albany

Capital Region cities seek to bridge a pedestrian divide

Marie Cusick, WMHT — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 20:50:32 +0000

As New York sorts out how to spend millions of federal dollars for railroad upgrades, officials in Albany and Rensselaer are hoping some of that money can help restore a pedestrian and bike pathway over the Hudson River to reconnect the two cities.

The Livingston Avenue Bridge is over 100 years old. It can still carry trains over the river, but it's nearing the end of its life, and its pedestrian walkway has been closed since the mid 1980's.

5 ways big data can build better governments

Marie Cusick, WMHT — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 19:03:29 +0000

How big a deal is big data?

It's pretty big. The question is how we should be handling all the massive amounts of information we’re collecting. The ubiquity of computers and the exponential growth in their processing power has made this a hot topic in just about every field of human endeavor, including government.

Big data touches everything from campaign contributions, to budgets, employment, environmental regulations, and corporate responsibility.

Albany tries something new: urban planning

Marie Cusick — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 15:35:02 +0000

Despite Albany’s prominence as the state capital, over the years, large swaths of the city’s urban core have been either destroyed or in decline.

Earlier this year, for the first time in the city’s 400 year history, it adopted a comprehensive urban plan, aimed at turning things around.

It outlines ways to improve everything from public transportation, to education, and affordable housing over the next 20 years.

Watch the full story below:

Will state DREAM act come true for New York immigrants?

Marie Cusick, WMHT — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 19:30:00 +0000

The New York DREAM Act would make it easier for undocumented immigrants to pay for higher education by giving them access to state aid programs.

"I'm not illegal; I'm undocumented," says Yelky Ramos, a 20-year-old immigrant on the front lines of the DREAM Act debate.

Activists had pushed hard last month in an effort to get the bill included in the 2013 budget. That push fell short, but supporters of the state DREAM Act are still fighting for its passage.

We take an in-depth look at how the debate is unfolding.

Activist puts Albany neighborhood on the bus map

Marie Cusick — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 11:36:47 +0000

The New York state capital, Albany, is a gathering place for the state's most powerful people.

But in the city's poor and predominately black South End neighborhood, many residents once felt powerless.

They had repeatedly asked for better public transit for South End, an area plagued with poverty and crime not far from New York's gated governor's mansion.

Today, the city's Route 100 bus glides easily up Morton Avenue, a steep hill in the South End neighborhood.