Brian Shields

The city of Poughkeepsie is facing an $11 million  deficit in its general fund brought on, according to New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, by unrealistic budgeting by city officials—including overestimating revenues. DiNapoli, in a new audit, says Poughkeepsie’s debt burden has gone up 45 percent over the past five years as its financial condition deteriorates.

More than 95 percent of the school budgets that went before the voters in New York on Tuesday were approved but, those that exceeded the two percent property tax cap did not fare as well. Only about 30 percent of those spending plans were approved. 

The executive director of the New York State School Boards Association, Tim Kremer, tells WAMC's Brian Shields the initial results show 630 school districts budgets were approved with 30 rejected.

Faced with the possibility of being expelled from the state legislature as soon as next week, State Assemblyman Vito Lopez, a Democrat from Brooklyn, today said he would resign on June 20th at the end of the legislative session and run for a seat on the New York City Council. 

At the age of 34, Andris Nelsons will lead one of the most respected orchestras in the world. Nelsons, a native of Latvia, who has earned a distinguished reputation in European classical music and opera, has been named the new music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, filling the vacancy left by the departure of James Levine, who stepped down for health reasons two years ago. Mark Volpe, the managing director of the BSO, spoke with WAMC's Brian Shields.

Twenty-four hours after Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings made public his letter stating that he will not run for another term after 20 years in office, the Albany County Democratic Committee gave its nomination to City Treasurer Kathy Sheehan in the race for mayor. The committee passed over former City Council member Corey Ellis, who ran against Mayor Jennings four years ago fir the Democratic nomination.

Wednesday on Midday Magazine, we heard from Sheehan. Today, we speak with Corey Ellis, who says the lack of the party's nomination will not affect his campaign.

The race for Mayor of Albany has undergone a major change now that Mayor Jerry Jennings says he will not run for another term. A number of candidates want the job, including the City Treasurer, Democrat Kathy Sheehan, who stopped by the WAMC studios just before Jennings' formal downtown announcement.

The term "welfare state" is a pejorative for many in the U.S., a system that many elected officials would distance themselves from, but the term is used with pride by Peter Taksøe-Jensen, the Danish Ambassador to the U.S., who will be visiting Vermont next weekend, at the invitation of U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders. The ambassador, who spoke to WAMC today, will meet with the public in Burlington, Brattleboro and Montpelier to discuss the Danish form of government.

WAMC's Brian Shields speaks with Nippertown's Greg Haymes about his weekend music picks:

1. Rick Rourke & Lost Wages' "Rose-Colored Glasses" from his album Three Sides to Every Story,   performing at the Albany Tulip Festival on the Lakehouse Stage in Washington Park at 3:30 on Saturday.

2. Eastbound Jesus' "Waitin' On the Sun" from their new album Northern Rock, performing at the Albany Tulip Festival on the Lakehouse Stage in Washington Park at 4:45 on Sunday.

Massachusetts State Treasurer Steven Grossman has sent an invitation to the Speaker of the U.S. House Representatives, John Boehner, challenging the Republican to a debate over a bill that would require intern retailers to collect state sales taxes. Boehner has expressed reluctance about the bill, which Grossman, a Democrat, says would not only generate revenue, but level the playing field for brick-and-mortar retailers.

Industrial development agencies across New York granted $1.5 billion in tax breaks to companies that promised to expand, and create new jobs, in 2011. In a new audit, state comptroller Thomas DiNapoli says the IDA’s, which operate at the local and country level, have improved their overall performance but some say there are still reasons to be concerned.