Empire State Today

Attorney: New York voting laws once were more restrictive than Texas proposal killed by Democratic walkout

By Karen Kidd | Jun 8, 2021

Texas and Georgia are catching a lot of criticism over voting law measures critics say are aimed at disenfranchising certain voters, but blue states in the Northeast - including New York - have a history of even greater voting restrictions, according to one study.

LendingTree survey: 5% of New York small business owners report no cash on hand

By Karen Kidd | Jul 28, 2020

New York was one of the nation's four large metro areas in which at least 5 percent of small business owners reported they had no cash on hand during a one-week period in June, according to a LendingTree survey released earlier this month.

Raith Capital stays silent on new lending standards that would offer hotel industry relief

By Karen Kidd | Jun 8, 2020

New York-based Raith Capital Partners isn't responding to questions about whether it will abide by a newly founded hotel industry group's lending standards amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that has gutted the hospitality industry.

'Please don’t take my job away from me,' weeping Long Island cook pleaded as she was furloughed due to COVID-19 crisis

By Karen Kidd | Mar 22, 2020

A weeping cook, furloughed from her job at Long Island hotel last week because of the COVID-19 pandemic, is one of thousands in the travel and hotel industry suddenly out of work.