Karen DeWitt
Capitol Bureau chiefKaren DeWitt is Capitol Bureau chief for the New York Public News Network, composed of a dozen newsrooms across the 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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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation Thursday that will regulate how children use social media. A poll shows New Yorers support the measures, but the majority of potential voters surveyed do not view the governor favorably. -
Gov. Kathy Hochul is warning New Yorkers to take precautions during this week’s extreme heat wave. Hochul said Tuesday that cooling stations are being set up across the state, and she has deployed the National Guard to portions of upstate.
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Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie says he has questions about Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposal to reinstate a pre-pandemic ban on people wearing masks in public. -
New York state lawmakers ended their session over the weekend, leaving a number of issues on the table. Final negotiations on several major issues were derailed after Governor Kathy Hochul made a surprise decision to halt planned congestion pricing in Manhattan, less than a month before it was scheduled to begin. -
Legislators say the change will help improve kids’ mental health. Gov. Kathy Hochul is expected to sign the bills.
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The final hours of the 2024 New York legislative session have been dominated by a growing rift between Gov. Kathy Hochul and some top democratic state lawmakers over the governor’s decision to halt congestion pricing in New York City. -
Gov. Kathy Hochul has put on hold the start of New York City’s congestion pricing plan, which was due to begin at the end of the month. The decision comes as other anti-climate change initiatives are floundering as the legislative session draws to a close. -
So far there is no agreement and a lot of disconnect on items such as combating climate change and regulating kids’ social media feeds. -
New York Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie threw cold water on a bill that would require major energy companies to pay for climate change remediation, saying the measure could ultimately result in higher costs for utility ratepayers. -
As the New York state legislative session winds down, it appears unlikely that a bill will pass to close a legal loophole that led to the overturning of the rape conviction for former movie mogul Harvey Weinstein.
