radioNOVO News NY News Roundup for April 29, 2026

Good morning,New York State is investing millions to expand affordable housing. Officials say more than 44 million dollars will go toward transforming vacant properties into over 420 affordable rental homes statewide. The funding will help renovate distressed buildings—mainly outside New York City—with grants supporting lower-income households. Projects include new housing in Buffalo, Syracuse, and Auburn, along with improvements to smaller apartment developments across the state.Meanwhile, concern is growing over changes to food assistance rules. Advocates say “chaos” is mounting as counties work to implement new federal SNAP requirements. The updated rules require certain recipients to document up to 80 hours a month of work, school, or volunteer time—or risk losing benefits. Experts warn more than 100-thousand New Yorkers could lose food assistance starting in June. Counties say they’re struggling to keep up, citing staffing shortages and confusion among recipients.In corrections news, New York’s prison system continues using legal mail scanners, now one year after being installed in several facilities. State officials say the scanners were introduced to improve safety, but unions say the rollout has created new challenges as prisons deal with ongoing incidents and staffing pressures.And in Albany, lawmakers have passed a seventh budget extender, keeping state government running past the April 1st deadline. The temporary measure authorizes billions in spending while negotiations continue over taxes, public safety, and immigration policy. School districts and local governments remain in a holding pattern as they wait for a finalized budget.State Police are adding some muscle to their patrol fleet. Officials say 19 high-performance Ford Mustang patrol vehicles will be deployed statewide to target aggressive driving and speeding on highways. The vehicles are being outfitted now, with full deployment expected in the coming weeks.And finally, a new study ranks New York among the more gambling-addicted states in the country. According to WalletHub, New York comes in at number 13, with experts warning gambling addiction can have serious financial and personal impacts, even as the industry continues to grow nationwide.More News on our radioNOVO App, Codi Gaboff, radioNOVO News — a service of Seven Mountains Media.