In western New York, the shadowy world of the Buffalo Billion Initiative is under scrutiny by investigative reporter Jim Heaney of the Investigative Post.

A recent article in the New York Times highlights the changed landscape of downtown Brooklyn.

The leaders of both chambers of the New York State Legislature have been indicted on criminal charges, accused of using their power and influence to improperly assist major real estate developers. That assistance turns out to revolve around a controversial subsidy program known as 421-a.

The Start-UP NY economic development program does one thing well: it gets people talking. The one-year-old program started generating headlines from the moment it was announced, in part due to its ambitious – some would say excessive – use of subsidies.