The City Council’s Committee on Children and Youth will hold a hearing on Thursday looking into the Administration for Child Services.

Specifically, they are examining ACS’s Preventative Services Programming.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a series of bills into law aimed to expand availability to resources for new parents with young children, her office announced Wednesday.

One piece of legislation will now require a printed list of all ingredients listed in order of predominance on diapers sold in New York.

Advocates are calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign the Grieving Families Act before the holidays.

It would change the list of eligible people who can file a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of loved ones. Currently, only spouses, domestic partners, and parents or legal guardians of minors are eligible.

NEW YORK — Donald Trump used his image as a successful New York businessman to become a celebrity, a reality television star and eventually the president. Now, he finally will get to revel in one of the most visible symbols of success in the city when he rings the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday.

Trump is expected to be on Wall Street to mark the morning's ceremonial start of the day's trading, two people familiar with his plans told Spectrum News.

The city plans to close the Floyd Bennett Field migrant shelter in the near future, one of more than a dozen that have shut down or will shut down in the coming months amid a drop in the number of migrants in the city’s care, Mayor Eric Adams announced Tuesday.

Fifteen of the shelters are in New York City, while 10 others are elsewhere in New York state, a press release from City Hall said.

Former Congressman Anthony Weiner is starting to plan a political comeback, filing paperwork with the city’s Campaign Finance Board to run for a City Council seat on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.

Weiner went to federal prison in connection to a sexting scandal involving a minor, but that’s not derailing him from considering a return to the political arena.

Mayor Eric Adams loves telling people he loves technology: from drones, to AI to Bitcoin.

“We should not be afraid of Bitcoin. Remember y’all laughed at me when I first got my Bitcoin? Who's laughing now? Go look at my Bitcoin now. You all mock me. You're taking your first three paychecks in Bitcoin. What's wrong with you? Now you wish you would have done it,” Adams said Nov. 3.

Eager to preserve President-elect Donald Trump’s hush money conviction even as he returns to office, prosecutors are suggesting various ways to handle the criminal case — including the novel notion of borrowing a procedure some courts use when defendants die.

In court papers made public on Tuesday, the Manhattan district attorney’s office proposed an array of options for keeping the historic conviction on the books.

After discussing the cost of living at a related press conference in Albany on Tuesday, Gov. Kathy Hochul was asked about Tuesday's new Siena College poll in which most New Yorkers said they want the state to support President-elect Trump’s efforts to deport migrants.

Hochul said the poll wouldn’t influence her, but she teased new and detailed policies around immigration and enforcement, saying the public, law enforcement and Washington need to know where she stands.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said her proposed “inflation refund” checks of up to $500 to taxpayers won’t impact the state’s finances in terms of emergency funds.

The governor announced the proposal on Monday, which would provide single New York taxpayers earning up to $150,000 annually a one-time payment of $300, while joint filers making up to $300,000 per year would get $500. The refund would be funded by excess sales tax revenue generated by inflation, or as Hochul as been calling it, “unanticipated revenue.”

Damar Hamlin's impact continues to stretch far beyond the gridiron.

Hamlin's cardiac arrest scare during a Monday night game in January 2023 has led to new legislation aimed at improving access to resources for heart health nationwide.

Time is running out for Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign the Climate Change Superfund Act, but she is currently in talks with lawmakers negotiating potential chapter amendments to the bill as Dec. 31 looms.

A spokesperson for state Sen. Liz Krueger, who sponsors the bill, told Spectrum News 1 she is “optimistic.”

The state Office of Cannabis Management will make recommendations to state cannabis regulators early next year about the best timeline to review license applications to stabilize New York's supply chain.

Members of the Cannabis Control Board approved 68 new licenses Tuesday to hopeful retailers, processors, distributors and others at the last regular meeting of the year in Albany.

Gov. Kathy Hochul has until Friday to sign a bill that would require public input before a hospital or health center is closed in the state.

Democratic lawmakers have returned to the Capital Region until Wednesday — holding their annual retreats where they discuss next session's legislative priorities behind closed doors.

Micron and the federal government have sealed the deal on the funding agreement on their future plant outside Syracuse.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's office confirmed Tuesday that the up-to-$6.1 billion in CHIPS & Science Law funding for Micron to build a new facility upstate is finalized and secured. This locks in the funding for the massive new chip fabrication facility being built in Clay.

Facilities sheltering migrants from New York City are closing this week.

The Albany Ramada Plaza facility was closing Tuesday and the Albany Holiday Inn Express facility will close on Friday; other recent or impending shelter closures in the region include the SureStay Plus Best Western in Albany, the Crossroads Hotel in Newburgh and the Red Roof Inn Plus in Poughkeepsie, according to the office of New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s job approval and favorability rating improved slightly while still struggling with an electorate concerned about affordability and crime as she lays the groundwork for another campaign less than two years away, according to a Siena College poll of registered New York voters released Tuesday.

The governor has a negative 39-49% favorability rating, up from 36-51% in October, and a job approval rating of 46-49%, up from 41-51%, the poll found. She has not held a positive favorability rating since January and has never had a favorability rating 50% or higher in her whole tenure.

Mayor Eric Adams applauded the work of the NYPD arresting Luigi Mangione, the person of interest in the killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

“Officers have been working around the clock, many of them did not go home to pursue this individual. It was crucial that we were able to remove him off the streets of America and that we were going to seek him out no matter where he was at the time," he said Monday at a press conference.

Educators gathered in Albany on Monday, urging state leaders to institute a statewide policy for cell phone use in schools. They say consistent statewide policy is needed as opposed to the district-by-district approach that exists now.

At the state capitol, educators led by the New York State United Teachers pointed to guidance from the U.S. Department of Education calling on states to take action on cell phones in the classroom.

Unemployment among people with disabilities in New York remains frustratingly high at 67%.

In order to address the issue, Gov. Kathy Hochul issued an executive order in September committing New York to be an “Employment First State” and to increase “Competitive Integrated Employment for New Yorkers with Disabilities."

Millions of New York state residents could receive “inflation refund” checks of up to $500 if a proposal from Gov. Kathy Hochul passes in the state budget next year.

Under the proposal, single New York taxpayers earning up to $150,000 annually would receive a one-time payment of $300, while joint filers making up to $300,000 per year would get $500, Hochul said Monday.

A pets advocate group has filed a lawsuit seeking an injunction against New York’s coming state law that will ban the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits in retail stores.

The Puppy Mill Pipeline Act, scheduled to go into effect on Dec. 15, is designed to stop dangerous large-scale breeding operations known as "puppy mills," where animals often face mistreatment and serious health issues.

A onetime aide to former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has voluntarily dismissed a federal lawsuit she had filed against him and several of his aides two years ago alleging he sexually harassed her and then smeared her reputation after she became the second woman to publicly accuse him of misconduct.

According to statements from Charlotte Bennett and her attorney Debra Katz posted on X on Monday, Bennett will drop the case against Cuomo and top aides Melissa DeRosa, Jill DesRosiers and Judith Mogul, but the suit against the state, her employer at the time, will proceed.

More than 250 state and local organizations are urging New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to include a package of food and nutrition priorities in her upcoming executive budget proposal, according to a letter sent to the governor.

The groups are requesting:

Former Rensselaer County Board of Elections Commissioner Jason Schofield was sentenced Monday to a year of probation and ordered to pay a fine for using the names and birth dates of voters to fraudulently apply for absentee ballots for local elections, the U.S. Attorney's Office and Federal Bureau of Investigation said.

Schofield, 45, of Troy, must pay a $2,000 fine and a $1,200 special assessment for the unlawful actions taken in Rensselaer County's 2021 elections, authorities said.

The Daniel's Law Task Force will be conducting a virtual meeting to discuss recommendations that will be included in a written report. That's according to the New York State Office of Mental Health. Members of the task force will also discuss their next steps during the meeting.

The task force was established in honor of Daniel Prude, who died in 2020 while in the custody of the Rochester Police Department. Officers responded as Prude was experiencing a mental health crisis. The group's goal is to develop recommendations that will serve as a guide for behavioral health crisis response. Members say they have held numerous meetings since its inaugural meeting in August 2023. Some have featured presentations on different behavioral health crisis response models.

Middletown, N.Y. -- On Nov. 29, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the "Whirlwind Winter" initiative, a campaign effort to help minority-owned and women-owned businesses across the state. Between Dec. 1 and Dec. 31, business owners can access free applications for MWBE certification and gain support from adviors in the area.

Nigeria native Ida Ifafore opened Ida Beauty Supply in Middletown back in 2008. Ifafore said she left some of her loved ones behind in order to pursue a life-long passion in the U.S.

Democrats from the five boroughs are poised to take the reins of three prominent caucuses on Capitol Hill representing Black, Hispanic and Asian Americans — just as their party is wrestling with the results of last month’s election.

“We’re really excited, this wasn’t planned,” said Queens Rep. Grace Meng, who was elected to lead the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.

The 110-year-old New York State Insurance Fund (NYSIF) has an ambiguous name, but does critical work.

The fund was born out of one of the deadliest tragedies in New York City history: the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire in which 146 mostly young immigrant women and girls perished.

Fresh off successful reelection bids, more than half a dozen state lawmakers are already considering running for jobs in city government next year.

For most, the risk appears to be worth it because even if they’re unsuccessful in their campaigns, they can keep their current positions in the State Capitol.

New York U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says she will seek the top Democratic spot on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee in the next Congress, according to a letter she sent to colleagues on Friday.

Currently second in line to the ranking member, Ocasio-Cortez is bidding for the position since Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, the current ranking member, is seeking to be the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee after New York Rep. Jerry Nadler said earlier this week he would not seek another term in that spot.

Mayor Eric Adams celebrated Friday after a narrow majority of the City Council approved the “City of Yes” housing plan, one of his signature policy initiatives aimed at tackling New York City’s housing crisis.

Adams, joined by First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer, appeared on “Mornings On 1” to discuss the victory, calling it a historic milestone.

New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald joined “Mornings On 1” Friday to break down a first-in-the-nation policy offering paid leave for prenatal care, set to begin Jan. 1, 2025.

Under the new law, pregnant workers will be able to take up to 20 hours of paid leave for prenatal appointments without needing to accumulate time off.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — A Syracuse University/Ipsos poll released Friday found stark partisan divides in how Americans view President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees and other administration picks, although even among Republicans, some of his choices are not resonating.

The survey of more than 1,000 people, conducted Nov. 22-24, found that a majority of Republicans believe Elon Musk (78%), Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (71%), Dr. Mehmet Oz (58%) and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (57%) will do a very good or somewhat good job in Trump’s administration, while fewer than one in five Democrats agreed about each.

This week, Mayor Eric Adams announced he will work with the Trump administration on immigration policy. Trump has picked Tom Homan as his border czar, and the mayor seems willing to meet with him. Adams also suggested the Department of Justice is biased after fielding a question about Hunter Biden's pardon. NY1 investigative reporter Courtney Gross, political reporter Bobby Cuza and political director Bob Hardt weigh in on the mayor’s recent support of the president-elect, as well as how far he will go before losing New York City Democrats, if he hasn't already.

After that, jurors have been sitting in a courtroom in Lower Manhattan for weeks hearing hours of testimony regarding the death of Jordan Neely — a homeless man with mental illness who was killed on the subway last year. Daniel Penny is accused of criminally negligent homicide and manslaughter in the case. NY1 political reporter Dan Rivoli has been in the courtroom every day, and he joins the “Off Topic’ team for an inside look at the trial ahead of a verdict.

The license-plate readers are in place. The tolling plan has been approved by the feds.

After years of fits and starts, New York is moving ahead with plans to toll vehicles entering midtown and lower Manhattan, just as president-elect Donald Trump — a longtime critic of congestion pricing — is about to re-enter the White House.

In 2025, for the first time in two decades, there will be a Buffalo mayoral race with no incumbent in office. Thursday evening, seven potential candidates made their case to members of the Erie County Democratic Committee as they seek the parties endorsement.

"We want to make sure our rank and file committee members have a say in this process," ECDC Chair Jeremy Zellner said.

Education leaders met in Saratoga Springs Wednesday and Thursday to discuss issues impacting rural school districts as part of the Rural Schools Association of New York State’s winter conference.

It comes as lawmakers continue to digest the Rockefeller Institute’s report on the Foundation Aid formula, and rural school districts question what it could mean for them.

As Gov. Kathy Hochul prepares her executive budget proposal and priorities for the next legislative session, harm-reduction advocates are urging her to expand the overdose reversal medications purchased by the state to reduce overdose deaths.

The uptick of fentanyl-laced drugs, synthetic opioids and substance abuse has made the traditional 4 mg dose of Narcan nasal spray less effective — requiring multiple rounds spaced minutes apart to reverse an overdose.

According to most of the experts Capital Tonight has spoken with, the Rockefeller Institute’s Foundation Aid report is both thorough and thoughtful.

Rick Timbs agrees, but he also says there are elements of the report that he would describe as “naïve."

As next legislative session approaches in New York, parole reform is topping the list of potential criminal justice issues.

That includes the "Elder Parole" bill, which would ensure people 55 and older who have been incarcerated for at least 15 years are given an interview with the parole board; and "Fair and Timely Parole," which orders the parole board to release eligible incarcerated people unless the parole case record demonstrates there is a “current and unreasonable risk the individual will violate the law if released.”

Several New York and Pennsylvania House Republicans, led by Rep. Nick Langworthy, called on Gov. Kathy Hochul to end opposition to a proposed natural gas pipeline that would’ve run through parts of the Southern Tier and Western New York, according to a letter they sent Thursday.

Known as the Northern Access Pipeline, National Fuel Gas Co. proposed a decade ago to build a two-foot wide, 96-mile pipeline that would run through parts of Allegany, Cattaraugus and Erie counties, as well as one county in Pennsylvania, and carry natural gas to a variety of places in North America.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul will deliver her 2025 State of the State address — her fourth as governor — on Tuesday, Jan. 14, her office announced Thursday.

Hochul will give the annual address at 1 p.m. at Hart Theater at the Egg in Albany, a departure from her past addresses in the traditional setting of the Assembly chamber in Albany, which she had called the “original and rightful setting." Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo had moved them to the convention center at the Empire State Plaza, which allowed for more people to attend beyond the members of the Legislature.

When SmileDirectClub shut down a year ago, scores of existing customers of the teeth-straightening company were left in limbo. Now, tens of thousands are set to get some relief.

New York Attorney General Letitia James has announced that her office recovered $4.8 million to distribute nationwide to more than 28,000 consumers. SmileDirectClub illegally charged those customers after it ceased operations, James said.

This week, Brooklyn state Sen. Zellnor Myrie officially launched his campaign to challenge Eric Adams in next June’s Democratic mayoral primary. The senator also unveiled an ambitious housing proposal that looks to build one million new homes across the five boroughs, or 70,000 homes per year.

Sen. Myrie joined NY1’s Errol Louis to discuss his bid to unseat Adams. They also talked about the dire situation surrounding the city’s prisons complex on Rikers Island, the importance of surrounding yourself with the right team and treating nonprofit organizations fairly.

Food prices are high and older Americans are struggling to fill their pantries. But there are efforts in Washington, D.C., to help curb the trend.

It's called the Older Americans Act, which includes a nutrition program that provides millions of affordable meals to older adults. It’s no secret, the number of Americans older than the age of 65 is growing, and right now, 1 in every 4 of them are skimping on basic needs like food.

State lawmakers Wednesday said they do not have plans to investigate the state's process to award a $9 billion contract for a Medicaid home care program, and accusations that Gov. Kathy Hochul's administration rigged the bidding war should be left to the courts.

U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres, a Bronx Democrat, sent a letter Tuesday to state Inspector General Lucy Lang and the inspector general of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, requesting a probe into how Gov. Kathy Hochul's administration handled the $9 billion contract.

In what appears to be a major change from the policy position she took last year during state budget negotiations, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s spokeswoman said the governor wants “to avoid proposals that would negatively impact school budgets, such as eliminating the hold-harmless provision of the Foundation Aid formula.”

"Hold harmless," also called "save harmless," protects school districts from funding reductions despite enrollment drops.

ALBANY, N.Y. -- There are strong lobby efforts from both sides with regards to legislation that would expand New York state's wrongful death statute.

The bill among other things would allow family members who lost loved ones to seek compensation for grief and anguish. State Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt, R-North Tonawanda, said he has not always supported it.

Driving on a road with cracks and potholes on it can be a frustrating experience. While there are many reasons why roads become this way, one driving force is winter storms.

The commissioner of the state Department of Transportation (DOT) came to the New York State Fairgrounds Wednesday to announce New York state’s renewal of its roadways impacted by extreme weather initiative.

The village of New Paltz is considering dissolving and having the town of New Paltz serve as the area’s municipal government. Village Mayor Tim Rogers said the move is being considered not out of duress, but out of making the most efficient government for taxpayers in the village and town.

It would do away with an additional village tax for residents. But more importantly, Rogers thinks it would be easier to plan for water and sewer infrastructure projects.

U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler, of New York, will relinquish his role as the top Democrat on the powerful House Judiciary Committee in the next Congress, according to a letter to colleagues on Wednesday.

Nadler has been the party’s top member of the committee for seven years, as chairman from 2019 to 2022 and ranking member since then.

Former U.S. Rep. Anthony Brindisi has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as a U.S. District Court judge for the Northern District of New York.

The former Democratic congressman was nominated by President Joe Biden in July for the position to replace David Hurd, who is retiring.

Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday unveiled a proposal to reduce or eliminate the New York City personal income tax for some low-income families.

Dubbed “Axe the Tax for the Working Class,” the plan would abolish the tax for filers with dependents living at or below 150% of the federal poverty line, Adams said at a news conference. It would also gradually phase out the tax for filers within $5,000 of that threshold.

Outgoing U.S. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito is lobbying to be President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Drug Enforcement Agency administrator after he narrowly lost his reelection bid in November, members of his team told Spectrum News 1 Wednesday.

The Long Island Republican congressman’s endeavor after leaving the House of Representatives was first reported by Axios. Trump’s first pick to run the DEA, Hillsborough County, Florida Sheriff Chad Chronister, withdrew his name from consideration Wednesday.

The number of clean energy jobs in New York state has reached a record high with 178,000 employees in the industry at the end of 2023, according to findings from the 2024 New York Clean Energy Industry Report.

That’s an increase of 7,700 from the year prior.

New York state Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins has been reelected as majority leader of the New York state Legislature’s upper chamber, the conference announced Wednesday.

The first Black woman to hold the majority leader post, she is one of three people who control the agenda in Albany and negotiate the state budget along with the governor and Assembly speaker. She has led the Senate Democratic caucus since 2012 and majority leader since 2019.

Several hemp retailers in the state who say they've been improperly accused of selling illegal marijuana products have high hopes for a state Supreme Court decision expected by the end of the month.

Hemp store owners this summer sued the state Office of Cannabis Management after police confiscated thousands of dollars of product they argue they're legally licensed to sell through the state agency.

Another candidate is officially challenging Eric Adams in next year’s Democratic mayoral primary.

State Sen. Zellnor Myrie, who was previously exploring a run, officially launched his campaign Tuesday.

Congressional Democrats Tuesday scolded Andrew Cuomo, saying the former governor and his top aides were less than candid about the number of nursing home deaths in the state during the pandemic.

While most Democrats generally agree with the former governor that President-elect Donald Trump botched the country’s COVID-19 response, those House Democrats investigating the pandemic don’t have Cuomo’s back when it comes to his defense of how he tabulated nursing home deaths.

The New York State Assembly Higher Education Committee held a hearing Tuesday looking into where state dollars are going when it comes to colleges and universities.

The clear focus of much of the discussion centered on decarbonization, or lowering greenhouse gas emissions, and how to achieve that while at the same time maintaining aging facilities that have extensive needs.

The dean of New York’s delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Jerry Nadler, is fighting a movement to replace him as the top Democrat on the powerful Judiciary Committee.

If Nadler is ousted, it could open the door for another notable New York Democrat, Bronx Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, to land a high-profile role in the new Congress.

Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday suggested that the Department of Justice is biased without having to say it directly.

“I’m going to read the front page of The New York Times. Let me find that sentence," Adams said during his weekly question-and-answer session with reporters. “President Biden and President-elect Donald Trump now agree on one thing: the Biden Justice department has been politicized. Does that sound familiar?”

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Over the weekend, Catskill Off-Track Betting stopped taking wagers on its Interbets website and kiosks at partner bars and restaurants.

New York Racing Association Vice President of Communications Patrick McKenna said the corporation faced unique challenges with no physical harness racing track or brick-and-mortar OTB facilities in the counties it serves.

After five public hearings and multiple stakeholder meetings, the Rockefeller Institute’s Foundation Aid report was released Monday afternoon.

Foundation Aid has been the primary school funding formula in New York state since 2007.

For more than a year, Ronen and Orna Neutra have held out hope that their son, Omer, was alive, captured by Hamas following its attack on Israel last Oct. 7.

But Monday, the Israeli military acknowledged the painful truth: The 21-year-old had not been taken hostage, but was killed during the group’s surprise attack on the Nova Music Festival that sparked the latest conflict in the Middle East.

The city recorded a dip in overall crime last month, as well as another double-digit drop in subway crime, NYPD statistics released Tuesday show.

Overall index crime decreased by 5.7% in November, driven by declines in murder, robbery, burglary, grand larceny and car theft, the NYPD said.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer has been reelected as leader of the Senate Democrats and will continue leading the caucus as it shifts back to the minority with Donald Trump once again in the White House.

“I am honored and humbled to be chosen by my colleagues to continue leading Senate Democrats during this crucial period for our country. Our caucus has led the way in passing historic legislation that has improved the lives of millions of Americans and we remain laser focused on addressing the most pressing challenges facing our country,” Schumer said Tuesday in a post on X. “As I have long said, our preference is to secure bipartisan solutions wherever possible and look for ways to collaborate with our Republican colleagues to help working families. However, our Republican colleagues should make no mistake about it, we will always stand up for our values.”

Some New York pet stores are closing their doors for good ahead of big changes for the industry.

Two years ago, legislation was passed banning the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits in New York retail pet shops and signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul. The legislation, according to a press release, was "aiming to end the puppy mill-to-pet store pipeline and stop abusive breeders."

For weeks, the migrant population in the city's care has dropped dramatically due in part to fewer migrants arriving and many more leaving the shelter system.

“I think the city, after the initial constant fumbles of the ball, was really able to see the bigger picture here and taking the recommendations we were giving them. In making sure people were getting the legal services that they needed, making sure they were able to expand and contract when they needed to," Murad Awawdeh, head of the New York Immigration Coalition, said.

The Rockefeller Institute of Government on Monday released a highly anticipated reassessment of the Foundation Aid formula, the primary formula New York state uses to fund public schools.

The report was a compromise as part of budget negotiations earlier this spring after Gov. Kathy Hochul set the stage by insisting on ending Save Harmless, also known as "hold harmless," which ensures districts don’t receive less Foundation Aid funding than the previous year, even if their population decreases.

The Rockefeller Institute of Government was asked earlier this year by Gov. Kathy Hochul to review the state's Foundation Aid formula, the primary funding formula for New York schools.

The formula is outdated, having been created in 2007 under Gov. Eliot Spitzer.

New York Democratic Committee chair Jay Jacobs said Monday he encouraged his friend state Sen. James Skoufis to enter the race to chair the Democratic National Committee, but will not make an official endorsement until next year.

Skoufis over the weekend announced his bid to be the DNC's next chair before the vote in early February. The lower Hudson Valley lawmaker was first elected to the state Assembly in 2013 and has represented the area in the state Senate, including Middletown and West Point, since 2018.

U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler, of New York, is now fighting to remain the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee after Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin said Monday he also wants the job.

There will be a vote of the committee by Democrats at some point to decide whether Nadler will keep his position.

Marian Woodward is on a tight budget but always makes sure her bills are paid. Like many older adults, she’s on a fixed income.

“Because I don't have a retirement. That's all I have is Social Security," says Woodward.

A staffer for U.S. Rep. Joe Morelle was charged by the U.S. Capitol Police for carrying unlawful ammunition on Capitol grounds, authorities said Monday morning. The staffer has since lost his job.

Capitol Police said in a statement that Michael Hopkins, 38, entered the Cannon House Office building and put his bag through screening, where authorities detected what appeared to be ammunition on the X-ray screen.

New York state officials condemned the presumed death of Israeli American soldier Omer Neutra, a Long Island native, who the Israeli military said Monday is believed dead after being taken hostage during Hamas’ initial attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

In a statement announcing the death, the military did not say how it came to the conclusion over Neutra’s status. He was one of seven American Israelis still held in Gaza, four of whom are now said to be dead. Hamas released a video of one, Edan Alexander, over the weekend, indicating he was still alive.

New York state Sen. James Skoufis is running to be the next chair of the Democratic National Committee, the lawmaker announced over the weekend.

“I’m an outsider, but I know how to win. We’re losing on politics, messaging, organizing and policy. And we’ve been running the same stale, inside-the-Beltway playbook driven by the same, tired, inside-the-Beltway voices. No more. We’re doing it differently. That changes the day I am elected,” Skoufis said in a post on X on Saturday.

Just a year ago, lines of migrants bundled and slept on the sidewalks outside the St. Brigid’s School in the East Village, waiting for shelter placement and connection to other resources.

A year later, 11 migrant shelters have been closed because the city says they are no longer needed.

Congestion pricing is set to take effect on Jan. 5, 2025, but before the tolls turn on, the MTA is offering commuters the chance to ask questions and learn more about the program.

The agency will host eight public webinars to go over everything those who plan on driving into the tolling zone will need to know about, including discounts and exemptions. The first one will take place Wednesday at 3 p.m.

Gov. Kathy Hochul got into the Thanksgiving spirit this holiday by serving meals at the Capital City Rescue Mission in Albany on Thursday.

Roughly 3,000 Thanksgiving meals were served. That included 1,000 pounds of turkey, 500 pounds of yams and 700 pounds of fresh vegetables.

While politics may be discouraged at the Thanksgiving table, Timothy Dunn, executive director of Unite NY, joined Capital Tonight to discuss the organization’s latest poll which looking at elected job approval and governmental reform, including term limits or ranked choice voting.

As Thanksgiving Day is near, state lawmakers are trying to figure out if Gov. Kathy Hochul is in the holiday spirit.

More than 200 bills still await her possible signature and legislators and advocates are eager to find out if they’ll end up on the governor’s naughty or nice list.

In his final weeks as Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer is making it a priority to stave off the end of Medicare coverage for telehealth and related services, set to expire at the end of the year.

“They won’t do it anymore, and that means if you want telehealth, you have to pay it out of your own pocket, or the hospital has to pay for it,” he said of the looming deadline known as the “telehealth cliff.”

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The day after this month's election, more than 115,000 X users deactivated their accounts, according to social media analytics websites Similar Web.

At the same time, the site reported daily usage on Bluesky, a platform modeled on Twitter and started by its former CEO, saw a 500% surge. James Madison University professor of communications Jason Mollica believes some users have become increasingly frustrated with the content on X and its owner, Elon Musk.

Retired state Sen. Tarky Lombardi, from the Syracuse area, has died.

The Jamesville resident passed away Sunday at his home from kidney complications, according to his obituary.

The transition team for Donald Trump said Wednesday that several of the president-elect's appointees, including Cabinet nominees, were targeted with bomb threats and swatting Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.

Calling the threats “violent” and “unAmerican,” Trump-Vance transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt did not say which, or how many, officials had been targeted but said law enforcement acted quickly to ensure their safety.

A fierce New York intellect, Nicole Gelinas, has closely followed the trials and errors of urban public policy in her columns for the New York Post and her work for the Manhattan Institute. In a new book, Gelinas looks at what has happened with New York’s transportation system in the wake of Robert Moses, whose legacy was painstakingly dissected in Robert Caro’s “The Power Broker.” Gelinas picks up where Caro left off in “Movement: New York’s Long War to Take Back Its Streets from the Car.”

Speaking with NY1’s Errol Louis, Gelinas discusses why she felt compelled to write her book, also tackling its relationship to Caro’s biography, what Mayor Eric Adams should be focusing on, why New York City often continues to make the same mistakes regarding mass transit and how the messaging behind congestion pricing could be better.

New York education leaders said Tuesday that accounting errors in a lower Hudson Valley school district are isolated and do not reflect widespread oversight issues within the state Education Department.

Earlier this year, the Education Department (SED) forced an additional 4.4% tax increase in the East Ramapo school district, which faced cuts amid a reported $20 million deficit. Residents in the area have long rejected other budget proposals to increase taxes.

The role that criminal justice reform played in the 2024 election is part of an ongoing post-mortem for Democrats, and becoming part of the discussion about the 2025 legislative session and the 2026 election beyond.

While 2025 is not an election year for state lawmakers, Joe Bonilla, managing partner at Relentless Awareness, said the current political climate and deliberations among Democrats about 2024 could bring any momentum for a progressive push on criminal justice issues this session to a halt.

Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday again placed blame on a recent fatal stabbing spree on a broken mental health system.

“Even if he stood in jail longer, let's say he stood in jail for two years, that has nothing to do with he needed help," he said during his weekly question-and-answer session with reporters. “If he would’ve gotten out 90-days later and stabbed three people, it’s just as bad the system is broken.”

New York has had a tumultuous history with ethics.

Even the new ethics watchdog, the Commission on Ethics in Lobbying and Government, or COELIG, which replaced the beleaguered JCOPE, is having a tough time gaining traction, in part, because of questions about its constitutionality.

The election might be two years away, but two ambitious members of Congress on both the right and left appear to be angling for Gov. Kathy Hochul’s job.

Democrat Rep. Richie Torres and Republican Rep. Michael Lawler have been focusing on Hochul in the wake of this month’s elections, pointing out apparent weaknesses in her political armor.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Thanksgiving is a day for traditions like turkey, football and watching the parade.

Dank dispensary owner Aaron Van Camp said in his family they had a more discreet custom as well.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Threats of tariffs by President-elect Donald Trump are raising flags for people on all sides of the border.

Trump posted Monday on Truth Social that he’d sign an executive order declaring a 25% tariff on all products coming in from Mexico and Canada if they don’t crack down on illegal immigration and the flow of illegal drugs.