Dave Lucas

As New York awaits a decision from the state’s highest court on whether communities have the right to use local zoning laws to ban the use of land for oil and gas activities, several local governments in many states are regulating hydraulic fracturing.  Experts from affected states recently briefed reporters on the growing trend of community control over fracking.

This weekend marks the 10th Annual Albany Juneteenth Celebration. The free community event is planned for Sunday, in Washington Park.

Although the Emancipation Proclamation called for the liberation of Confederate slaves on Jan. 1, 1863, its effects weren't immediate.  Two and a half years later, the emancipation took effect—when the Union army rode into Galveston to enforce President Lincoln's executive order.

Juneteenth has been sporadically celebrated in the South as a black independence day ever since June 1865, when slaves in Texas learned of their freedom.

Apple added what’s known as a "kill switch" to iPhones last September. Authorities say that has sharply reduced robberies and thefts of the popular smartphone. Now, Microsoft and Google will a kill switch to their smartphone operating systems.

Hard Rock Cafe has dropped into the competition for a regional casino on a 24-acre site along the banks of the Hudson River.

De Laet's Landing in the city of Rensselaer is where Hard Rock International, with partners David Flaum and Capital Region OTB, would like to site a $150 to $200 million gambling resort. Earlier this month, the common council voted 6 to 1 approving the casino project. Rensselaer Mayor Dan Dwyer:  "That name is going to draw a lot of people." 

Most Americans are opposed to the proposed merger between Comcast and Time Warner Cable, according to a new public opinion poll by the Consumer Reports National Research Center. The odds of a merger happening may be tipping toward the cable companies. 

There are opinions, and then there is action – or lack of interest. The poll showed just 11 percent of the public supports the $45.2 billion merger, 56 percent oppose it, and 32 percent had no opinion. The Public Service Commission has been holding hearings on the merger in New York this week.

A federally proposed water rule has New York farmers and others around the nation up in arms. They see it as an attempt to regulate virtually all water, and warn if implemented, the measure will raise the phrase "red tape" to a whole new level.

Another casino unveiling is on tap for the Capital District.

The public will get a look at what developers envision for a casino that would be sited on 24 acres along the Hudson River in the city of Rensselaer - earlier this month the common council voted 6 to 1 approving the casino project, expected to include a hotel, gaming rooms and a parking garage.

Rochester developer David Flaum, Capital District OTB and the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma's Global Gaming Solutions have partnered under the moniker NYS Funding LLC.

The New York Senate has passed legislation to broaden sexual harassment laws — but it may languish because of an abortion-related legislative standoff.

The bill passed by the Senate on Wednesday would expand sexual harassment laws to cover small businesses, which are now exempt.

Assembly leaders have included the measure in a broad, 10-point "women's equality bill" that also contains an abortion provision matching state law with the federal Roe v. Wade decision.

New York's Senate has approved legislation to postpone for two years Cuomo administration plans to close state institutions for the disabled and mentally ill, prompting an outcry from advocates of more community-based services.

The bill, which has also cleared the Assembly Mental Health Committee, would postpone closures and consolidations of facilities operated by the Office of Mental Health and the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities until April 1st, 2017.

As the legislative session winds down in New York, there's an eleventh hour push to promote a measure that would prevent and protect health professionals from participating in torture - WAMC's Capital Region Bureau Chief Dave Lucas spoke this morning with Dr. Allen Keller, Director of the Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture, who is in Albany today in support of the bill.