Dave Lucas

Congressman John Lewis was one of the "Big Six" leaders in the American Civil Rights Movement and chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. Lewis was 21 years old in 1961, when he became one of thirteen original "freedom riders" - seven whites and six blacks who were determined to ride from Washington, DC, to New Orleans in an integrated fashion, to end racial discrimination in public transportation .

There were some tense moments Thursday on an area college campus.  The College of Saint Rose campus in downtown Albany was locked down for close to an hour after someone reported seeing a gunman enter a school building. School officials released a terse text alert, and many students took to Twitter, worried that more bad news was imminent.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo today unveiled "Tax-Free NY," which he touts as "a game-changing initiative" that will transform SUNY campuses and university communities across the state into tax-free communities.

A new report says unless steps are taken immediately, New York is not is going to be able to fill the jobs of the future .  A report released in Albany Tuesday finds a “skills gap” exists in New York State – especially in the Capital Region, where high-tech jobs are growing as the area embraces its “tech valley” moniker with the expansion of chip fabrication and nanotechnology.  But at the same time, the report warns of growing numbers of "unprepared students and unprepared workers."

Education was one of the leading topics discussed Monday when New York Governor Andrew Cuomo convened his cabinet at the state capitol in Albany. There was high optimism regarding Cuomo's New York State Master Teacher program.

The governor proposed the program in his State of the State address in January: SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher says it will provide $15,000 each year for four years to math and science teachers who mentor new and aspiring teachers.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo held a cabinet meeting this afternoon at the state capitol.   Issues discussed included jobs, education reform, drunk driving laws, pistol permits, and perhaps inevitably on the same day Brooklyn Assemblyman Vito Lopez resigned his seat, ethics. Cuomo says corruption is rampant throughout government and society, and telegraphed the idea people are accustomed to it.

Weeks of negative headlines involving state legislators are having sway with public opinion. A new Siena College Research Institute poll measures New York voter attitude on political corruption, the state Legislature and Governor Andrew Cuomo.

There's good news and bad news about how New Yorkers feel about state government and the governor's refrain that it is "working again."

This week, Albany was rocked by the news that longtime Mayor Jerry Jennings has opted not to seek a sixth term. But even before his official announcement Wednesday, the rest of the city’s political machine was already in motion.