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1 week ago | weos.org | Jon Campbell

New York lawmakers passed a $254 billion state budget late Thursday, but acknowledged they may have to make major alterations if President Donald Trump and Congress cut federal spending. The budget relies on more than $90 billion in federal funds and increases state spending. Highlights include providing “inflation refund” checks of up to $400 for millions of residents and prohibiting students from using smartphones during the school day starting this fall.

1 week ago | weos.org | Jimmy Vielkind

New York could be a stumbling block for billionaire Elon Musk’s attempts to launch a person-to-person payment system on his platform X. Two state lawmakers from Manhattan sent a letter this week urging the state’s Department of Financial Services not to issue a money-transmitter license to X Corp., which is seeking authorization from all 50 states to launch the X Money payment system.

1 week ago | weos.org | Jimmy Vielkind

New York lawmakers have agreed to delay regulations on nonpublic religious schools, bowing to pressure from Orthodox Jewish leaders and ignoring concerns from the state’s top education officials. Draft bill language reviewed by the New York Public News Network would create another pathway for nonpublic schools to meet a standard known as “substantial equivalency,” which requires them to be more or less on par with public schools on subjects like reading and math.

2 weeks ago | weos.org | Brian Sharp

Federal agents arrested a Rochester father of five from Afghanistan on Thursday, charging him with providing forged documents to obtain a visa. The man, identified in court papers as Dilbar Gul Dilbar, came to the United States with his wife and young children last year on a Special Immigrant Visa, or SIV — reserved for Afghan and Iraqi interpreters who assisted the U.S. military and government officials.

2 weeks ago | weos.org | Brian Sharp |Gino Fanelli

A national debate over sanctuary policies and the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown played out Tuesday across Rochester. The flashpoint was a visit from President Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan, who met with area law enforcement as dozens demonstrated in dueling rallies outside. "Call me," Homan told those who gathered at the Locust Club police union hall, his remarks captured in a video later posted to Facebook. "I'll do anything I can to support you.