Karen Dewitt
NYS Capitol CorrespondentKaren DeWitt is Capitol Bureau chief for New York State Public Radio, a network of 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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With about six and a half weeks until Election Day, the two candidates for governor of New York still have not both agreed to a single debate.
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New York’s new laws governing the carrying of concealed weapons take effect Thursday, after the U.S. Supreme Court threw out the state’s 100-year-old laws governing the practice.
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As a new school year begins, New York’s largest teachers unions and other education experts are calling for better responses to threats of violence. Educators are still reeling from the mass school shooting in Texas last spring, as well as the May shooting that killed 10 people in Buffalo.
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As the new school year is about to get underway, it will begin with fewer incumbent school board members in New York. Strife at board meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic and the increasing politicization of school policies are contributing to the turnover.
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New York’s Democratic Party leaders are criticizing a fundraiser to be held Sunday by Republican gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. They say both hold views that the majority of New Yorkers find to be extreme.
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New York state has begun the application process for licenses to run retail cannabis stores, nearly one and half years after the drug became legal for adult recreational purposes. New York has a different approach than other states that have legalized marijuana, and is emphasizing social and economic equity.
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Today marks a year since Kathy Hochul became New York’s governor. Hochul, who was lieutenant governor when former Governor Andrew Cuomo resigned last year, is now running for a full term, hoping to become the first woman elected to the post.
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Governor Kathy Hochul says COVID-19 rules will be eased for New York’s schoolchildren this year, and masks and social distancing will no longer be required. New York state health officials also gave an update Monday on the spread of monkeypox, which for the first time has infected a child.
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Tuesday is not only primary day, there's also a closely watched special election that's attracted the attention of the national parties.
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New York Governor Kathy Hochul met Friday with the heads of the major downstate utilities in preparation for the upcoming hurricane season, saying she wants to make sure everyone is prepared as possible for any potential extreme weather.