Blog

Woe betides Long Island commuters this week. Sunday, a passenger-less Amtrak train derailed under the East River. Because Amtrak and LIRR share quarters in this tight space, the severe damage to Amtrak's rails that ensued has hit the MTA's Long Island Rail Road. Read More

Over at the New York Times's message board, many commenters have reacted to Mayor Bloomberg's proposal to lay off teachers with some version of: "why not just tax the rich more?" Read More

Amid speculation that passage of a property tax cap covering most of New York State will hinge on the fate of New York City's rent regulations, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has shot down a proposal to cap taxes on some city apartment buildings. Read More

Proposed school tax levies in New York for 2011-12 would rise by an average of 2.9 percent**, well above Gov. Cuomo's proposed 2 percent tax levy cap, according to the Property Tax Report Card released this morning by the state Education Department. Read More

Based on per-capita federal data, USA Today reports that "New Yorkers get more government aid per person from social programs than residents of any other state." The Empire State's Medicaid spending per-person alone is more than double the average, but we're also high in other categories of social assistance. Read More

The use of the term "stakeholder" to describe representatives of labor unions, businesses and advocacy groups with an obvious vested interest in the outcome state policy deliberations seems to have soared under Governor Andrew Cuomo, who has appointed... Read More

You'll have to wait 'till tomorrow for today's promised data -- since today's New York Times has provided fodder for a diversion. The Times reports that the 2,820 households at the Penn South co-op building are doing some "soul-searching." Read More