Dave Lucas

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says that the state has exceeded its original winter budget due to the string of heavy snowstorms this season.

Cuomo says Thursday that operational expenses, the cost of salt, overtime and equipment repair have been unusually high.   He says the extra spending is nothing that can't be handled through the budget process.   His administration says it's working on getting the budget number and actual expenses together for public release.

© 2014 AP

With an uptick in the call for community action against gun violence,  New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has fostered the launches of programs aimed at stopping such incidents in their tracks.

Cuomo recently announced seven programs will share more than $2 million in grants designed to reduce gun violence in communities across New York. The initiative promotes street-level outreach and intervention.

Concerned South End neighborhood residents spoke out Wednesday night in Albany about health and safety concerns surrounding Global Companies’ proposal to build seven oil heating facilities at the Port of Albany and increase the amount of oil being shipped through the port.  

The governor's Mass Transit Task Force is recommending an expansion of the bus-rapid-transit network in New York's Lower Hudson Valley to support the new Tappan Zee Bridge.

The Journal News reports the plan addresses the fact that commuters travel locally more than they travel to Manhattan.

The proposal estimates the new bus service and bridge will lead to travel times 25 percent faster on local roads and 20 percent faster on Interstate 287.

The four-lane bridge will have an express bus/emergency access lane.

New York is offering lifetime licenses to hunt, fish and visit state parks. Gov. Andrew Cuomo says Wednesday that he hopes a portion of the 2 million people who buy annual hunting licenses, fishing licenses and park permits in New York will make the switch. Lifetime hunting licenses cost $535, lifetime fishing licenses $460 and lifetime Empire Passport park permits cost $750.

As an incentive, lifetime license holders will be able to receive for free scenic-themed license plates playing off the "I Love NY" theme that promote fishing, hunting or parks.

Albany residents alarmed about a plan to build a crude oil heating facility at the port of Albany have rallied their forces after meeting to discuss neighborhood safety issues -  they are meeting again --- tonight --- Wednesday, February 12, 2014, 6:00 p.m. at Giffen Elementary School-274 South Pearl Street.  

Reverend Monsignor Edward Scharfenberger was announced as the 10th Bishop of the Diocese of Albany Tuesday morning.

Some 36 years ago, in March 1977,  Reverend Howard Hubbard received word from the Vatican that he was chosen to serve as Bishop of Albany. The years have passed quickly.

Domestic fares at Albany are up 27 percent since 2008, and the number of passengers has fallen; many airlines have merged since the days Senator Schumer helped bring Southwest to the region. He believes now is the time to bring a new airline into the Albany mix.  "We're hoping that if Jet Blue were to come to Albany, they could add service to already popular routes. Routes like Washington, Orlando, South Florida or Tampa, and in doing so, connecting residents to more travel destinations."

A series of public hearings is scheduled in six upstate cities where state and federal transportation officials will discuss plans for a high-speed rail corridor linking New York City and western New York.

The state Department of Transportation says the meetings will be held between March 4 and March 14 starting in Albany, followed by Syracuse, Buffalo, Rochester, Utica and Poughkeepsie. The public will have the opportunity to view displays and question experts about the plan.

Mayor Bill de Blasio  wants New York City to have the power to raise the minimum wage. De Blasio says he'll ask state lawmakers for that power.

The concept is part of De Blasio's State of the City address, the mayoral equivalent of the President's State of the Union.  His signature goal is fighting the city's widening income inequality gap.