Morning Edition on WAMC

WASHINGTON –  The House Agriculture Committee passed the farm bill with the support of Congressmen Christopher Gibson (R- 19) and Sean Patrick Maloney (D- 18). The bill contains a number of provisions that will benefit New York's Hudson Valley region.

The bill includes Maloney’s Crop Risk Options Plan (CROP) Act that defends the specialty agriculture economy of the region as well as an amendment to help families and communities with flooding in the black dirt region.

ALBANY – New York State, Oneida Nation of Indians, Oneida and Madison counties have signed an agreement settling several long-standing disputes.  The agreement would grant the Oneida Nation exclusive rights to casino gaming in Central New York in exchange for sharing a portion of gaming revenues with the state and local governments.

Under New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s plan for legalized gaming, three casinos would initially be approved, which was going to be carved into six regions.

New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is proposing that state lawmakers expel Assemblyman Vito Lopez, who is accused of sexual harassment.

Silver is also asking the Assembly to consider the full investigative report, which was critical of Silver's handling of the Lopez case. He says he'll introduce legislation today, which would be acted on Monday.

Newschannel 13's Meteorologist Paul Caiano gives the WAMC Morning Edition Forecast.

In the NBA playoffs, Carmelo Anthony scored 28 points to help the Knicks stay alive in the Eastern Conference semifinals with an 85-75 victory over Indiana in Game 5 on Thursday night.

Reserves J.R. Smith and Chris Copeland each had 13 points for the Knicks, who trail 3-2 and will need a victory Saturday in Indiana to force a seventh game on Monday.

Elsewhere, the Spurs moved into the NBA's Western Conference finals after downing the Warriors 94-82 in Game 6. Stephen Curry finished with a team-high 22 points.

Veteran soccer player David Beckham says he will retire from professional the end of the season. The 38-year-old Englishman recently won a league title in a fourth country with a team in Paris and has two games left this season with the French club. He also played for Manchester United, Real Madrid  and the Los Angeles Galaxy, winning titles with all three clubs.

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