
Karen DeWitt
Capitol Bureau Correspondent, AlbanyKaren DeWitt is Capitol Bureau Chief for New York State Public Radio, a network of 10 public radio stations in New York State. She has covered state government and politics for the network since 1990.
She is also a regular contributor to the statewide public television program about New York State government, New York Now. She appears on the reporter’s roundtable segment, and interviews newsmakers.
Karen previously worked for WINS Radio, New York, and has written for numerous publications, including Adirondack Life and the Albany newsweekly Metroland.
She is a past recipient of the prestigious Walter T. Brown Memorial award for excellence in journalism, from the Legislative Correspondents Association, and was named Media Person of the Year for 2009 by the Women’s Press Club of New York State.
Karen is a graduate of the State University of New York at Geneseo.
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New York state lawmakers ended their session over the weekend, leaving a number of issues on the table.
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At a hearing this week, state senators grilled Office of Cannabis Management Executive Director Chris Alexander on steps his agency is taking to close the stores.
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The governor said the federal Department of the Interior has agreed to allow New York to open Floyd Bennett Field, a former U.S. Navy air station in Brooklyn, to house migrants who are single adults.
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The move could have helped the roughly 200 farmers who have obtained growing licenses from the state’s Office of Cannabis Management, which is overseeing the fledgling legal cannabis industry in New York.
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New York’s legal cannabis rollout has been plagued by problems, including too many farmers licensed to grow marijuana, and too few stores open to sell their products. In addition, a key figure in a state cannabis social equity fund recently resigned.
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Gov. Hochul signed a law expanding protections for health care providers who prescribe medication abortion pills to pregnant people in states where abortion is outlawed.
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A recent financial forecast released by the governor’s budget office shows future deficits doubling in the next fiscal year.
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The New York State Assembly is in town for a brief two day session, to finish debating bills that they did not complete before the scheduled end of session earlier this month.
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Democrats who lead the Assembly have a limited agenda, but advocates are holding out hope for more action on bills already approved by the state Senate.
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Officials from the New York State Association of Counties are sounding the alarm about a major influx of immigrants expected to arrive across the state.