New York Today: Free College, but With Caveats

View in Browser | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. Thursday, April 13, 2017 NYTimes.com/nyregion » New York Today Thursday, April 13, 2017 Free College, but With Caveats Good morning on this grade-A Thursday. With Hillary Clinton standing by his side yesterday, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed into law a first-of-its-kind program providing free tuition to students at public colleges and universities in New York State. But it’s more complicated than it sounds, and it comes with caveats. We checked in with David W. Chen, a New York Times investigative reporter who has been covering the free-tuition plan, called the Excelsior Scholarship, to understand how it will work. How free is free tuition? It’s actually not. Excelsior would fill in the gaps of costs not covered by financial aid, Mr. Chen said. It would need to be added on top of other scholarships and grants to make college free. For students who are not receiving any other financial aid — those who are making too much money to qualify for need-based support — Excelsior would help even more. Read More, and See Today's Weather and Commute » Sam Hodgson for The New York Times Cuomo Adopts a Middle-Class Mantra By JESSE McKINLEY Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York has been supplementing his liberal political portfolio with ideas that have broader appeal such as his so-called free-tuition plan. Sheila Abdus-Salaam, Judge on New York's Top Court, Is Found Dead in Hudson River By MATTHEW HAAG and WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM Judge Abdus-Salaam, who joined the State Court of Appeals in 2013, was pulled from the river by the police on Wednesday afternoon. Self-Storage Offers Space for Stuff. But It Gobbles Up Space. By WINNIE HU New York and other cities move to curb the spread of self-storage buildings, arguing the space could be used to increase jobs, housing and commerce. Hamilton Art Mystery at City Hall: Lost, Stolen or Never There? By JAMES BARRON A British scholar insists New York City Hall somehow managed to lose the 19th-century painting on which an Alexander Hamilton stamp was based. How and when the painting was lost - if it ever was - is unclear. Wounded by 'Fearless Girl,' Creator of 'Charging Bull' Wants Her to Move By JAMES BARRON The sculptor Arturo Di Modica said Wall Street's bronze girl, meant to symbolize female empowerment, distorts the meaning of his work. ADVERTISEMENT New York Living On the Runway Missing Hood by Air By MATTHEW SCHNEIER Scouting Report A Plus-Size Pop-Up on Fifth Avenue and Other Shopping Events By ALISON S. COHN Arts James Baldwin's Archive, Long Hidden, Comes (Mostly) Into View By JENNIFER SCHUESSLER Charlie Murphy, 'Chappelle's Show' Star and Eddie's Brother, Dies at 57 By MAYA SALAM ADVERTISEMENT Metropolitan Diary Looking for a Contact Lens in the Dark Dear Diary: I worked at 40th Street and Third Avenue in the late 1970s. While heading to the subway one night, I noticed a group of people tiptoeing around and staring down at the sidewalk. It didn’t take long for me to realize they were looking for a contact lens. After watching for about two minutes, I suggested they all move to the side while I stepped into the street, bent down and looked across the surface of the sidewalk. Sure enough, there it was, like a tiny globe reflecting the light coming from the storefront behind it. A young woman thanked me and carefully retrieved the lens. I felt like a hero. Over the years, I have enjoyed telling my children and grandchildren about this experience, suggesting that sometimes it helps to look at a problem from a different angle. Read all recent entries and our submissions guidelines. Reach us via email diary@nytimes.com or follow@NYTMetro on Twitter using the hashtag #MetDiary. Read More, and See Today's Weather and Commute » FOLLOW NEW YORK TODAY Facebook Pinterest @NYTMetro @NYTimes Get more NYTimes.com newsletters » | Get unlimited access to NYTimes.com and our NYTimes apps for just $0.99. Subscribe » ABOUT THIS EMAIL You received this message because you signed up for NYTimes.com's New York Today newsletter. Unsubscribe | Manage Subscriptions | Change Your Email | Privacy Policy | Contact | Advertise Copyright 2017 The New York Times Company | 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018