembly.

Susan Howard is projected to defeat John Sansone in the Republican primary race for Orleans County district attorney.

Howard, a county native who has acted as Orleans County first assistant district attorney since 2011, was endorsed by the Conservative Party and the Shooters Committee on Political Education (S.C.O.P.E.)

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Donald Trump and Joe Biden are the presumptive Republican and Democratic nominees for the 2024 presidential election. And those names don’t inspire a lot of confidence for many Americans.

That group of voters that doesn’t like either main-party candidate in an election has been dubbed "the double haters."

A county legislature outside New York City has voted to bar transgender female athletes from playing on girls' and women's teams at county-owned facilities after a bid to restrict trans athletes by executive order was thrown out in court.

The Republican-controlled Nassau County Legislature voted 12-5 on Monday to bar trans athletes from playing at county-owned facilities unless they compete on teams matching the gender they were assigned at birth or on coed teams.

Tuesday is primary day across New York state, a chance for voters to make their voices heard at the polls.

Around the Capital Region, most voters came out on Tuesday recognizing their vote in a primary only sets up what’s to come in November. But they said their vote carries as much weight as it will on Election Day, which this year, falls on Nov. 5.

A judge on Tuesday modified Donald Trump's gag order, freeing the former president to comment publicly about witnesses and jurors in the hush money criminal trial that led to his felony conviction, but keeping others connected to the former president’s case off limits at least until he is sentenced July 11.

Judge Juan M. Merchan’s ruling — just days before Trump’s debate Thursday with President Joe Biden — clears the presumptive Republican nominee to again go on the attack against his former lawyer Michael Cohen, porn actor Stormy Daniels and other witnesses. Trump was convicted May 30 of falsifying records to cover up a potential sex scandal, making him the first ex-president convicted of a crime.

Hillary Clinton has penned a new memoir that will be published in the lead up to November’s election.

Simon & Schuster will release “Something Lost, Something Gained” in September, supporting it with a book tour that will last into October.

A group of bills passed this session would expand how physician assistants can operate in the State of New York. It's part of a broader push by PAs this legislative session to increase their autonomy, but not all of those efforts were successful.

Edward Mathes, president of the New York State Society of Physician Assistants, said there was much to celebrate within the package.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The incumbent and challenger in the 137th Assembly District Democratic primary both see Albany playing a key role in solving problems on the local level.

Demond Meeks is the incumbent in the 137th, which includes parts of Rochester and Gates. The former labor organizer first ran in 2020.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- In 2022, Republican U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney defeated primary challenger Mario Fratto with 53% of the vote.

However, Fratto, who garnered 40% of the vote in a three-way competition and changed races following a redistricting lawsuit, believes he can do better this year.

ERIE COUNTY, N.Y. -- The two Republican candidates in New York's 147th Assembly District primary have similar political ideologies but say they're very different people.

Incumbent David DiPietro said he works across the aisle when necessary but isn't afraid to voice his opposition to the Democratic majority.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Orleans County District Attorney Joe Cardone is retiring after nearly 33 years in office. Two of his assistant district attorneys are hoping to succeed him and are facing off in a Republican primary.

Election Day is Tuesday, June 25.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — As school wraps up for the year, Kim Cristal is getting ready for a busy summer. She’ll be working with teachers at Irondequoit High School creating lesson plans based on new a pilot program.

The pilot program comes from the New York State Education Department. The performance-based learning assessment networks plan will work with educators, teaching them how to use real-world situations in the classroom.

The year 2022 was a wild one for New York’s delegation in the House of Representatives — a tumultuous redistricting process, delayed primary elections and four Democratic seats flipping to Republicans that ultimately helped them win their thin majority in the chamber in Washington.

The year 2024 has had its own level of distinction. Another set of congressional maps was submitted and approved, and two special House elections have already taken place — one to replace former Rep. George Santos after his historic ousting. And with House control up for grabs this fall, New York’s congressional races are back in the spotlight.

Hundreds of migrants in the state who were moved outside New York City will be relocated back to the five boroughs in the coming weeks, New York State Association of County leaders said Monday.

More than 200,600 migrants have arrived in the state since spring 2022, and more than 65,600 people remain in the city's care, according to city data. Up to 1,500 migrants live in temporary emergency shelter outside the city.

Seventy years ago this week, then-Gov. Thomas Dewey cemented his legacy by opening the first tolled section of the New York State Thruway to traffic.

Since then, the state Thruway Authority was created to fund the highway system and ensure its future.

ALBANY, N.Y. -- At this time, New York is essentially a Narcan-only state when it comes to drugs that first responders can use to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.

The state, through a non-competitive bid process, contracted pharmaceutical company Emergent Devices to supply the name brand naloxone through the end of July.

Beyond the three Democratic congressional primaries in the city, there’s a slate of contested legislative primary races in all the boroughs, except Staten Island.

Registered Democrats in four of the five boroughs are heading to the polls.

A longtime prisoner advocate on Sunday praised a state judge's ruling that found the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) is not providing enough evidence to show it is following the law when it comes to solitary confinement.

Soffiyah Elijah, the executive director of Alliance of Families for Justice, underscored the significance of the ruling, telling NY1's Dean Meminger that DOCCS “has been violating the law for a number of years.”

New York's climate goals are extending to buses, as school districts and municipalities slowly integrate new electric vehicles.

This is impacting those who use the bus to get around.

Roughly 100,000 took part in early voting for this year's federal and state primary elections in New York, according to state Board of Elections numbers.

Between June 15 and June 23, 102,883 residents voted early.

New York election officials are warning of a text-message scam meant to send voters to incorrect polling sites for Tuesday's primary elections being held in various areas of the state.

Dustin Czarny, an elections commissioner with the Onondaga County Board of Elections, posted on social media Monday morning that he'd received a number of reports of wrong polling locations being texted to voters. Czarny said he's informed both the New York state Board of Elections and Attorney General Letitia James' office of the texts.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Gov. Kathy Hochul announced up to $53 million secured in the 2025 fiscal year enacted budget to improve public safety at New York state parks. The money will support future security upgrades at state parks and campgrounds, including improvements to fencing and lighting as well as the installation of security cameras and license plate recognition systems.

The governor plans to launch a Junior Ranger safety education campaign at New York state parks this summer. This campaign will teach children three core safety concepts — use a buddy system while exploring, share plans with a trusted adult and ask park staff for help if needed.

The head of the state Assembly Labor Committee said he stands by legislation to improve safety protections for warehouse and retail workers and to expand New York's workers' compensation program as business leaders urge Gov. Kathy Hochul to veto the measures.

Labor unions want the governor to sign a bill requiring warehouses with more than 100 workers to come up with a workplace safety plan and reduce a surge in accidents. The Warehouse Worker Injury Reduction Act would mandate an annual hazard analysis and embolden the state Labor Department to enforce safety standards.

A New York congressional primary is breaking ad spending records, with Election Day now just around the corner.

So far, roughly $24 million has been spent on ads — including TV, radio, satellite and digital — in New York’s 16th District Democratic primary in which incumbent Rep. Jamaal Bowman faces a challenge from Westchester County Executive George Latimer, according to data compiled by the group AdImpact.

In Assembly District 37, Democratic voters must decide between a moderate Democrat, a Democratic Socialist and the incumbent — Assemblyman Juan Ardila — who has been facing resignation calls in the wake of a sexual harassment scandal.

Although it’s a competitive three-way primary race, Ardila did not respond to multiple requests for an interview with NY1.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The American Edge Project is a coalition of industry and governmental leaders including Meta, the National Small Business Association and the National Black Chamber of Commerce that are advocating for America as a global technological leader.

CEO Doug Kelly said the primary focus is on the strategic technologies of tomorrow.

With record-breaking heat comes the possibility of record-breaking energy usage. But Rich Dewey, president and CEO of the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), told Capital Tonight that the grid is resilient, and that adequate resources are in place to accommodate the kind of demand we have experienced this week.

“We do tremendous planning to get ready for these types of events,” Dewey said of the extended heat wave.

The Adirondack Park takes up a massive chunk of New York state, and it takes a lot of careful work to balance tourism with protecting precious and rare natural resources.

When it comes to those efforts, Justin Levine, communications associate for the Adirondack Council, says it was a good legislative session for the Adirondack Park, located several miles up the Northway from Albany.

In a speech to union members Friday, Vice President Kamala Harris sought to highlight the differences between the Biden administration and former President Donald Trump.

The address at Unite Here’s constitutional convention in New York was an official vice presidential stop, but it strongly resembled a campaign speech.

The real estate development company Conifer Realty, LLC has been selected to redevelop the former Downstate Correctional Facility in Dutchess County into nearly 1,300 units of housing and community space as part of a 10-year project that will create 200 construction jobs, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Friday.

Construction on the project, which was created through New York state's prison redevelopment process, is expected to start in January 2026 with 375 two-story duplexes and triplexes, at least 20% of which will be designated for households earning less than 80% percent of the area median income.

New York’s state prison system has been holding inmates in solitary confinement for too long, in violation of state law, a state judge ruled this week.

State Supreme Court Justice Kevin Bryant said in a decision filed Thursday that the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision did not provide sufficient evidence to refute allegations that it has failed to follow the limits on solitary confinement enshrined in state law in 2021.

Manhattan prosecutors are urging the judge overseeing Donald Trump’s criminal hush money case to uphold a gag order that bars the former president from criticizing jurors, court staff or members of the prosecution that convicted him.

They agreed that one provision of the gag order, which prevented Trump from attacking trial witnesses in the case, could be lifted.

A group of New York state educators is calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign a classroom heat bill into law, which would require that districts address heat conditions when classroom temperatures hit 82 degrees and vacate classrooms at 88 degrees.

New York State United Teachers, a labor union representing nearly 700,000 professionals who work in, or are retired from, New York’s schools, colleges and healthcare facilities, wants to see the proposed bill establish maximum temperatures in school buildings signed into law.

The U.S. secretary of education held a roundtable Thursday with college students in a competitive swing district in the Hudson Valley as Democrats fight to win back control of the U.S. House of Representatives this November.

Several state electeds joined U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona in Kingston and Poughkeepsie to learn about career and technical education programs and affordability to boost workforce development.

Next Tuesday is primary day here in New York City. There are three Congressional primaries and several primaries for State Senate and the Assembly. NY1 investigative reporter Courtney Gross, political reporter Bobby Cuza and Statehouse reporter Bernadette Hogan look at some of the more high-profile races including NY-16 in parts of the Bronx and Westchester — between Democrats George Latimer and the incumbent Jamaal Bowman. They also look at some down-ballot races which have been receiving less attention.

After that, in an about-face, Gov. Hochul is considering banning commuters from wearing face masks on mass transit. The possible move comes as there are increasing concerns that criminals are wearing masks while they commit crimes. The proposal immediately sparked controversy, and comes as the governor faces her lowest favorability and job approval ratings ever, according to a new Siena College poll. The "Off Topic" team discusses the proposed ban as well as Hochul’s plummeting poll numbers.

Gov. Kathy Hochul celebrated one of her biggest political wins of the year Thursday, signing a package of social media bills she says will help combat online addiction.

But the victory lap comes as a new poll was released, revealing dismal favorability figures for Hochul — her lowest approval rating since taking office.

In politics, a last-minute bombshell that drops before a November election is known as an "October surprise."

Here in Albany, just days before the end of the legislative session, Gov. Kathy Hochul dropped what one could call a June surprise as she announced an “indefinite pause” of the congestion pricing policy which was set to go into effect at the end of June in New York City.

NORTH TONAWANDA, N.Y. -- Neighbors of the Digihost crypto mining operation in North Tonawanda said they are burdened by constant noise from the plant, similar to living next to a busy airport or Niagara Falls.

Resident Mark Polito said it keeps him, his guest and even pets from spending extended periods outside and is worse at night.

With Primary Election Day less than a week away, a bill is heading to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s desk that would authorize drop boxes for absentee ballots.

Supporters say it will increase access to voting, but opponents say they are concerned it will encourage voter fraud.

On Tuesday, Gov. Kathy Hochul said the pause on congestion pricing does not mean the end of major projects for the MTA.

“I said we’re just looking at a pause. New Yorkers don’t need this right now,” Hochul said at an unrelated event. “Does not mean that we will not find funding for the Second Avenue subway or the wheelchair accessibility, all the ADA work that we’re going to be doing, all the signalization we’re doing, the Interboro Express. None of those stopped.”

Karen DeWitt has been covering the statehouse since 1986. She joined the press corps at a time when very few women were in the industry, and quickly became a trusted voice on New York public radio — covering multiple governors, budgets, scandals, a pandemic and more. Recently, she announced that she’d be retiring and stepping down from her role as Capitol Bureau chief for the New York Public News Network.

Dewitt joined NY1’s Errol Louis to discuss her long and storied career in journalism. They also touched on the many campaigns she has covered, if her retirement is indeed final and how Mario Cuomo influenced her to quit while she’s ahead.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul hit her lowest favorability and job approval rating ever, according to a new Siena College poll of registered voters released Thursday morning.

The poll found Hochul’s favorability rating at 38-49%, down a little from 38-46% in May, and her job approval rating at 44-50%, down from 45-46%.

Stretching nearly 120 miles, Long Island packs in gated homes and estates alongside pockets of poverty. Beaches, bays, and — yes — plenty of traffic backups.

“Instead of a suburb, it’s almost like a mini-city,” Jerrianne, a hostess at a Smithtown diner, said.

State business leaders are concerned small employers will struggle to comply with a new state law that took effect Wednesday which mandates all breastfeeding workers receive additional paid breaks to express breast milk.

Lawmakers amended the state labor law in the last budget, which passed about two months ago, to require all New York employers, regardless of size, pay breastfeeding employees for 30-minute breaks to express breast milk at work up to three years after the birth of their child.