MTA issues the RFQ for Contract 4, the last and largest Second Avenue Subway Phase 2 contract: station fit-outs, track, signals, 22 elevators and 20 escalators at 106, 116 and 125 St; RFP by year-end, contractor pick mid-2027, full completion fall 2032 on a $6.968B budget

Sept. 14 release: the fourth and final Phase 2 contract goes out as a Request for Qualifications. Contract 1 (106 St utility relocation, awarded Jan 2024) is about 60% done; Contract 2 (tunnels and 116 St box, Sept 2025) targets substantial completion Sept 2029; Contract 3 (106 St shell, April 2026) targets Q3 2030. Funded by congestion-relief revenue and $3.4B federal. Hochul: "we are moving full speed ahead with the final contract." Revenue service still projected for 2032, so the promise stays in-progress.

Hochul marks completion of the $69.6M Sydor Optics Advanced Technology Center at Monroe Community College in Brighton; state put in $34.6M, Monroe County $34.8M, pitched as workforce pipeline for the upstate semiconductor push

Sept. 14 release: the center relocates MCC's automotive, precision tooling and HVAC programs and its Optical Systems Technology program (enrollment up 3,520% since 2015, per the release) to the Brighton campus. State share $34.6M includes $10M for the STEM addition announced Feb 2024; county $34.8M includes $3.5M federal via Schumer, Gillibrand and Morelle. Tied to the NY SMART-I Corridor Tech Hub and $200M ON-RAMP program. Enrollment figure is the state's own claim.

POWER energy rebate checks start mailing Sept. 21: up to $200 to 8.2 million households through December, no application needed; state says $7.6B in utility-bill relief since 2021

Hochul announced Sept. 14 that the $1B Protecting Our Wallets Energy Rebate (POWER) checks from the FY27 budget begin mailing Sept. 21 and continue through December: $200 for joint filers under $150K, $150 for joint filers $150K-$300K, $100 for single filers under $150K, based on timely 2024 resident returns and not claimed as a dependent. The release frames the checks as relief from federal tariffs and gas prices ($4.35/gal cited) and lists the FY27 Ratepayer Protection Plan and RATES Commission. Context: this is the second consecutive fall in which state checks arrive in the weeks before Election Day (Nov. 3); Republicans called the 2025 inflation refund timing a gimmick, and the July Gothamist row already logged the same criticism for POWER. Hochul told a Sept. 7 parade breakfast to "watch the mail"; this release fixes the actual start date and household count.

Hochul's Aug. 28 pardon of Keisy Guerrero Mariano moots a Supreme Court immigration-detention case: on Sept. 11 the justices dismissed Genalo v. Black, set for argument Oct. 13, after Solicitor General Sauer and the ACLU jointly stipulated the pardon ended his deportability

One of the six pardons in Hochul's Aug. 28 rolling clemency batch went to Keisy Guerrero Mariano (identified in court papers as Keisy G.M.), a lawful permanent resident whose 2015 second-degree assault conviction made him deportable and subject to mandatory ICE detention; the 2nd Circuit ruled in 2024 that his 21 months in detention without a bond hearing violated due process, and the Trump administration's appeal (Genalo v. Black, No. 25-886) was granted June 15 and scheduled for argument Oct. 13. Because the pardon removes the basis for deportation and detention, ACLU legal director Cecillia Wang argued in the Aug. 31 merits brief that the case was moot; Solicitor General D. John Sauer agreed in a Sept. 11 letter, the parties filed a joint stipulation, and the Court dismissed the case the same day. Sauer said DOJ will look for another vehicle to bring the question back this term. The 2nd Circuit precedent requiring bond hearings after prolonged detention stays in place. The governor's Aug. 28 release described the batch as recipients who had lived crime-free for a significant period; it did not mention the pending Supreme Court case. Reaction so far is from outside New York: Iowa Solicitor General Eric Wessan called it "pretty wild to fully pardon an aggravated felon" to block deportation and a Supreme Court ruling; ACLU/NYCLU called it a victory for due process. Fox News says it asked Hochul's office for comment; no response reported yet, and no Blakeman statement found as of Sept. 12.

Voting-rights groups press Hochul to sign the "time extender" bill (S4602-A/A5846-B) before November: it would automatically keep a poll site open by the length of any disruption over one hour, including machine failures or ICE activity; her office says only that she will "review this legislation"

Common Cause NY's Susan Lerner used the 9/11 anniversary, which halted the 2001 NYC primary, to press for the bill. Sponsor Sen. Andrew Gounardes (Assembly sponsor Eddie Gibbs) says it would make poll-hour extensions automatic rather than left to each local board of elections; an exception applies if voters did not actually lose the ability to vote. Some county boards object that sites within one county could close at different times. The State BOE declined to comment on pending legislation. The bill passed both houses this session and has not yet been delivered to or acted on by the governor as of Sept. 11.

NY1 on the ceremony's politics: Hochul stood with Cuomo and de Blasio, Vance embraced Giuliani and Bloomberg, 9/11 widow Terry Strada used the podium to attack Saudi protection "administration after administration," and Blakeman attended to honor his nephew, court officer Thomas Jurgens

Speeches by politicians were barred, but the ceremony still turned political through family readers: Strada called out dignitaries for protecting Saudi Arabia and asked Vance to carry the message to Trump. NY1 reports the Mamdani–Giuliani meeting after weeks of Giuliani urging the mayor to stay away, and quotes Hochul's CNN line that animosity "seems to melt away" at the reflecting pools. Blakeman's campaign said he attended to honor Senior Court Officer Thomas Jurgans, who died evacuating people from the World Trade Center. No incident or protest involving Hochul or Mamdani was reported.

Hochul on CNN's Situation Room after the ceremony: "I just left the reading of the names," says New Yorkers "were let down" by EPA air-quality assurances, and describes the Giuliani–Mamdani handshake as animosity that "seems to melt away"

Hochul appeared live on CNN's Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer on the 25th anniversary, opening with "I just left the reading of the names of the victims." She said people "were let down" by post-9/11 air-quality assurances from the EPA, citing the records the city released this week; said the state put money toward roughly 2,000 untested responder samples; cited $70M in hate-crime security grants and a 50-foot buffer zone for houses of worship going into the High Holidays; and said the animosity over Giuliani's calls for Mamdani to stay away "seems to melt away" at the reflecting pool. Conservative and aggregator sites framed her departure during the name-reading as ditching the ceremony; no tier 1–2 outlet had reported that framing or the spokesperson's reported Vance comparison as of Sept 12 (see fact check).

Hochul puts $2.2M into the 9/11 Memorial Museum to make "New York First Sundays" every Sunday for a year starting October; also orders 17 landmarks lit red, white and blue and flags at half-staff, and releases a Steve Buscemi-narrated video

Two anniversary-morning releases. The $2.2M expands a Carnegie-funded program that gives New York residents and students free afternoon admission on the first Sunday of each month to every Sunday for one year beginning October 2026; museum CEO Beth Hillman credited Hochul. The second release lists 17 landmarks lit red, white and blue (One WTC, Cuomo Bridge, Niagara Falls, Moynihan, etc.), half-staff flags at the Capitol and Empire State Plaza, and notes 84 Port Authority and 40 Tax and Finance employees killed. Neither release mentions the ceremony itself, Blakeman, or Mamdani. Second URL: governor.ny.gov/news/25-years-later-we-will-never-forget-governor-hochul-honors-911-victims-survivors-and-first

Hochul's 9/11 op-ed in the New York Post: "never forget" means backing sick responders, "standing up for the police officers who protect our city when their resources are threatened," and "refusing to let this solemn anniversary become a source of division"

The governor's office reposted Hochul's New York Post op-ed on the morning of the 25th anniversary. The piece profiles four children of 9/11 victims who went into the NYPD, FDNY and nursing, and casts "never forget" as a standing obligation: health care and benefits for responders with 9/11-related illnesses, support for police "when their resources are threatened," and a refusal to let the anniversary "become a source of division." It does not name Blakeman, Mamdani or the headscarf fight, but the closing lines ("refuse to allow hatred, suspicion or division to diminish the spirit New Yorkers showed") track the language she has used against Blakeman's "Hijab Hochul" attack. Original: nypost.com/2026/09/10/opinion/new-york-must-never-forget-9-11-and-turn-sorrow-into-service/

On World Suicide Prevention Day, Hochul releases a five-year statewide suicide-prevention roadmap: a strategy named "1,700 Too Many," a 33-member task-force report on disparities, and a 46-item OMH action plan; state cites 1,701 deaths in 2024 and the nation's second-lowest rate

Released Sept. 10 with a Suicide Prevention Month proclamation and 15 landmarks lit purple and teal. The roadmap has three parts: "1,700 Too Many," a five-year strategy with five strategic directions (data, equitable access, communities with disparities, community-driven prevention, integrating prevention into health care); the Suicide Prevention Task Force report (33 members, seven priority areas); and a Comprehensive Action Plan with 46 items OMH will track with defined metrics. The release ties it to the 2026 State of the State directive for three-year agency action plans on housing instability and financial insecurity as suicide risk factors, and to the AI-companion law and Safe by Design Act. Figures cited: 1,701 suicide deaths in NY in 2024 (CDC: second-lowest state rate after NJ), 52,000+ 988 calls in July, $60M+ for 988, roughly $2B invested in the mental health system overall. No new money is announced in this release.

Primary-source check on Blakeman's public money: PCFB board records show one gubernatorial disbursement to Blakeman for New York, $1,201,055.22 approved June 30 (report dated July 2); the Sept. 1 disbursement report lists $1.98M across Senate, Assembly, comptroller and AG candidates and nothing for governor

Two PCFB commissioner reports for the approval to disburse public matching funds. The July 2 report (board meeting June 30) lists a single line: Governor, 580499-Blakeman for New York, Bruce Blakeman, treasurer Shawn Hyms, $1,201,055.22. The Sept. 1 report (board meeting Sept. 1) totals $1,975,488.85 across State Senate, Assembly, comptroller (DiNapoli $32,815.74) and attorney general (Komatireddy $33,112.68) committees; no gubernatorial committee appears. This is the first primary-source figure in our records for an actual matching-funds payment to Blakeman. It is lower than the $1.75M figure reported by City & State from the campaign's July filing, which we retain separately; the gap may reflect a later tranche or campaign-reported receipts not yet on a PCFB board report. Hochul opted out of the program. July report: https://pcfb.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2026/07/commissioner-report-for-the-approval-to-disburse-public-matching-funds-07.02.2026.pdf

First day of free 2-K: Hochul and Mamdani open the program for 2,000+ two-year-olds in Washington Heights; state says its $73M start-up money grows to $425M by 2027, Mamdani promises 12,000 more seats next year

Sept. 10 launch event at the Mamá Tingó Childcare & Learning Center (Dominican Women's Development Center). The release says the first phase serves "more than 2,000" two-year-olds with full-day care, funded by an initial $73M state investment expected to reach $425M by 2027, and that free 2-K can save a family "more than $23,000 a year." Mamdani says 12,000 more 2-K seats come next year with "full universality to follow"; no date is given for that. The release repeats the fall-2028 statewide universal Pre-K target for 4-year-olds. Not addressed in the release: the provider payment backlog reported on the city side (see ReviewMamdani coverage).

Ahead of the 25th anniversary, Hochul signs three 9/11 bills: WTC-12 filing and pension-documentation deadlines pushed to Sept. 11, 2030, National Guard WTC death/disability claims extended four years, and the 25-year presumptive retirement window stretched to 35 years; also confirms $2M for Einstein's responder cancer-genomics study

Signed Sept. 10: A.11531/S.10605 (extends to Sept. 11, 2030 the deadline to file Form WTC-12 and retirement-system participation documentation; requires the Workers' Comp Board to reconsider claims disallowed for the deadline where disability began Sept. 11, 2021–Sept. 11, 2025), A.11538/S.10650 (four-year extension, to Sept. 11, 2030, for National Guard WTC death and disability claims) and A.11213-A/S.10085-A (extends the 25-year presumptive eligibility period for WTC-related retirement benefits, allowing reclassification of retiree deaths up to 35 years after retirement). Public Employee Conference chair Meringolo says the original 2005 presumption law was set to expire Sept. 11, 2026. Separately, at FDNY Engine 16/Ladder 7 Hochul said the state's award to Albert Einstein College of Medicine for a responder cancer-genomics study now totals $2M ($1M added in the FY27 budget), covering roughly 2,000 already-collected samples whose analysis had run out of money.

MTA to seek 650 new buses, its biggest single order since 2013, but they run on compressed natural gas, not electricity; Lieber says the agency is buying CNG "while the electric bus industry continues to mature"

Sept. 10 release: the MTA will issue an RFP (proposals due Oct. 19, 2026) for 650 CNG buses funded by the 2025-29 Capital Plan, replacing aging CNG buses; the order is more than 10% of the fleet. The release says 30% of standard bus purchases in this Capital Plan are expected to be CNG and that the plan separately funds 500 zero-emission buses plus depot charging. It says 100% of the natural gas is offset by renewable natural gas credits. Context for the tracker: the MTA's stated goal is a zero-emission fleet by 2040; this order is a fossil-fuel purchase framed as a bridge. Since the July "Next Stop" plan, 41 new buses have entered service.

Hochul statement on frontier-AI risk: says New York has "set a national standard" for transparency and accountability, accuses the Trump administration of frameworks lacking transparency and incident reporting, and calls on Washington to set national standards

A 5:56 p.m. Sept. 9 statement, four paragraphs, no new state action. Hochul says that when the people building the most powerful AI systems are "sounding the alarm about potentially catastrophic risks," government has a responsibility to act; that the Trump administration has "failed to meet this moment"; that New York has stepped up on frontier-model transparency (a reference to the RAISE Act she signed in 2025, not named in the statement); and that "states cannot solve this problem alone." The statement does not identify what prompted it.

Hochul signs three labor bills at her Labor Appreciation Reception: $1,000-per-violation AG penalties for impersonating a union rep, a Construction Reporting Pay Act (2 hours' pay for shifts cancelled with under 12 hours' notice, 4 hours if sent home), and a right to see your personnel file

At the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies on Sept. 9, Hochul signed A.10835-A/S.9577-A (AG may seek $1,000 per violation from people fraudulently posing as union representatives; sponsors Ramos/Griffin), A.6950/S.9843 (Construction Reporting Pay Act: two hours at regular rate if a shift is cancelled with less than 12 hours' notice, four hours if a worker reports and is sent home without cause; current law is four hours at minimum wage; sponsors Ramos/Cruz) and A.2107/S.3460 (employees may access their personnel files and must be notified when negative information is added; sponsors Gounardes/Gonzalez-Rojas; the release says at least 17 states already guarantee this). AFL-CIO, NYSUT, CSEA, DC 37, Building Trades and LIUNA issued supporting quotes. Effective dates are not stated in the release.

Interborough Express: MTA will release the Draft Environmental Impact Statement in Q4 2026, ahead of schedule; all 18 stations to be fully accessible, with ADA work at Broadway Junction, Junius St/Livonia and Ave I due 2026–early 2028 and Wilson Ave contract by mid-2027

Hochul announced Sept. 9 that the MTA will publish the IBX Draft EIS in Q4 2026, earlier than planned, followed by public meetings. The $5.5B Brooklyn–Queens light rail line (18 stations, 17 subway connections, LIRR, projected 160,000 weekday riders) entered design in October 2025 under a roughly two-year design contract. ADA upgrades at connecting subway stations: Junius St/Livonia by end of 2026, Broadway Junction by end of 2027, Ave I by early 2028 (all 2020-24 Capital Plan), Wilson Ave expedited in the 2025-29 plan with a contract by mid-2027. Funding: $45M in the FY2026 budget for design and $2.75B approved in the 2025-29 MTA Capital Plan, i.e., half the estimated cost. The remaining $2.75B is not identified in the release.

DFS proposes a rule requiring prior state approval for any private-passenger auto insurance rate increase, implementing the FY27 budget's insurance overhaul; 60-day comment period, effective Nov. 27, 2026

On Sept. 9 Hochul announced a proposed Department of Financial Services regulation amending the private-passenger auto rate-filing process. Today insurers can take up to two rate increases without prior approval if the cumulative effect stays within 5%; the proposal would require express DFS approval before any upward change and require insurers to notify policyholders about rate decreases taken without prior approval as a result of the FY27 budget reforms, with an explanation. Comment period is 60 days from State Register publication; the law and regulation take effect Nov. 27, 2026. The FY27 budget reforms this implements are the no-fault/car-insurance overhaul at the center of the Uber-funded Citizens for Affordable Rates spending, which remains an active controversy row.

Hochul and Mamdani say NYC DEP's free lead service line replacement program has replaced pipes for more than 900 Bronx and Queens homeowners, saving each more than $10,000

Joint Sept. 9 announcement: the NYC Department of Environmental Protection's free lead service line replacement program has covered more than 900 Bronx and Queens homeowners at a saving the state puts at more than $10,000 each. Row built from the governor.ny.gov pressroom summary; full release not reviewed for funding split between state and city.

Hochul announces the first phase of a SUNY Brain Institute, a federated statewide neuroscience research network aimed at age-related brain disorders

Sept. 9 announcement of the first phase of the SUNY Brain Institute, described as a statewide, federated neuroscience research network focused on age-related brain disorders. Row built from the governor.ny.gov pressroom summary; dollar figure and participating campuses not captured here.

After Canada imposes retaliatory tariffs of up to 50% at 11:01 a.m., Hochul calls on New York's seven House Republicans to demand Trump end the trade war and refund $13.5B she says New Yorkers overpaid; says NY wine exports to Canada are down about 91%

In Albany remarks on Sept. 8, Hochul said Canada imposed tariffs of up to 50% on billions of dollars of American goods that morning in retaliation for the Trump administration's trade war. She called on New York's seven Republican House members to demand the President end the tariffs and repeated her call for the federal government to return $13.5 billion she says New Yorkers have overpaid through tariff-driven prices. She cited Canadian wood and aluminum as inputs that raise housing construction costs, and said New York wine exports to Canada, previously the state's largest wine export market, are down about 91%. She also noted a Supreme Court ruling that the President lacks authority to impose tariffs without congressional approval. Figures are the governor's; the 91% and $13.5B numbers were not independently sourced in the release.

Ahead of the High Holidays, Hochul announces distribution of a record $70M in Securing Communities Against Hate Crimes grants to 290 nonprofits and a State Police surge at religious sites through Yom Kippur

Sept. 8 announcement: $70M through the Securing Communities Against Hate Crimes program goes to 290 nonprofit, community-based organizations deemed at risk because of ideology, beliefs or mission (houses of worship, community centers, cultural museums, daycares). Eligible uses are physical hardening (lighting, locks, alarms, panic buttons, barriers, shatter-resistant glass), cybersecurity and security training. Per the Sept. 3 JNS report on the funding round, the $70M combines $35M already available with $35M added in the FY27 budget, making it the largest round in program history. Hochul also directed State Police and the Hate Crimes Task Force to surge presence at synagogues and Jewish neighborhoods from Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur. Backdrop: NYPD reported hate crimes up 15.8% YTD through August (425 vs 367), and the announcement lands three days before the 9/11 25th-anniversary ceremony amid Blakeman's "Hijab Hochul" attack line. Governor URL as linked from Daily Caller coverage; release text corroborated via dailycaller.com/2026/09/08/kathy-hochul-grants-hate-crimes-antisemitism/.

At the West Indian Day Parade breakfast, Hochul says New York will "never, ever, ever support the overreach of ICE" and tells the crowd to "watch the mail": the $1B POWER utility rebate checks go out "over the next couple of weeks"

Speaking Sept. 7 at the West Indian American Day Association breakfast before marching on Eastern Parkway, Hochul said fear of ICE in Caribbean communities has "only gotten worse" since last year and that the state will not "support the overreach of ICE," six days after DHS Secretary Mullin blamed her 287(g) ban for "Operation Rotten Apple." She listed free school meals, universal child care and the $1,000 under-four child credit, then said the $1 billion POWER utility rebate ($100-$200 per household, 8.2M recipients) starts landing in mailboxes within a couple of weeks. That confirms the September start Republicans have called an election-year gimmick. No Blakeman appearance at the parade was reported.

Labor Day accomplishments release: Hochul cites $145M in wage-theft recoveries since 2021 ($35M in 2025), ~18,000 apprentices as of June 30, 12,000+ SUNY/CUNY Reconnect enrollees, 64,000+ NY HELPS hires; Tier 6 and workers' comp changes from the FY27 budget; 17 landmarks lit

The annual Labor Day accomplishments release (Sept 7, 2026) is a retrospective, not a new policy. Verifiable figures it puts on the record: NYSDOL recovered more than $35M in wages and $2.2M in penalties in 2025 (highest since 2015) and more than $145M for 130,000+ workers since 2021; 14,579 public-work contractor registration certificates issued; 79 model-management companies registered under the Fashion Workers Act; almost 18,000 registered apprentices, 600+ sponsors, 900+ programs and 1,300+ completion certificates as of June 30, 2026; 12,000+ enrolled in free community college (SUNY/CUNY Reconnect), expanded this year to logistics, air traffic control and second-degree nursing; 64,000+ appointments through NY HELPS. It also claims the nation's smallest gender wage gap (91.4 cents per dollar, 2024) and recaps FY27 budget items: Tier 6 reforms (lower retirement ages for educators, lower contribution rates, higher overtime caps), a DA grant program for workers' comp fraud starting 2027, and universal provider authorization for injured workers starting January 2028. Retail Worker Safety Act silent-response-button mandate for 500+ employee retailers takes effect Jan 1, 2027. Blakeman has been courting union support (Steamfitters 638, TWU 106/252 endorsements); no Blakeman Labor Day statement located. Official governor.ny.gov URL not yet indexed at run time; source is a verbatim repost of the release.

Backfill: El Hogar Residence opens in the Bronx: 83 senior apartments, 50 for formerly homeless seniors, all at or below 40% AMI; state repeats the 87,000-of-100,000 housing-plan count

Sept. 3: Hochul cut the ribbon on El Hogar Residence, a $60M, 10-story all-electric building at 2444 Tiebout Ave. developed by nonprofit Comunilife. 83 apartments for older adults, 50 of them supportive units for formerly homeless seniors with on-site case management funded through ESSHI; all units capped at 40% of AMI. Financing: ~$19M in federal LIHTC equity, $11M+ HCR subsidy, $5.9M OTDA HHAP, $6M DOH ESSHI, $11.6M NYC HPD, $700K RESO A. The release restates that the $25B five-year plan has created or preserved "more than 87,000" of the promised 100,000 homes, the same figure the state used Sept. 2 at Matinecock Court. Construction on this project began in August 2024, so the completion falls inside the plan window.

Backfill: Hochul details $50M U.S. Route 9 overhaul in Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown: four roundabouts, separated bike-ped path; half the money is a federal BUILD grant and construction does not start until 2028

Sept. 4: NYSDOT's preliminary design for a 1.3-mile stretch of Route 9 (Broadway) replaces four signalized intersections in Sleepy Hollow with roundabouts, adds signals at two unsignalized intersections, a 0.75-mile physically separated shared-use path, continuous sidewalks, curb extensions and ADA bus stops. Of the $50M, $25M is a USDOT BUILD grant announced by Schumer and Gillibrand; Stewart-Cousins says she added $5M in the 2023 state budget. The release is a design milestone, not a groundbreaking: final design proceeds now and construction is "anticipated to begin in 2028," i.e., after the election and into a second term.

Backfill: Hochul awards $76.2M in federal Rural Health Transformation money to 90 rural-care partnerships; first year of a $212M CMS award, with Dr. Oz crediting the Trump administration

Sept. 4: Hochul announced $76.2M through the Rural Community Health Integration Initiative: 90 awards to 56 organizations ($22.7M planning, $53.5M implementation) plus $1M for school-based health centers. The money is 100% federal, drawn from New York's $212M+ first-year allocation under the $50B CMS Rural Health Transformation Program (FFY2026-2030) created in the 2025 federal reconciliation law. Three other tranches remain: $30M technology-enhanced primary care, $13M rural workforce, $79.5M technology/cybersecurity. CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz's quote in the state release credits "The Trump Administration's Rural Health Transformation Program." Context for the tracker: the state announcement frames this as Hochul's investment; the funding source is federal, and future-year awards depend on CMS renewing New York's share.

Hochul leads 18 governors in a letter to AG Blanche urging DOJ not to abandon Olmstead enforcement for community-based disability care

Sept. 4: Hochul led 18 governors (including Lamont, Moore, Whitmer, Kotek, Stein) in a letter to Attorney General Todd Blanche asking DOJ to reverse its decision to stop relying on its longstanding Olmstead v. L.C. guidance, which protects the right of people with disabilities to receive services in the community rather than institutions under the ADA and Section 504. Hochul called the federal move "needlessly cruel and unjust." Follows her July 22 statement (statement-171) on the same DOJ decision. Letter PDF: governor.ny.gov/sites/default/files/2026-09/Governors_Letter_on_Olmstead_9-2026.pdf. No New York policy change; this is a federal-posture item.

One year after the Cato ICE raid, Hochul ties the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act to the anniversary and names Homan and Mullin as targets for "truth and transparency"

Sept. 4 statement marking one year since the Sept. 4, 2025 ICE raid on Nutrition Bar Confectioners in Cato (Cayuga County), which detained 69 people including three mothers with infants. Hochul cites the Buffalo death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam and last month's pepper-spraying of a protester during "Operation Rotten Apple," credits the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act (287(g) ban, sensitive-locations protections, a state cause of action against officials who violate constitutional rights), and says she will keep "demanding truth and transparency from Tom Homan and Secretary Mullin." Context: the 287(g) ban is under challenge in Bourgault v. Hochul (state response due Sept. 9) and Mullin blamed the ban for 2,100+ ICE arrests on Sept. 2.

Hochul opens the school year with Pre-K seats in 402 districts and, for the first time, a date: statewide universal Pre-K for 4-year-olds by fall 2028

At a ribbon-cutting for the new Silas Wood Pre-K Center in South Huntington, Hochul said 402 school districts (more than half the state's public districts; NYC counts as one and already has UPK) are adding Pre-K seats this year, funded by the $563M annual increase in the FY27 budget within a $1.7B childcare package. The release states the state "will ensure Pre-K is truly universal for 4-year-olds statewide by the start of the 2028-29 school year," the first explicit target date attached to the promise. Regional breakdown: Long Island 84 districts, Western NY 58, Mid-Hudson 53, Capital Region 45, Finger Lakes 42, Southern Tier 35, Mohawk Valley 29, Central NY 28, North Country 27. The release gives district counts, not seat counts ("thousands" this year, "tens of thousands" in coming years), so the scale of this year's expansion is not verifiable from the announcement. Universal child care for under-4s, the second half of the promise, is not addressed.

Hochul awards first $18.6M of the $400M Albany "CAP" plan to ten downtown projects; Liberty Park redevelopment goes to Columbia Development and Galesi Group

One year after the first CAP public workshop, Hochul announced the first ten awards from the $200M Downtown Albany Strategy pool: $18.6M in grants leveraging ~$97.5M in other investment for nearly 300 housing units, mostly office-to-residential conversions (largest: $6.5M to Jankow Companies to convert 54 State Street into 120 apartments; $4M to Redburn for Union Station with 50 workforce units). ESD is also committing up to $20M for streetscapes and $1M for a small-business facade fund, and Capitalize Albany selected Columbia Development and Galesi Group to master-plan the eight-acre Liberty Park district, with terms still to be negotiated. The office says commitments to date total up to $80M of the $200M. A separate $25M OGS "Reconnect the Empire State Plaza" report was released alongside. Note: the Galesi Group and Columbia Development are prominent Capital Region developers; we have not checked their campaign-donor history this run.

Matinecock Court opens in Huntington after a 48-year fight; state now says 87,000+ of the promised 100,000 affordable homes are done

The $98M, 145-unit limited-equity co-op in Huntington was first proposed in 1978 and became a landmark Fair Housing Act case (Huntington Branch NAACP v. Town of Huntington, affirmed by the Supreme Court in 1988). Financing: ~$36M in federal and state LIHTC equity, $28M state subsidy, $1.7M OPWDD, $1M ESD, ~$4.2M Suffolk County. Eight units are for people with developmental disabilities and four for veterans; all are at or below 80% AMI. The release also updates the five-year Housing Plan tally to "more than 87,000" of 100,000 affordable homes created or preserved, up from the 81,000+ figure in our tracker. That is the state's own count and has not been independently audited.

FEMA denies New York's appeal for a February-blizzard disaster declaration; Hochul: "Another day, another denial," and calls out GOP House members

In a 3:23pm Sept. 2 statement, Hochul said her administration was informed that FEMA has officially denied New York's appeal of the Major Disaster Declaration request for the February blizzard that hit New York City, Long Island and the Mid-Hudson. The state and local governments put damages at more than $168 million, which the governor says cleared every FEMA threshold. Timeline on the record: Trump denied the original request July 2 (statement-169); Hochul filed a formal appeal July 31; the appeal denial arrived one day after her Sept. 1 press conference with Mayor Mamdani over $87M in withheld counterterrorism grants. She tied the two together ("another denial") and turned on New York's Republican members of Congress, calling their silence "a direct betrayal" and demanding they press the President to grant the declaration. Her statement did not include FEMA's stated reason for denying the appeal, and no further appeal route or replacement state aid package was identified (FingerLakes1 noted the same gap). No response from Blakeman or the GOP delegation was published as of the morning of Sept. 3. Nonpartisan note: the $168M figure and the "met every threshold" claim are the governor's; FEMA's denial letter has not been released publicly.

DHS Secretary Mullin, at 26 Federal Plaza, touts "Operation Rotten Apple": 2,100+ ICE arrests across New York in five weeks, blames Hochul's 287(g) ban

While Hochul and Mamdani held their counterterrorism-funding press conference on Sept. 1, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin held a competing one downtown at 26 Federal Plaza announcing that a July 27 to Aug. 29 ICE surge across New York City, Long Island and the Hudson Valley produced roughly 2,100 arrests (DHS release: 2,197). Mullin called them "the worst of the worst," said the state had released more than 13,000 criminal defendants despite ICE detainers, criticized Hochul's new law ending 287(g) agreements (fully effective Aug. 25), called New York "crime-ridden," threatened more agents, and said "I don't think we should be sending one federal penny to sanctuary states and sanctuary cities." Hochul disputed the framing: "There is no way that that number constitutes people who have committed crimes the way we consider a crime a crime in New York state," noting NYC has never had a 287(g) agreement and major crime categories are at record lows. Neither Mullin nor ICE Field Office Director Ken Genalo gave a breakdown of how many of the 2,100 had violent convictions versus civil immigration violations; national TRAC data shows about 70% of ICE detainees as of July had no criminal conviction. The Mullin threat to cut federal funds and the FEMA "unspent $300M" statement landed the same day, making Sept. 1 the sharpest federal-state escalation of the campaign so far.

Backfill: Hochul's detailed public schedules run 14 months late and redact 400+ "private events," despite an early-tenure pledge of quarterly releases

City & State (Aug. 31) reports that Hochul's office released nine months of detailed public schedules in late August, but they only run through June 2025, about 14 months behind. Her office had committed at the start of her tenure to releasing them roughly quarterly; until this batch, the site was nearly two years out of date, and the prior release (January 2026) covered only through September 2024. The schedules contain over 400 "private events" with no participant listed (81 in October 2024 alone), which typically indicate campaign or fundraising calls. Reinvent Albany's Rachael Fauss said the administration has not made good on its transparency promise and that its FOIL process remains as slow as in 2021. Spokesperson Jen Goodman did not explain the delay or the departure from quarterly releases, saying the administration "remain[s] committed to improving transparency and accountability." An Aug. 18 meeting with NYPD Commissioner Tisch was not on the public schedule. Note: the tracker has no standalone "quarterly schedule release" promise row; this is logged as a governance item, not a promise flip.

Hochul and Mamdani demand the $87M in federal counterterrorism funds still withheld; Hochul: Trump is "defunding the police"

At a Sept. 1 joint press conference with Mayor Mamdani, Hochul called on President Trump and DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin to release $87M in FEMA Homeland Security Grant Program money she says is still owed to New York. Her office's timeline: DHS cut New York's 2025 HSGP allocation by $187M (86%); Trump posted on Truth Social in October 2025 that he had reversed the cuts; New York has since received $100M, following a federal judge's order, leaving ~$87M outstanding. The state itemizes the gap as $63.3M in UASI cuts (NYC -$55.7M; Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester and Yonkers -$948K each; Port Authority -$3.8M) and $17.7M in SHSP cuts spread across every county. Hochul said the funding covers NYPD intelligence analysts, FDNY radiological response, Joint Task Force Empire Shield, 12 state bomb squads and county/sheriff equipment and training. She framed the withholding as "defunding the police" and "revenge on a blue state" ahead of the 9/11 25th anniversary; Democratic members of Congress (Jeffries, Gillibrand, Meng, Kennedy, Goldman, Latimer, Morelle, Manion) issued supporting statements. Fox News reported it had reached out to the White House and DHS; no federal response was published as of Sept. 1 afternoon. The $187M/86% cut figure and the "promise" are the governor's characterization, sourced to her release. Blakeman had not publicly responded as of this entry.

Backfill: Hochul and Kevin Bacon promote her repeal of restrictions on dancing in bars and restaurants

On Aug 28 Hochul appeared with actor Kevin Bacon to highlight her policy eliminating outdated restrictions on dancing in bars and restaurants — a Footloose-themed publicity event for a quality-of-life deregulation she has made part of her affordability-and-fun pitch in the campaign's final stretch.

Hochul grants six pardons in first rolling (non-year-end) clemency batch, bringing her total to 145 grants

On Aug 28 Hochul pardoned six people — convictions dating 1986-2015 for drug possession, a loaded firearm, assault, DWI and bail jumping — citing her Clemency Advisory Panel and a commitment to grant clemency on a rolling basis rather than only at year-end. Her office says she has now issued 145 clemency grants: 125 pardons and 20 commutations.

Backfill: Hochul discusses tariffs, ICE and social media on MSNOW's Morning Joe

Hochul appeared on MSNOW's Morning Joe on Aug 28 (10:16 AM transcript posted by the governor's office), discussing the Canada tariffs, ICE enforcement in New York, and social media policy. National-TV framing of the two threads dominating the race; no new policy announced.

Trump signs an executive order renaming Lake Ontario "Lake America"; Hochul: "New York won't be calling it that"

Amid the escalating trade war with Canada — days after 50% tariffs on $20B of Canadian goods that Hochul has made a campaign centerpiece — President Trump signed an executive order Aug 27 purporting to rename Lake Ontario "Lake America" effective immediately. Hochul responded on X that "New York won't be calling it that"; Canadian PM Carney said Canada will keep calling it Lake Ontario. Extends the tariff-fight arc already running through Hochul's State Fair remarks and farm-relief messaging.

Hochul announces an additional $36 million for victim services organizations statewide

Hochul announced $36M in additional state funding for victim assistance programs statewide, administered through the Office of Victim Services (Aug 28). Framed by the administration as backfilling need as federal Victims of Crime Act support has declined.

Backfill: construction starts on Perry & Main, a $38M, 53-unit transit-oriented affordable development in Port Jefferson; Hochul and Mamdani announce $8.4M Queens flood-resilience medians

Two Aug 27 afternoon announcements the prior windows missed: (1) construction started on Perry & Main, a $38M mixed-use development with 53 affordable units in Port Jefferson/Brookhaven, Suffolk County — progress under the $25B/100,000-homes housing plan; (2) with Mayor Mamdani, an $8.4M investment converting concrete roadway medians in Whitestone, Forest Hills and Queens Village into green-infrastructure stormwater "sponges." Flood-medians release: https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-and-mayor-mamdani-announce-84-million-transform-concrete-medians-flood

AG James countersues in state court to force Rensselaer County out of its 287(g) agreement

Two days after 15 sheriffs sued in federal court to strike the 287(g) ban, Attorney General Letitia James filed a state-court enforcement suit on Aug 27 asking a judge to terminate the Rensselaer County Sheriff's Office agreement with ICE. James said the office "has been given every opportunity to follow the law, yet has chosen not to." Rensselaer is the only one of the 13 jurisdictions that refused to terminate; its agreement dates to 2018 and, per court documents, has been used to remove nine immigrants. Sheriff Kyle Bourgault — lead plaintiff in the federal suit — said the fight "isn't just about 287(g)" but about the independence of the elected sheriff's office.

State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez urges Hochul to sign a data-center moratorium bill that goes beyond her executive order

Sen. Kristen Gonzalez on Aug 27 urged Hochul to sign the data-center moratorium bill (S10642/A11560), which advocates say fills gaps in the one-year moratorium Hochul imposed by executive order in July (EO 62). Blakeman opposes any statewide moratorium and says local governments should be free to strike their own deals with tech companies for data-center projects — a clean policy contrast in the governor's race.

Blakeman on Capital Tonight: Nassau will file its own complaint against the 287(g) ban, and he disputes the Siena poll's funding

In a Capital Tonight interview (aired Aug 26, 7:30pm), Blakeman said Nassau will comply with the 287(g) ban but file a SEPARATE complaint piggybacking on the sheriffs' Bourgault suit — "my sheriff is appointed," so Nassau is "in a different situation than the other sheriffs." He said the law was "written with the blood of the victims of illegal migrants" and claimed "there were no deaths at the hands of ICE in Nassau County"; the Hochul campaign rebutted by citing an ICE detainee found dead in a Nassau County jail cell in September 2025. On polling, he cited internal numbers and a co/efficient survey putting him "within four points," and claimed the Siena poll is funded by New York State — Siena spokesman Steve Greenberg said the poll is funded by ReconMR under a licensing agreement and receives no state money. Declined to defend Trump's Canada tariffs: "I'm running for governor."

Blakeman backs down: Nassau will comply with the 287(g) ban, but he is joining the sheriffs' suit

On Aug. 26 at a news conference, Bruce Blakeman said Nassau County will yield to the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act provision dissolving its 287(g) agreement with ICE — ending the standoff in which Nassau was the last undecided holdout past the Aug. 25 deadline. He said he will still instruct county police to cooperate with ICE "whenever possible," and that he will join the federal suit filed by 15 sheriffs (Bourgault v. Hochul, N.D.N.Y.) challenging the law. Blakeman: "This law is written in the blood of victims past, present and future... I am a law-and-order county executive. I believe in the rule of law, even when it's a bad law." He also said that going forward "every murder, every rape, every robbery, every burglary, every drug overdose committed by an illegal migrant is on the hands of Kathy Hochul and the Democrats." Hochul, speaking at the State Fair, said: "We have made dramatic progress. We didn't need any 287(g) agreements... I want local police using local taxpayer dollars to focus on catching local criminals." Reporting context in the same piece: 13 jurisdictions had formal agreements when the ban was enacted in May; Nassau has held more than 1,000 people at its East Meadow jail for ICE since October 2025, the most of any New York county; and Newsday reported that between February 2025 and March 2026, 147 immigrants detained at the Nassau jail had prior violent-crime convictions — under 5% of those arrested. A Hochul spokesperson did not immediately comment on Blakeman's announcement.

FIFA World Cup 2026 generated $3.5 billion in regional economic impact, Hochul announces

Hochul announced on Aug. 26 that FIFA World Cup 2026 produced $3.5 billion in total economic impact across New York and New Jersey, above the $3.3 billion the region originally projected. Figure is the state's own; the underlying methodology is not published in the release.

Authors of the state's $1M Kendra's Law evaluation say the Office of Mental Health is misrepresenting their findings

The researchers who wrote the independent evaluation of New York's assisted outpatient treatment program (Kendra's Law), finalized by the Office of Mental Health in June, published a letter saying OMH and its leaders have "mischaracterized, misrepresented or overtly 'spun' the evaluation study, its findings and their complexity." OMH's chief medical officer has said the report shows the program reduces hospitalizations and improves community safety; lead author Nev Jones and two team members say the state is downplaying harms documented over two years of research. The $1 million, 392-page report was required by the Legislature when the law was last renewed in the FY2023 budget. Relevant to the administration's mental-health commitments, which remain logged as in-progress; this dispute is over interpretation of the evaluation, and Civic Pulse has not independently reviewed the 392-page report.

Hochul announces service and infrastructure upgrades on the LIRR Montauk Branch

Aug 25, 2026: a package of MTA Long Island Rail Road service and infrastructure improvements on the Montauk Branch. A Long Island transit announcement in the middle of the campaign against the Nassau County executive; the release itself makes no electoral claim.

Hochul announces the 287(g) ban has taken effect statewide

Official announcement, Aug 25, 2026: the statewide ban on 287(g) agreements contained in the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act — signed in May 2026 as part of a broader immigration package — is now in effect. This is the state's own framing of the deadline the tracker has been following since the law was signed.

Hochul opens the State Fair with remarks on the damage federal tariffs on Canada have done to New York

Aug 26, 2026: Hochul used opening day of the Great New York State Fair to attack federal tariffs on Canadian goods and their effect on New York's economy. Follows her campaign's Aug 25 attack on Blakeman over his support for the tariffs and the NY LOVES CANADA travel promotion logged Aug 21.

Construction starts on Parkway Gardens, a $33M, 71-unit public housing redevelopment in Utica

Aug 25, 2026: groundbreaking on Parkway Gardens, which replaces three buildings of Utica's N.D. Peters public housing complex with one new 71-unit building. Counts toward the $25B / 100,000-home housing promise (slug plan-25b-100k-homes), which remains in-progress.

Fifteen New York sheriffs sue to strike down the 287(g) ban hours after it takes effect

The Local Cops, Local Crimes Act ban on 287(g) agreements took effect Aug 25, 2026, and 15 county sheriffs filed suit the same day. Their claim: the law nullifies "the ability of independently elected constitutional officers to enter into contracts authorized by federal law." Hochul appeared flanked by police chiefs and said that prior to 2025 only Rensselaer County held a 287(g) agreement, and that 53 counties have never had one. Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin said his county will not comply and that its program is background checks, not raids: "We'll see you in court, governor." Spectrum reports Nassau County, run by Republican gubernatorial nominee Bruce Blakeman, will not comply. Orange County Sheriff Paul Arteta is among the plaintiffs even though the county terminated its ICE jail-detention contract. Neither the state announcement nor the reporting identified all 15 sheriffs, the court, or the full legal claims.

Hochul and James call the sheriffs' 287(g) suit "a frivolous waste of taxpayer dollars"

Joint statement from Gov. Hochul and AG Letitia James on Aug 25, 2026 responding to the 15-sheriff lawsuit. Key factual claim in the statement: "Many of the 12 entities with these agreements have complied without incident." The statement says the courts have already declined to block the law once and that the state expects all New York law enforcement agencies to uphold it. The release does not give a compliance count, name the non-compliant agencies, or identify the plaintiffs.

Attorney General James subpoenas Nassau, Rensselaer, Broome and Steuben counties over ICE cooperation

AG Letitia James sent subpoenas Aug 25, 2026 to four counties her office says have not complied with the 287(g) ban, including Nassau, whose county executive Bruce Blakeman is the Republican nominee for governor. Blakeman has not said whether he will dissolve Nassau's agreement; his spokesperson declined to comment on the subpoena, and at a campaign event Blakeman defended the ICE partnership: "We removed them from America, and we made safer communities by doing so." Broome and Steuben officials had previously indicated they would end their ICE contracts. Rensselaer plans to join a lawsuit. Hochul said holdouts would face consequences but did not detail them. Reported by Jimmy Vielkind.

Supreme Court lifts one of two injunctions on Trump's mail-voting order; New York is a plaintiff and Hochul says the fight continues

On Aug. 24 the U.S. Supreme Court, in an unsigned order splitting along ideological lines, lifted Judge Indira Talwani's June injunction against key provisions of President Trump's March 31 executive order restricting mail voting. New York is one of the 24 jurisdictions (23 states plus D.C.) whose attorneys general and governors brought that suit. The majority addressed only whether the injunction was premature, writing that its ruling "does not mean that any measure taken by the government to implement the order will necessarily be lawful." Justice Jackson dissented, warning of a "Kafkaesque nightmare"; Justices Sotomayor and Kagan dissented separately. A second injunction issued Aug. 11 in the League of Women Voters case still applies nationwide, so the order remains blocked for now. If implemented, it would require states to send the federal government lists of voters receiving mail ballots, with USPS declining delivery in states that do not comply.

Hochul responds to the mail-voting ruling: "President Trump does not get to rewrite election law"

Hochul issued a statement the evening of Aug. 24 following the Supreme Court's ruling on the mail-voting executive order: "Today's ruling does not change the facts: President Trump does not get to rewrite election law or suppress the right to vote with the stroke of a pen. New York's elections are secure. Our laws are clear. And the Constitution does not give the President the authority to override the longstanding role of states in administering their own elections. New York challenged this unlawful executive order from the very beginning and we'll continue the fight." The statement does not name the case or specify next steps.

Rensselaer County will sue to strike down New York's 287(g) ban; Blakeman is the last undecided holdout on deadline day

Rensselaer County announced Aug. 24 it will join a federal lawsuit to strike down the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act, the law Hochul signed in May voiding all 287(g) ICE agreements in New York effective Aug. 25. Sheriff Kyle Bourgault, whose office has held an agreement since 2018, will be a plaintiff. County Executive Steve McLaughlin said the state has not explained how the change improves public safety. WAMC reports 11 of the 12 other notified jurisdictions have said they will withdraw by the deadline. Nassau County Executive and Republican gubernatorial nominee Bruce Blakeman is the exception: "We're still talking with our lawyers. They're reviewing the process. I'll make a decision shortly." Saratoga County Sheriff Jeff Brown has said he will sign on to the suit though his county has no 287(g) agreement. The suit had not been filed and the plaintiff list is not public as of Aug. 24.

Backfill: construction starts on a $46M, 80-unit affordable housing conversion of the Oval Wood Dish Factory in Tupper Lake

Hochul announced Aug. 24 the start of construction on the former Oval Wood Dish Factory in the village of Tupper Lake, Franklin County — a $46 million, 80-unit mixed-use affordable development.

Backfill: New York opens the Workforce Pell application portal for short-term job training programs

Hochul announced Aug. 24 that New York has opened the application portal for the Workforce Pell Program, through which higher education institutions seek state approval for short-term workforce training programs eligible for federal Pell funding.

Backfill: Anheuser-Busch to invest $13M in its Baldwinsville brewery

Hochul celebrated a $13 million Anheuser-Busch investment in its Baldwinsville brewery in Onondaga County on August 20, framed as support for local manufacturing. Backfilled; missed in the August 22 refresh window.

Hochul marks five years in office with a record retrospective as her campaign draws the contrast with Blakeman

Hochul was sworn in as New York's 57th governor on August 24, 2021. The official five-year release restates her affordability, public safety and health care record. It arrives the same day her reelection campaign issued a parallel statement contrasting that record with Bruce Blakeman.

Hochul says she urged Mamdani to focus on city government rather than Israel

In a wide-ranging New York Times interview published Aug 20, Hochul said she encouraged Mayor Zohran Mamdani to concentrate on city government after his sharp criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month. Her quote: "I encourage him to — 'let's focus on the blocking and tackling of city government.' That is where I believe the main focus should be." JTA/New York Jewish Week summarized the exchange Aug 21 and noted some New York Jewish leaders, including the head of the Jewish Federations, have accused Mamdani of inciting violence. Hochul endorsed Mamdani in February 2026 and the two have appeared together repeatedly, most recently at an Aug 12 ICE press conference; this is the sharpest public daylight between them logged here. NYT interview is paywalled; JTA carries the direct quote and links the original.

Hochul eliminates mandatory fees for more than 7,500 SUNY graduate student workers

Announced Aug 21 (Albany). Mandatory fees averaging about $2,000 a year are eliminated for more than 7,500 graduate student workers at SUNY State-operated campuses, completing a four-year phase-out funded through enacted state budgets since FY2023-24. Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky, who introduced the bill version in 2021 and chairs Senate Higher Education, noted graduate assistants were billed roughly $2,000 in fees against stipends of about $20,000. CWA Local 1104 and CWA District 1 credited years of bargaining and Albany advocacy. Assemblymember Alicia Hyndman and bill sponsor Assemblymember Solages also cited.

Stony Brook and Brookhaven send quantum information 13 miles through open air, a first for the state network

Announced Aug 21 (Albany). Researchers at SUNY Stony Brook and Brookhaven National Laboratory transmitted photons carrying quantum information 13 miles through open air, from Stony Brook's Quantum Watchtower to Brookhaven's Quantum Lighthouse in Upton — a free-space optical link that adds a wireless component to a fiber network the state says already spans 161 miles and eight nodes across Long Island and the NYC metro area. A third facility is under development at Yale. Builds on the $300M state investment announced last year in Stony Brook's Quantum Research and Innovation Hub, and is separate from the $60M Regional Quantum Technology Commercialization Hubs RFP logged Aug 13.

Hochul launches her first two TV ads of the cycle: a Buffalo pizzeria affordability spot and a negative ad tying Blakeman to Trump

Reported Aug 20 by City & State. Hochul's first two general-election TV ads began airing Thursday Aug 20. The first features her first job at a Buffalo pizzeria and touts universal free school meals and middle-class tax cuts; the second ties Blakeman to President Trump, who has called him "100% MAGA." The campaign describes both as part of a "multimillion dollar" buy running through Election Day on broadcast, cable, digital and streaming — no precise dollar figure disclosed, so no finance row was created. Campaign manager Preston Elliot also attacked Blakeman's use of AI in campaign material, the subject of the state Democratic Party's Aug 11 Board of Elections complaint already tracked here. The state Democratic Party is holding roughly 150 organizing events Aug 22-23 as a pre-Labor Day coordinated-campaign push.

Hochul awards $38M to 49 county infrastructure projects tied to more than 3,200 new homes

Announced Aug 20 from Albany: more than $38 million to 49 projects in Round 2 of the County Infrastructure Grant Program, administered by Empire State Development. The program has now awarded more than $74 million to nearly 100 projects since its November 2024 launch. Grants run up to $500,000, or up to $1 million for projects supporting 10 or more housing units; the state says this round supports construction of more than 3,200 new homes. An additional $50 million for a third round is in the FY 2027 Enacted Budget. Relevant to the $25B/100,000-home promise, which stays in-progress — the state counts homes enabled, not completed.

Hochul, Coca-Cola and fairlife mark production ramp-up at $650M dairy plant in Monroe County

Announced Aug 20: Hochul appeared with The Coca-Cola Company and fairlife to mark the initial production ramp-up at the new $650 million fairlife facility in the Town of Webster, Monroe County. One of three Monroe County stops the governor made that day, in a region both campaigns are contesting.

Hochul says FBI arrested a woman who allegedly plotted an ISIS-inspired bombing of the State Capitol

DOJ and the FBI announced Aug 20 the arrest of Jessica Bowie, 35, of Albany, charged in a criminal complaint with plotting an attack on the New York State Capitol. Per the complaint she pledged allegiance to ISIS, surveilled the Capitol over several weeks, and was arrested Aug 19 after paying $150 at a meeting with confidential sources for what she believed was a handgun and an explosive device; both were inert. Hochul credited the FBI and State Police and said the state strengthened Capitol security earlier this year amid rising threats against public officials, adding there is "no immediate threat at this time." Charges are allegations; she has not been convicted.

Hochul announces completion of Evergreen East: $136M preserving 508 affordable apartments in Monroe County

Announced Aug 20: Evergreen East, a $136 million rehabilitation and preservation project, modernized 508 affordable apartments in the village of Fairport, town of Perinton, Monroe County. Counts toward the "create or preserve" side of the $25B five-year housing plan, which remains in-progress on the tracker.

On Seniors Day, Hochul signs A4195-A/S118-A adding dementia and Alzheimer's resources to NY Connects

Signed Aug 19 in Harlem at Sen. Cordell Cleare's 5th Annual Senior Citizens Day, with Cleare and Assemblymember Alicia Hyndman. The law amends Elder Law to require the NY Connects: Choices for Long Term Care program to provide information on programs and services for New Yorkers with Alzheimer's and other dementias, and requires an ongoing education and outreach campaign. The release also cited Medicare Savings Program expansion and the insulin co-pay ban; see the related fact check on the savings figures.

Safer Streets: Hochul and NYPD Commissioner Tisch tout record crime reductions in NYC public housing

Hochul appeared with NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch on Aug 18 to highlight what the state and city describe as record-breaking crime reductions in public housing developments and citywide. Comes four days after President Trump campaigned with Blakeman on crime at the Nassau police academy.

Hochul opens FutureWorks Commission listening sessions on AI job losses, starting with women in clerical and back-office roles

Hochul launched the listening-session phase of the 20-member FutureWorks Commission on Aug 19, holding the first roundtable in New York City with women in administrative, clerical and customer-service roles. The governor's office says women are 84 percent of the state's administrative back-office workforce. The sessions are meant to feed policy and private-sector recommendations on AI's workforce impact.

Special envoy Steve Witkoff hosts Southampton fundraiser for Blakeman on the day of Trump's Long Island visit

US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff hosted a fundraiser for Blakeman in Southampton on Friday, Aug 14, confirmed by Nassau County GOP chair Joe Cairo. It followed Trump's same-day Long Island trip with Blakeman to a police facility. Blakeman remains at a large cash disadvantage: $4.59M on hand at the July filing versus Hochul's $21.03M. Amounts raised at the event were not disclosed.

PEF members ratify five-year contract 88 percent: raises for 60,000 state professionals through April 2031

The Public Employees Federation ratified a five-year agreement with the state on Aug 18, approved by 88 percent of members casting ballots. It covers roughly 60,000 professional, scientific and technical employees (PEF says 62,000), runs through April 1, 2031, and includes raises of 4.5, 4, 3.5, 3 and 3 percent, higher location pay, 20 hours of paid pre-natal leave, a higher sick-leave accrual cap, and health-insurance changes eliminating some co-pays. Third major state contract ratified in three weeks, after UUP on Jul 31 and CSEA on Aug 7.

DFS issues consumer notice warning Holocaust survivors and families about a scam

The Department of Financial Services issued a consumer notice on Aug 19 warning Holocaust survivors and their families about potential fraud targeting them.

Blakeman's running mate's own sheriff's office drops its ICE deal; 7 New York agencies still hold 287(g) agreements a week before the deadline

Per ICE's own website, 7 of the original 12 New York law enforcement agencies still hold 287(g) agreements ahead of the Aug 25 state deadline: Broome, Cattaraugus, Nassau, Niagara, Rensselaer and Steuben counties plus the Nassau County Police Department. The Madison County Sheriff's Office is the latest to dissolve its agreement, citing compliance with the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act; Madison County Sheriff Todd Hood is Bruce Blakeman's running mate for lieutenant governor. Broome County officials say they house no federal detainees and will follow state law. ICE's monthly 287(g) encounter reports list a single New York encounter across May, June and July 2026 - two individuals in Cattaraugus County on June 5.

Hochul announces $6.2M for Brooklyn healthcare and community facilities: $4.2M for StartCare, $2M for NYCHA's Breukelen Houses community center

Announced Aug 18 in Canarsie alongside state Sen. Roxanne J. Persaud. DASNY will administer the funds. StartCare gets $4.2M to renovate its East New York facility and expand primary care and behavioral health, adding on-site EKG and lab testing plus space for vocational training. NYCHA gets $2M for renovations at the Breukelen Houses community center.

DEC and EPA add in-person drop-in sessions on the Niagara-Erie radiological assessment: Aug 17 Grand Island, Aug 20 Niagara Falls, Aug 24 Lewiston

DEC posted three staffed drop-in tabling sessions for residents with questions about the Niagara and Erie County Radiological Assessment: Monday Aug 17 at the WNY Welcome Center in Grand Island, Thursday Aug 20 at the Niagara Falls Convention Center, and Monday Aug 24 at the Lewiston Library, each 4-7 p.m., plus a seven-day-a-week NECRA hotline. Phase 3 ground surveys remain ongoing. Source: DEC program page, retrieved Aug 18, 2026.

Days after refusing to visit, Hochul joins DEC commissioner's weekend calls to Niagara homeowners; residents still seek relocation

Homeowners on Fox and Chester avenues in the Town of Niagara said DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton called them Saturday, Aug 15, and resident Kellie Moytka said Hochul joined her call personally — three days after Hochul said at an Aug 13 Chautauqua County press event that an in-person meeting was unnecessary and that she did not want to politicize residents' "cries for help." Moytka told WIVB she was "caught off guard," said she pressed for permanent relocation, and said Hochul indicated her office is deferring to EPA to lead on that question. Lexi Hawk of Save Our Backyards Niagara missed Lefton's call and is still seeking a face-to-face meeting. Hochul energy communications adviser Ken Lovett said Monday the governor directed DEC and the Department of Health to coordinate with EPA and that EPA has offered to voluntarily relocate several families while testing continues. Jocelyn and Daniel McKiernan, who found potentially hazardous material in their 99th Street yard, said they received no weekend call and got an EPA letter last week saying the federal agency will only engage on their property if the state DEC requests assistance first. Blakeman and Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt are backing Ortt's bill to extend the state superfund law to radiological contamination; Hochul's office says the change would take months of rulemaking and hiring and that EPA's Superfund program is already equipped.

DEC and EPA: 856 Niagara-Erie property owners have granted testing access; 340-plus properties cleared

State DEC and federal EPA officials said 856 property owners across Niagara and Erie counties have granted access for radiological testing, and that as of Saturday more than 340 properties had received notice that no additional radiological investigation is needed. Officials did not disclose how many properties have been tested in total. The access figure is up from the 756 access forms cited in EPA Region 2 Administrator Mike Martucci's Aug 10 letter to Hochul.

Hochul presses DHS Secretary Mullin to reverse TPS terminations, warns state workers lose jobs "as soon as next week"

In an Aug 17 letter following a conversation with President Trump, Hochul urged DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin to fully restore Temporary Protected Status, citing the completed termination for Haitians and a forthcoming termination for Salvadorans. She wrote that state and local governments will have to sever employment for hundreds of essential workers as soon as next week, and flagged a heavy impact on the healthcare workforce. Letter PDF linked from the release.

Backfill: PPL agrees to $162M wage-theft settlement covering up to 200,000 CDPAP aides; judge grants preliminary approval

Public Partnerships LLC — the single fiscal intermediary the Hochul administration selected to run CDPAP in 2025 — agreed to pay $162M to settle a class-action wage-theft suit, one of the largest wage-related payouts in New York history. Average payout is roughly $700 per aide, about a week's pay. At least $25M compensates for deductions taken for a mandatory Leading Edge Administrators health plan that PPL later discontinued. PPL denies liability; the settlement includes no admission of wrongdoing. A federal judge in EDNY granted preliminary approval on July 1, 2026; payments may not reach workers until early 2027. Separate from, but arising out of the same CDPAP transition as, the DOJ fraud suit already tracked.

EPA regional administrator rebuts Hochul in letter: federal work already accelerated, 1,200 Niagara properties visited

EPA Region 2 Administrator Mike Martucci wrote to Gov. Hochul on Monday, Aug 10, defending the federal role in the Niagara County radiological assessment and saying her July 14 request to accelerate the work was unnecessary because it was already happening. "Everything we can speed up — access agreements, field work, deeper sampling, and potential cleanups, where needed — is being accelerated," Martucci wrote, describing EPA as "surging resources and manpower" into Niagara and Erie counties with dozens of expert staff working alongside NYSDEC. He put numbers to it: since July 23, EPA and state teams have visited more than 1,200 properties, obtained property-access permission from 756 homeowners, and screened 350 properties, working seven days a week. Martucci had earlier called Hochul's claim of EPA testing delays an "outright lie"; in this letter he wrote that EPA's focus is "ensuring the resources needed are provided without delay – and without regard to partisan politics." Hochul's July 14 letter had blamed the "wheels of federal bureaucracy" for leaving families waiting. Hochul senior communications adviser Ken Lovett responded Wednesday that public health and safety are the governor's first priority and that she directed a surge of NYSDEC and State Incident Management Team resources. Blakeman and Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt are pushing to amend New York's superfund law to cover radiological contamination; Hochul's office argues EPA is better equipped for radiological cleanups and that the Ortt approach would require additional specialized DEC staff and cause delays.

Hochul declines to visit Niagara radiation neighborhood, calls Blakeman's trip a "political show"

Asked in Chautauqua County on Aug 13 whether she would follow Blakeman and Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt to the contaminated Town of Niagara neighborhood, Hochul said no: "I have seen people go up there and politicize their cries for help... I go there, it's a political show, and I'm not going to use politics to capitalize on people's misery." She said more than 160 state personnel from DEC, DOH and emergency management are working the response and that state aerial and road surveys helped identify hotspots. Homeowner Lexi Hawk, whose property DEC and EPA confirmed contaminated on June 29, told Spectrum News her request for a visit predated Blakeman's appearance; four residents wrote Hochul on July 7 asking for testing data, relocation help, a State Superfund designation and an in-home meeting by July 10, which did not happen. Hawk also said the original property-access agreement contained language waiving reimbursement claims against the government; that language was later removed. Separately, Ortt introduced S.10672, which would classify nuclear and radioactive waste as hazardous waste so affected sites could be remediated through the state Hazardous Waste Superfund; it sits in the Senate Rules Committee and cannot advance while the Legislature is out of session.

NYT: Trump attacks Hochul on crime while Nassau's violent crime rose in Blakeman's first three years before falling in 2025

The New York Times' account of Friday's Garden City event adds crime-record context to both campaigns' claims. Trump called Hochul "very very bad on crime — a nightmare for crime"; Blakeman thanked him for border enforcement and invoked the killing of Sheridan Gorman. The Times reports New York statewide violent crime was 6,669 higher in 2021 than 2019, began falling by 2024, and index crime dropped about 10 percent this spring versus a comparable 2022 period — a trajectory that closely tracked national trends, with the 2026 national murder rate at a decades low. In Nassau, violent crime rose roughly 350 incidents in 2022, Blakeman's first year as county executive, kept climbing through 2023 and 2024, and fell in 2025; index crime peaked in 2023. Trump also said he would uphold qualified immunity and characterized New York's ICE limits as an obstacle to federal deportations; Hochul and James said before the event that they intend to enforce the state laws.

DFS and AG James secure Western Union commitment to keep serving New York after Intermex acquisition

The Department of Financial Services and the Attorney General's office secured commitments from Western Union to maintain services across New York following its acquisition of International Money Express (Intermex), announced Aug 13. Aimed at remittance access in immigrant communities.

Construction starts on 78-unit affordable and supportive housing development in Dunkirk

Hochul announced on Aug 13 that construction began on Homesteads at Dunkirk Landing, a 78-unit affordable and supportive housing development in Chautauqua County. Counts toward the $25B/100,000-home plan, which remains in-progress.

Safer Streets: Hochul says she has invested nearly $4B in public safety since taking office

Hours before Trump appeared at the Nassau County Police Academy with Blakeman, Hochul's office issued an 8:20am release tallying nearly $4 billion in public safety spending since she took office and citing sustained crime and gun-violence reductions. Timing makes it counterprogramming to the Trump-Blakeman "soft on crime" event the same day; the underlying spending figure is the administration's own cumulative tally, not an independent audit.

Hochul opens $35M Charge Ready NY program for public-sector EV charger installations

The state made $35 million available on Aug 14 for public sector entities to install and operate Level 2 electric vehicle chargers through the new Charge Ready NY — Large Public Sector Project program. Relevant to the administration's vehicle-electrification commitments; funds are available, not yet awarded.

Hochul cuts ribbon on Moog's $150M advanced manufacturing facility in East Aurora for company's 75th anniversary

Hochul marked aerospace/defense manufacturer Moog Inc.'s 75th anniversary in East Aurora (Erie County) on Aug 14 with a ribbon-cutting for its new $150M, 150,000-sq-ft Advanced Integrated Manufacturing facility serving military aircraft precision machining. The state's stake: a $16.4M Excelsior Jobs Program package (2023) tied to 500+ new jobs, 8,000 kW of low-cost NYPA hydropower, and ~$3M in Erie County IDA tax breaks. Moog employs 4,000+ locally, 14,000+ worldwide. This was the previously unspecified Erie County event on the governor's Aug 14 schedule.

Hochul: $216M in Summer EBT food assistance delivered to 1.8M children so far; applications open until Sept 8

The 2026 Summer EBT program has distributed over $216M to more than 1.8M low-income children ($120 per eligible child); the state expects ~$240M to nearly 2M children by completion. Families can apply through Sept 8. Same benefit Hochul promoted on the Lower East Side Aug 12.

Hochul, Mamdani and James announce $7.25M for legal aid to 1,400 unaccompanied immigrant children after federal contract lapse

Aug 12 joint Albany appearance: Hochul, Mamdani and AG James announced $7.25M via the Office for New Americans (coalition led by the Hispanic Federation) to fund legal representation for ~1,400 unaccompanied immigrant children in active removal proceedings, including 250+ currently detained, after the Trump administration let the federal Acacia Center legal-services contract expire Jul 31. The trio also criticized ICE's new G.L.O.V.E. biometric device. Corroborated by City & State: https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2026/08/hochul-mamdani-united-against-ice-pledge-legal-funding-migrant-children/415376/

Hochul launches $60M RFP for up to four Regional Quantum Technology Commercialization Hubs

Aug 12: Hochul announced a competitive $60M Request for Proposals to establish up to four Regional Quantum Technology Commercialization Hubs statewide, pitched as startup and jobs development.

Capital Group to expand NYC operations with $38M investment

Aug 11: Hochul announced asset manager Capital Group will expand its New York City operations with a $38M growth project. Routine economic-development announcement in the campaign-season cadence.

Hochul announces WithCoverage expansion in NYC: 205 new jobs, $25M R&D investment

Siena: Hochul leads Blakeman 49-39 in first likely-voter poll — lead halved from June

Siena's first likely-voter poll of the cycle (811 LV, Aug 3-6, MOE +/-4.2) has Hochul up 49-39 — half her 52-32 June lead among registered voters. Blakeman leads the suburbs 49-41 and independents 45-40; Hochul leads NYC 64-19. Blakeman's favorability improved to 33-26, though 40% still don't know enough about him. Voters prefer Hochul on affordable housing (+16) and prices (+7); 52-25 support her data-center moratorium. Likely-voter screens typically tighten races, but this is the closest public head-to-head from a nonpartisan pollster this cycle.

Hochul unveils $10M for new cardiac catheterization lab at Lincoln Hospital in the South Bronx

Hochul and Rep. Ritchie Torres announced a nearly $10 million state investment to complete a cardiac catheterization laboratory at NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln in the Bronx, framed as closing a health-equity gap in the South Bronx, which has among the state's highest rates of cardiovascular disease.

Hochul awards $21M to expand psychiatric emergency programs at seven hospitals

$21 million in capital and start-up funding to establish three new Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Programs and improve four others statewide — an installment of the $1B mental-health plan.

Hochul, Mamdani and MTA announce first-in-nation thermal energy network study to cool subway platforms

Hochul, Mayor Mamdani and the MTA announced an $800K feasibility study of a Thermal Energy Network at the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall 4/5/6 and Chambers St J/Z complex — the first in a U.S. transit system. Radiant cooling would pull heat off platforms (Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall averaged 96°F in summer 2025) and store it in geothermal boreholes under Chambers St's abandoned center platform to heat nearby municipal buildings in winter. Funded through congestion pricing revenue as part of the Chambers St renewal announced Aug 7; study contract awarded this fall, design work in early 2027 if feasible. Notable as a visible Hochul-Mamdani city-state partnership in election season.

Hochul flags Aug 11 deadline for $30M farm tariff-relief fund as Canada trade fight squeezes NY producers

Aug 8 release: Hochul reminded eligible New York farmers and producers that applications for the $30 million Agricultural Resiliency Against Tariffs Program — which offsets 2025 tariff-related losses — close Aug 11. The state relief fund is the administration's direct response to the Canada tariff hit on NY's largest trading partner, a cost storyline both campaigns have used in the affordability fight.

MTA seeks contractors to modernize century-old Chambers St J/Z station

Hochul announced Aug 7 that the MTA is seeking contractors to design, construct and rehabilitate the Chambers St J/Z station in Lower Manhattan, which opened in 1913 and has long ranked among the system's most deteriorated stations. Design-build procurement stage; no completion date or final cost announced yet.

Empire AI Beta fully online: Hochul says state's academic supercomputer is now the most powerful in the country

Hochul announced Aug. 5 that Empire AI Beta is officially online, giving researchers at New York's public and private universities access to what the state calls the most powerful academic research computer in the country. The announcement frames the federal government's new state and regional AI infrastructure hubs as taking inspiration from New York's model. Empire AI is a signature Hochul initiative housed at SUNY; the Beta milestone is a delivery checkpoint on the state's claim to lead public-sector AI research capacity. Capability claims are the state's own characterization.

First 2-K class: Hochul and Mamdani extend offers to 2,000+ children as applications hit 5,700+

At Bedrock Preschool in the Bronx on Aug 4, Hochul and Mamdani announced that 2,000+ children received offers for NYC's first free 2-K class, with 5,700+ applications submitted — nearly 3 applicants per seat. The state-city pilot covers five school districts, with a planned expansion to ~12,000 children next year and all five boroughs. Milestone on Hochul's universal pre-K/child care promise; demand far exceeding supply underscores how much scale-up remains.

Hochul signs cooling tower inspection law drafted during Harlem Legionnaires' outbreak

Hochul signed S08472-A/A09058-A on Aug 5, requiring NYC cooling tower owners to certify twice-yearly inspection, testing, cleaning and disinfection, with 24-48 hour remediation deadlines and civil penalties up to $12,500 for violations causing death or serious injury. Sen. Cordell Cleare said she drafted the bill during the 2025 Harlem Legionnaires' outbreak. Mamdani and Council Speaker Menin backed the measure; Menin flagged a September Council oversight hearing and legislation package to follow.

Medical Aid in Dying Act takes effect: terminally ill New Yorkers can now request life-ending medication

As of Aug. 5, medical aid in dying is legal in New York under Public Health Law Article 28-F, making it the 13th U.S. jurisdiction (plus D.C.) to permit the practice. Terminally ill adults with a prognosis of six months or less can request self-administered medication after approval from two physicians, a capacity determination, and a five-day waiting period between prescription and fill. Hochul signed the act Dec. 17, 2025; the effective date was set to give DOH time to issue regulations and providers time to set policies. Provider participation is voluntary, so access will vary by hospital system. The law arrives under a split legal cloud: an Aug. 3 injunction lets Catholic providers decline participation on consent grounds, while a disability-rights challenge was dismissed.

New York sues Kalshi: Hochul and James call prediction-market platform an illegal gambling operation

On July 31, Gov. Hochul and AG James announced New York has sued KalshiEX LLC, alleging its prediction-market platform is an unlicensed, illegal gambling operation that exposes New Yorkers — including those under 21 — to financial risk. The suit seeks forfeiture of illegal gains, consumer restitution, and treble fines. At least four other states (MA, MI, NV, WA) have won court orders restricting Kalshi. Backfilled from July 31; missed by prior refresh windows.

Hochul formally appeals Trump administration denial of disaster aid for February blizzard

On July 31, Hochul sent President Trump a letter formally appealing FEMA's July 2 denial of a Major Disaster Declaration for the Feb 22-23 blizzard, calling the decision "arbitrary and without explanation." The state says it identified $168M+ in storm damages — at least triple FEMA's Public Assistance threshold — and that the denial is inconsistent with Stafford Act standards. Follows the July 2 denial already tracked. Backfilled from July 31.

UUP members ratify five-year SUNY contract 98%, with first-in-nation AI protections for faculty

United University Professions — the ~42,000-member SUNY faculty and professional-staff union — ratified a five-year contract running to July 1, 2031, with roughly 98% of ballots cast in favor, one of the largest ratification margins in the union's 53-year history. The deal includes annual raises, health-insurance changes to control premiums, and contract language putting SUNY courses under human "direction and responsibility" with humans holding "ultimate accountability" for AI-assisted work. Hochul announced the ratification Jul 28; UUP announced it Jul 27. A data point on the pro-Hochul side of the intra-labor split: TWU has urged unions not to back her, while UUP joins the AFL-CIO majority.

Second straight year of fall rebate checks: up to $200 arriving September-October, weeks before Election Day

The next round of state rebate checks — up to $200, from the $1B utility-relief program in the $277B budget adopted in May — will land in mailboxes in September and October, on the eve of the Nov 3 election (reported Jul 29). Hochul says the program helps people facing higher utility bills; Republicans call the timing a gimmick. It is the second consecutive year of fall checks: the 2025 inflation refund sent up to $400 to 8.2M households in Sept-Nov. Feeds the ongoing affordability fight — Hochul touts direct relief while Blakeman runs on cost-of-living criticism.

Hochul announces gun-sale crackdown to counter ATF rollback of 30+ federal firearms regulations

Responding to the ATF's planned rollback of more than 30 federal firearms regulations, Hochul announced Jul 30 that State Police will prioritize inspections of dealers linked to crime guns, the Interstate Task Force on Illegal Guns will expand, and the state will run a dealer-education campaign. She will also seek two bills in January: requiring all firearm sales to occur in person (countering federal moves to allow online sales) and requiring affirmative background-check approval before a sale — aligning gun checks with the stricter ammunition standard. Framed explicitly against the Trump administration: rollbacks "make it easier for dangerous individuals to obtain firearms."

Finger Lakes bitcoin mine Greenidge rebrands as data center, testing Hochul's EO 62 moratorium

Greenidge Generation, the gas-fired Finger Lakes bitcoin-mining plant, has rebranded as Vulcan Infrastructure and Power and is seeking 200 MW of additional grid power (roughly 150,000 homes' worth) to become an AI data center — raising ~$40M for the effort. Hochul's EO 62, signed this month as the country's first data-center moratorium, pauses permits for facilities of 50 MW+, but DEC says it has received no new application and would not say whether Vulcan's plan falls under the moratorium; Hochul's office referred questions to DEC. Earthjustice and Seneca Lake Guardian say the rebrand is an attempt to escape the moratorium and the plant's pollution record. A first test of how far EO 62 reaches.

Blakeman says Democrats will try to "cheat," won't commit to accepting election results without caveat

At a Penn Station press conference Jul 29, Blakeman said Democrats have "consistently tried to cheat" and would accept the outcome only "if the results of the elections are fair." Asked for evidence, his campaign cited two examples: the PCFB's since-reversed denial of his matching funds and his exclusion from speaking at the Dominican Day Parade. On Fox Business that morning he said Democrats would attempt to "steal" the election; the state BOE said the New Jersey registration error he cited could not occur under New York's system. Hochul's campaign called it "embracing Trump's election denial lies." The same presser included attacks on Mamdani's tax policies.

Hochul and James release final SAFE for Kids Act rules restricting addictive feeds and overnight notifications for minors

Final rules under the 2024 SAFE for Kids Act, announced Jul 28 at a NYC roundtable with parents and teens, publish in the State Register Jul 29; the law takes effect 180 days later, Jan 25, 2027. Platforms must not serve algorithmically personalized feeds to users under 18 or send notifications between midnight and 6 a.m. without parental consent. Rules set criteria for which companies are covered and standards for age verification and parental consent. AG can seek civil penalties up to $5,000 per violation. AG release: https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2026/attorney-general-james-and-governor-hochul-release-final-safe-kids-act-rules

Park Avenue Viaduct structural replacement finished 60 months early and $195M under budget, Hochul announces

Hochul announced completion of major structural replacement on the MTA's Park Avenue Viaduct: 196 bridge structures and 12,600+ feet of railroad replaced over 28 weekends since October 2023, finishing 60 months ahead of schedule and $195M under the initial $960M budget ($765M project cost), without delaying a train. The 133-year-old viaduct carries 98% of Metro-North service — every train in and out of Grand Central. Remaining track/cable work runs through September 2027.

Hochul announces legal-AI firm Legora will create 550+ jobs in Manhattan expansion, backed by up to $10.5M in Excelsior tax credits

Legora, a legal-AI company, will open a ~98,420 sq ft office at 11 Madison Avenue creating 550+ jobs, with $87.5M in R&D commitments. Empire State Development offered up to $10.5M in performance-based Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits. Notable context: the announcement of AI office jobs comes weeks after Hochul signed the nation's first statewide data-center moratorium — office expansions like this are unaffected by the moratorium, which targets hyperscale data-center facilities.

State secures USDA disaster designation for 32 counties after April frost caused $30M+ in fruit-crop losses

Announced July 25: USDA granted a Secretarial Disaster Designation covering counties in 10 regions after an early bloom followed by April 2026 frost hit apple, stone fruit, grape and strawberry growers, with reported losses topping $30 million. Affected farmers can now apply for USDA low-interest emergency loans. Hochul requested the declaration May 19.

Office of Immigrant Trust opens first enforcement action: 12 agencies — including Nassau — told to end ICE 287(g) agreements by Aug. 25

Hochul and AG James announced Jul 24 that the new Office of Immigrant Trust — a bureau inside the AG's office created by the package Hochul signed May 27 — sent letters to the 12 local law enforcement agencies with active 287(g) ICE agreements, notifying them state law requires the agreements be unwound by Aug. 25, 2026. The Local Cops, Local Crimes Act bans formal or informal 287(g) arrangements and bars local facilities from housing federal civil immigration detainees. Counties with agreements include Nassau, Broome, Madison, Rensselaer and Steuben. OIT can issue subpoenas, investigate and bring civil actions.

Blakeman won't say whether Nassau will comply with 287(g) wind-down order; lawyers reviewing, written response promised by Aug. 14

After the AG's Office of Immigrant Trust ordered Nassau to unwind its 287(g) agreement by Aug. 25, Blakeman said county police and sheriff's department lawyers are reviewing the law and the letter, with a written response due by Aug. 14. He has taken no action to change the agreement and says other county officials with similar deals are exploring separate legal options. Blakeman vowed in May to defy the state limits ("make my day"). Sets up a direct legal collision between the sitting governor and her challenger in his own county weeks before early voting.

Blakeman files amended report adding $1.6M in unreported contributions — total now ~$11.4M, with two dozen donations over the general-election limit

A week after his July periodic filing came in at least $3M short of his campaign's claimed $11M raised, Blakeman filed an amended report (posted on the BOE site Jul 22) adding $1.6M in previously unreported contributions — March–July donations now $4.6M vs the $3M originally recorded — plus $1.4M in previously unreported spending ($3.2M vs $1.8M) and the additional $1.2M in public matching funds. BOE records now show ~$11.4M brought in since his December launch. Previously unreported donors include Brittany Kaiser ($18,000), Charles F. Dolan ($18,000) and the Transit Supervisors Organization PAC ($9,000); an initial review found at least two dozen donations over the $9,000 general-election limit, half of which must be returned since he had no primary. His campaign blamed BOE tech issues; a BOE spokesperson said she is not aware of any technical problems with the reporting system. Blakeman also amended his March report (closing balance $1.6M → $2.2M) — his January filing previously went through four versions.

Hochul launches Empire State MWBE Hub, modernized platform for the state's MWBE program

Hochul announced (Jul 23) the launch of the Empire State MWBE Hub, a modernized digital platform for New York's Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprise program, replacing the state's legacy certification/contracting system. Routine-governance item logged for the record; no dollar figures attached in the announcement.

NY contractors brace for 50% Canada tariffs: cement hit could ripple from backyard pools to DOT megaprojects

A day after Trump's 50% tariffs on most Canadian goods, Associated General Contractors of NY CEO Mike Elmendorf warned costs "get passed on to the end user" — cement is the pressure point, from home projects to school construction and DOT/OGS megaprojects where overruns are nearly impossible to recoup. The tariffs cover goods previously exempt under USMCA, whose future is uncertain after the U.S. declined to extend the pact at this month's mandatory review. Canada's consul general in NY, Tom Clark, called for negotiation and "predictability." First concrete NY-industry impact assessment of the Jul 20 proclamations; no Blakeman response to the tariffs found yet.

Hochul announces new Great Lakes cruise terminal on Buffalo's Outer Harbor, targeting 2028 season

Hochul announced Monday (Jul 20) that construction is expected to begin soon on a cruise ship terminal along Buffalo's Outer Harbor, saying Great Lakes itineraries currently bypass WNY — she cited a cruise-line map at a Quebec governors' meeting showing ships going from Port Colborne, Ontario to Erie, Pennsylvania without stopping. Follows a June passenger cruise that made the first Rochester and Buffalo port calls in years. Terminal expected open for the 2028 summer cruise season. Second Buffalo announcement of the day alongside Marine Drive.

Trump slaps additional 50% tariffs on Canadian dairy, alcohol, construction materials and more — a direct hit to NY's largest trading partner

Trump signed three Section 338 proclamations Monday (Jul 20) imposing additional 50% tariffs on wide categories of Canadian imports — dairy, alcohol, food, construction materials, clothing, furniture, tech and car parts — effective in 30 days, citing Canadian retaliation incl. provincial halts on U.S. alcohol sales. Applies even to USMCA-covered goods; energy, potash and critical minerals exempt. Race relevance: Canada is New York's largest trading partner; Hochul's own budget office has documented tariff damage to NY manufacturers and a 21% drop in Canadian border crossings, and affordability is the campaign's central fight. Hochul responded Monday on X: "Only Donald Trump could see wildfire smoke and decide the answer is more tariffs" (https://x.com/GovKathyHochul/status/2079334820019151350) — a reference to Trump also asking aides to explore further tariffs over Canadian wildfire smoke (per AP/NPR, Jul 21). No Blakeman response found as of Jul 21 evening.

DiNapoli: FY27 budget's $18B spending jump outpaces revenue, with gaps up to $31.7B and debt heading toward $98.8B

Comptroller Tom DiNapoli's report on the enacted FY27 budget says the $277B plan grows spending 7% ($18.1B) while projected revenue rises just 1.1%, leaving cumulative out-year gaps of roughly $31.7B. Reserves stay flat near $15B, school aid and Medicaid drive the growth, and state debt is projected to climb 64% over five years, from $60.3B to $98.8B. DiNapoli warned the state's finances remain "highly exposed to federal actions and potential economic downturns" — an independent fiscal check on the budget Hochul is campaigning on.

Hochul launches $250M first phase of Buffalo's Marine Drive public-housing redevelopment — 254 units toward the 100K-home plan

Construction is underway on the $250M first phase of redeveloping Buffalo's 70-year-old Marine Drive Apartments: 254 affordable units across four buildings, with the full $600M three-phase project replacing 616 original units with ~730 new apartments by 2031 under a no-displacement "build first" approach. Financing includes $81M federal LIHTC, $18M state LIHTC and $93M in subsidy. The state counts the project toward the $25B/100K-home Housing Plan, which it says has created or preserved more than 81,000 homes to date — a campaign-season progress marker in Hochul's home city.

After 11 shot in Buffalo and 2 killed in Niagara Falls over July 4 weekend, Hochul surges $1M to WNY anti-gun-violence programs

Hochul announced (Jul 19) an additional $1M for Erie and Niagara counties after a violent July 4 weekend: 11 people injured across Buffalo shootings and two killed in Niagara Falls. Breakdown: $500K to GIVE ($350K Erie/Buffalo, $150K Niagara), $200K split among Buffalo Project RISE providers, $200K to SNUG street outreach/hospital response at ECMC and Community Missions of Niagara Frontier, $100K to Buffalo's Office of Gun Violence Prevention — on top of ~$13.8M current funding for these programs. Assembly Majority Leader Peoples-Stokes acknowledged the violence "overshadowed the year over year drop in violent crime." Announcement lands amid the campaign's public-safety messaging; Spectrum, WKBW and WGRZ covered the local reaction.

On Face the Nation, Hochul defends one-year data-center ban — "in a very short time, I changed my position" — and says feds are "dismantling" election security

In a July 19 national interview, Hochul gave her fullest defense yet of EO 62's one-year large-scale data-center moratorium, acknowledging she reversed her earlier localities-decide stance ("in a very short time, I changed my position") after concluding towns lacked negotiating clout against 30+ applicants; she said seven agencies will set rules on grid contributions, water use and tax breaks, and dismissed the White House Ratepayer Protection Pledge as unenforceable. She also said the federal government is "dismantling" election-security protections, cited her new law barring ICE agents from polling places, and voiced confidence in World Cup final security after 1,000+ preparation exercises. Rush transcript also posted at governor.ny.gov.

Air-quality advisory escalates: five regions hit "Unhealthy" as enhanced severe-storm risk, isolated-tornado chance and NYC/LI flood watches stack up

DEC and DOH issued a July 18 Air Quality Health Advisory with Western NY, Central NY, Eastern Lake Ontario, NYC Metro and Long Island forecast to reach "Unhealthy" from Canadian/Minnesota wildfire smoke, while Hochul flagged an Enhanced Risk of severe thunderstorms Saturday across Western NY, Finger Lakes, Central NY, Mid-Hudson and NYC — damaging winds and an isolated tornado possible — with Flood Watches for NYC and Long Island. Escalates the Jul 16 statewide advisory that included 100K+ N95 mask shipments.

Bills owners' first Hochul checks since the $600M stadium deal surface in itemized BOE filings; Hochul holds $21M to Blakeman's $4.6M

Itemized July BOE filings reviewed by Jimmy Vielkind show Terry Pegula gave $138,600 to the Democratic State Committee and $18,000 to Hochul's campaign in January, with Kim Pegula adding $18,000 — the Pegulas' first contributions since the 2022 $600M state stadium appropriation. Terry Pegula is one of 16 individuals who maxed out to the DSC since Blakeman declared. Other major committee donors: Melinda French Gates, the New York Apartment Association, hotel and construction unions, real estate developers, and hedge fund managers. Hochul's campaign raised $5.8M since January and reported $21M on hand at the start of July; the DSC raised $11.4M across two accounts. Blakeman reported $4.6M on hand, $7.4M raised since his re-election ($3M of it from his old county committee and the Nassau GOP), and ~$770K of a possible $3.5M in public matching funds; his campaign says an amended report is coming. NYPIRG's Blair Horner: "Money follows power."

Hochul rolls out nearly 100 Albany County endorsements as Tonko casts Blakeman as a "mini-Trump"; Blakeman hammers energy costs

Hochul's campaign rolled out endorsements from nearly 100 Albany County elected officials Friday, including Albany Mayor Dorcey Applyrs and County Executive Dan McCoy, at an event tying Blakeman to Trump — Rep. Paul Tonko called him a "mini-Trump" and cited his tariff support and White House Rose Garden appearance. Blakeman, who appeared with construction leaders earlier in the week, countered that Hochul's energy mandates force families to pay "up to 70% more for electricity" and pledged to "scrap this green energy scam" and bring back natural gas. Hochul appears with AG Letitia James and union leaders in Manhattan Saturday.

Hochul defends data-center moratorium: grid power is "a scarce public resource," community-investment rules coming in 60 days

In a Capital Tonight interview, Hochul framed EO 62's one-year hyperscale data-center pause as managing scarce grid capacity: NYISO reports roughly 14,000 MW of large-load requests waiting to connect, and she argued data centers create far fewer permanent jobs than facilities like Micron. She said Empire State Development will produce a "community investment framework" within 60 days requiring data centers to invest in host communities, and pointed to nuclear buildout as part of the capacity answer. Blakeman has said he would rescind the moratorium if elected.

Blakeman's July filing shows $3M raised — far short of the $11M his campaign touted

Blakeman's July periodic report, filed Wednesday evening, shows about $3M raised since March and $4.6M cash on hand as of July 11 — against the nearly $11M his finance chair Howard Fensterman claimed to the NY Post. Total direct donations since launch: ~$4.1M. Adding ~$1M in transfers from the Nassau and Suffolk GOP, prior transfers from his county executive account, and ~$770K in first-round public matching funds, his total is roughly $8M. He has qualified for an additional $1.2M in matching funds (PCFB, Jul 2) not yet reported as received; his campaign says it will file an amended report and stands by the $11M figure. Hochul had not filed her July report as of Wednesday night; her campaign announced $5.6M raised and $20M+ on hand.

Hochul expands wildfire-smoke air quality advisory statewide, sends 100K+ N95 masks to counties

With Canadian wildfire smoke and high heat pushing air quality to "Unhealthy" across most regions, DEC and DOH issued a statewide Air Quality Health Advisory for July 15 and 16. Hochul directed 100,000+ N95-style masks to counties, with the MTA distributing at Penn Station and Grand Central. Forecasts warned of temporary spikes to "Very Unhealthy."

Hochul launches semiconductor workforce training tax credit tied to chip-industry buildout

The Semiconductor Manufacturing Workforce Training Incentive Program launched July 15, offering tax credits to connect training programs to jobs in the state's growing chip sector — a workforce complement to the Micron and GlobalFoundries investments Hochul has staked her upstate economic record on.

Trump calls Hochul's data-center moratorium a "terrible decision," urges New York to reverse it

A day after Hochul signed EO 62 — the nation's first statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centers (50+ MW, up to one year) — President Trump attacked the move on Truth Social, writing "New York State has made a terrible decision" and calling data centers "Money Machines" whose taxes and jobs "amount to LIQUID GOLD!" The clash adds a federal front to the moratorium fight; Blakeman had already said localities should cut their own deals.

Hochul picks $1B "Hudson Landing" plan for Hell's Kitchen: 1,127 homes, 338 affordable, new Intrepid park

Hochul unveiled the winning proposal to redevelop the state-owned Intrepid Museum parking lot at 621 West 45th Street: two towers with 1,127 homes (338 affordable at 40-130% AMI, 108 condos with 28 affordable), a 9,800-sq-ft Intrepid Park, and a 22,000-sq-ft museum community hub. Development team: Gotham Organization, Fisher Brothers, MURAL Real Estate. Counts toward her $25B/100,000-homes housing agenda.

Hochul announces 22% average cut in workers' comp premiums — an estimated $1.7B in employer savings

Hochul announced insured employers statewide will see an average 22% reduction in workers' compensation insurance premium rates — estimated savings of more than $1B for businesses, averaging $1,779 per policyholder, with total announced savings over $1.7B. Lands as an affordability-agenda data point amid the campaign's cost-of-living framing.

Hochul signs nation's first statewide data-center moratorium; Blakeman says localities should cut their own deals

Hochul signed EO 62 on July 14, pausing state environmental permits for new hyperscale data centers (coverage cites 50+ MW projects) for up to a year while DPS writes statewide standards on energy demand, water use and air quality. She framed it around utility bills, added a Community Investment Framework for localities (due in 60 days), a proposed repeal of data-center sales-tax exemptions, and a new DIGIT office that will start with regulating large frontier-AI developers. The Legislature passed its own moratorium bill in June, which she has not signed. Blakeman opposed the freeze, saying Hochul "doesn't work with local governments and business leaders to figure out how to get things done" and that localities should be free to strike data-center deals with economic benefits.

Hochul demands EPA speed up Niagara-Erie radiological review: "no acute risks" but 100+ properties flagged

Hochul sent a letter to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin demanding the federal government expedite analysis of radiological-contamination data in Niagara and Erie counties, where aerial surveys flagged at least 100 properties tied to Manhattan Project-era waste. She says there are no acute public risks now but that families should not wait "months or years" for answers.

Hochul demands DHS answers on three planned ICE detention sites in New York

In a letter to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin dated July 12, Hochul demanded answers on reports of three federal immigration detention projects planned in New York — a Rochester building that houses a daycare and federal court, plus sites in Batavia and Newburgh — accusing DHS of "secrecy, evasion and contempt for communities and the rule of law." Reported July 13 by amNY and Spectrum.

Hochul awards $270M in tax credits and subsidies for 28 affordable housing projects (1,800+ homes)

Hochul and Rep. Paul Tonko announced more than $270M — $61M in federal/state Low-Income Housing Tax Credits plus $200M+ in HCR subsidy — for 28 developments building or preserving 1,800+ affordable homes statewide, credited toward the five-year $25B/100,000-home housing plan. Announced July 13.

Hochul awards $6.3M to open seven mental-health "Clubhouse" programs

The state awarded $6.3 million to establish seven Clubhouses, voluntary member-driven programs supporting New Yorkers living with mental health challenges — an incremental piece of the $1B mental-health overhaul promise.

Hochul launches "CNY Forward" transportation study for northern Onondaga County

Hochul announced the launch of Central New York Forward, a state study of transportation needs in northern Onondaga County ahead of growth expected from Micron's $100B Clay fab. A planning announcement, not committed construction funding; pairs with the Jul 9 first-concrete milestone.

Micron pours first concrete at $100B Clay fab, months ahead of schedule

Micron poured the first concrete foundation at its Clay semiconductor campus on July 9, less than six months after groundbreaking and ahead of schedule. Hochul touted the $100B project — the largest private-sector construction project in state history, projected ~50,000 regional jobs — as a signature economic-development win heading into the general election. Construction on the second of four planned fabs is slated to begin in 2028. Corroborated by Spectrum News: https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-ny/news/2026/07/09/first-concrete-poured-at-micron-clay-facility-ahead-of-schedule