ALBANY, N.Y. — Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday trumpeted her agenda for the new year, outlining proposals aimed at overcoming post-pandemic mental health challenges, cracking down on retail thefts and illegal weed stores, and addressing the state’s urgent affordability crisis. Speaking from the Assembly Chambers in her third State of the State address, Hochul declared that New York is less dangerous and more affordable than it was when she took office in the summer of 2021. But she acknowledged many New Yorkers remain fearful about crime rates that climbed during COVID, and feel crushed by “obsce…
