Nolan Hicks Takes Over As Streetsblog’s Investigative Reporter

Nolan Hicks, a veteran of both New York City tabloids and rapid transit-obsessive, has joined Streetsblog as the site’s new investigative reporter.

Nolan takes over from Jesse Coburn, who won a Polk Award last year for his reporting on the explosive growth of fake license plates in New York City and across the country.

As a data and local government reporter for both the Daily News and New York Post, Nolan has contributed to or led investigations into the New York Police Department, the city Housing Authority, the Department of Education, MTA and more. His team at the News did groundbreaking work examining fatal encounters with the NYPD, funding disparities in public schools and the city’s deadly streets.

After a stint at the Austin American-Statesmen in his native Texas, Nolan returned to the Big Apple in 2018 to cover city and state government for the New York Post. Reporting from City Hall, he covered then-Mayor de Blasio’s presidential run in 2019 along with housing, homelessness and mass transit.

Nolan took on the dual housing and transit beat at The Post in 2023, taking over the latter from Streetsblog’s now-Deputy Editor, David Meyer.

His Post investigations revealed how oversized designs for subway stations had caused the price tag to balloon for the Second Avenue Subway’s Second Phase, prompting an overhaul that saved riders $300 million so far; how the city Health Department let NYCHA avoid needed lead repairs, getting apartments fixed for needy city families; and how the state laws meant to prevent “vertical slums” instead helped fuel New York’s housing shortage, prompting state lawmakers to pass reforms.

Since June, Nolan has worked at NYU’s Marron Institute of Urban Management on a project focused on improving speeds and service on American commuter and inter-city rail services. He’s also penned a regular column on mass transit and other city issues for New York magazine.

Streetsblog Editor-in-Chief Gersh Kuntzman worked with Hicks at the Daily News, where Kuntzman was a deputy metro editor, and has long considered Hicks a unique talent.

“The guy can do it all: investigations, breaking coverage, analysis, first day, second day, columns,” said Kuntzman. “Jesse Coburn stretched the shoe size of this position, but I believe Nolan’s feet will be snug.”

At Streetsblog, Hicks will work almost entirely at our New York City site, but he’ll also contribute national stories to Streetsblog USA. (In fact, he’s already working on a good Amtrak scoop, but don’t tell anyone.)

Reached for comment, Hicks said he was excited by his new gig in the Broadway newsroom.

“I’m thrilled to be at Streetsblog and can’t wait to start digging into what can be done to make our streets safer and trains better,” he said.