It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that combating sexual abuse has been one of state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi’s core issues since heading to Albany three years ago. more

Remember the days of sitting in a brightly lit school auditorium after finishing a full day of work, waiting for that couple of minutes to voice concerns about your neighborhood? more

It was only a year ago greater New York City was the American epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. Now, as we near the midpoint of 2021, restrictions are winding down and life seems to be slowly returning to normal. more

It began May 6, 2020. For the first time since New York City’s subways started carrying passengers in 1904, those very trains would no longer be available overnight, while crews worked to disinfect cars in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. more

Gov. David Paterson, who led the state between the tenures of two embattled executives — Eliot Spitzer and Andrew Cuomo — is backing Councilman Fernando Cabrera in his quest to become the next Bronx borough president. more

What would you say to your elected representative if you could call them up right now? Until recently, this question was a moot point because most constituents didn’t have direct access to their representatives beyond maybe text-based social media. They would have to jump through a series of hoops before ever being able to get on the phone with their Assemblyman, council member, or even a mayoral frontrunner. more

Four temples were targeted in a series of vandalism attacks spanning from Thursday to Sunday. Police say someone threw rocks through windows at the Riverdale Jewish Center on Independence Avenue, Chabad Lubavitch of Riverdale on West 246th Street, Young Israel of Riverdale on Henry Hudson Parkway East, and the Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale on West 250th Street. more

We’ve all been there as young children, after realizing we did something that would surely earn us a scolding from our parents. We close our eyes tight, cover our ears, and hope our efforts to shut out the world will somehow vanquish the trouble we created. more

It may have come in a week late, but the $212 billion state budget is packed to the gills. And some state lawmakers say the extra deliberation was worth it. In previous years, state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi said she felt disheartened by the budget process. Gov. Andrew Cuomo almost completely controlled the process, according to law, and rarely would he yield to some of the more liberal big-ticket items she and other newer lawmakers craved.  But this year felt entirely different.  more

State lawmakers accomplished something this budget season many deemed impossible: They finally legalized marijuana in New York. Effective immediately, anyone older than 21 in New York can legally carry up to three ounces of marijuana and even smoke it in public, although many restrictions on where that’s permitted already are in place. For instance, smoking it in schools or while driving a car remains illegal. more