New York Gov. Kathy Hochul today plans to propose expanding free school meal programs to cover the cost of breakfast and lunch for all of the state’s 2.7 million students. The Democratic governor is expected to announce the proposal, known as Universal Free School Meals, at Westbury Middle School in Nassau County, Long Island. Keshia Clukey reports in NEWSDAY that current federal and state funding for school meals is only provided to school buildings and districts with students who meet certain poverty requirements. The new state program would expand eligibility to nearly 300,000 additional students who don't currently qualify under the federal program. On Long Island, a universal meals program would help an estimated 260 schools and 135,000 students, according to Hunger Solutions New York, a statewide nonprofit focused on alleviating hunger. "The research is clear: good food in the lunchroom creates good grades in the classroom," Hochul said in the release. "I'm proposing free school meals for every student in New York — giving kids the sustenance they need and putting more money back in parents' pockets."

Free school meals are estimated to save families $165 per child in grocery spending each month, and have been shown to support learning, boost test scores and improve attendance and classroom behavior, according to the governor’s office.

Today’s proposal is one of several released by the governor in the last few weeks ahead of her State of the State address, set for next Tuesday. Many of Hochul’s proposals are aimed at affordability, an issue that was key in the congressional and presidential elections last November.

The Universal Free School Meals program is estimated to cost $340 million and would take effect for the 2025-26 school year, according to the governor's office.

Additional details are expected to be released either in Hochul's State of the State address next week or when her budget proposal is issued on Jan. 21.

Health, education and food insecurity advocates applauded the proposal including Melinda Person, president of New York State United Teachers, the state’s largest teachers union, representing nearly 700,000 members.

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The Long Island Rail Road met its 94% on-time performance goal on all its branches for the first time in recorded history last year, as its ridership continued to rebound to near pre-pandemic levels, Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials said yesterday.

The 75.5 million passengers carried by the LIRR in 2024 was about 16% more than in 2023, and about 82% of the railroad’s ridership in 2019, when it carried 91.1 million passengers, a modern record. Alfonso A. Castillo reports in NEWSDAY that despite having most of its pre-COVID riders back and adding many trains to its schedule with the launch of Grand Central Madison, 95.65% of LIRR trains operated on-time in 2024, the highest ever for a non-pandemic year. Carrying far fewer passengers and operating on a reduced schedule, the LIRR reported higher on-time performance numbers in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

But even in those years, the LIRR did not reach its goal for all 11 of its branches, according to the MTA. The railroad accomplished that in 2024 for the first time since it adopted its modern on-time performance standards in 1979.

The LIRR considers a train on-time if it arrives at its final destination within five minutes and 59 seconds of its scheduled time.

But Peter Haynes, founder of the LIRR Commuters Campaign advocacy group and a former LIRR systems project specialist, said he believes the on-time numbers may have been boosted by the fact that since the opening of Grand Central Madison, trains no longer wait on connections.

"They don’t measure passenger experience. They measure equipment," Haynes said. "If a commuter misses their connection and they’re 20 or 30 minutes late, but all three trains end up on-time, is...