New York News

A space once home to the Little Sisters of the Poor will soon become the new home of a Capital District theater company. Curtain Call Theatre is moving just a short distance from its current location, the old Dutch Reformed Church at 210 Old Loudon Road in Latham, NY to a new space, at 2 Jeanne Jugan Lane in Latham.

New York state troopers issued more than 15,000 tickets during a five-day sweep targeting drivers using electronic devices.

Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo's administration warns that higher-than-normal temperatures and seasonal winds could heighten the risk of wildfires this spring.

Did passage of the New York state budget signal the end of Albany’s legislative session for 2017, or will other matters, including ethics reform, get done before the lawmakers adjourn in June?

As some communities in the region establish themselves as “Sanctuary Cities,” Schenectady appears to be distancing itself from the label as it considers its options. The Schenectady city council has been discussing immigration, a hot topic that has drawn dozens of residents at recent meetings.

A residency requirement for college students seeking free tuition at New York’s public colleges is drawing criticism. Governor Andrew Cuomo defends the late addition to the plan, approved as part of the state budget earlier this month.

On Friday, several hundred officials from across the North Country gathered in Lake Placid to hear Governor Andrew Cuomo discuss highlights of the recently passed state budget.  The fiscal plan includes $2.5 billion for the statewide Clean Water Infrastructure Act and $13.2 million in aid to municipalities. The spending plan keeps the Environmental Protection Fund at $300 million.  New York state Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos calls it the best environmental budget the state has passed in three decades.

After pulling out of a fiscal emergency and a scandal that cost the last CEO his job, the New York Racing Association will return from state control as a private non-profit. WAMC’s Southern Adirondack Bureau Chief Lucas Willard reports that’s good news for advocates in Saratoga Springs.

The City of Troy has launched a new community campaign to develop a master plan for the arts. 

At a packed meeting Wednesday evening at the Arts Center of the Capital Region on River Street, art consultant Todd Bressi gave a presentation on how cites across the country have been able to incorporate public art to build community, revitalize neighborhoods, and bring in development.

The upper Hudson River has been given a new health assessment. Environmental group Riverkeeper, which has been patrolling the lower Hudson for decades, only began sampling north of the federal dam in Troy last summer. WAMC’s Southern Adirondack Bureau Chef Lucas Willard has details about the new report, which shows a river mostly healthy for swimming.

Hillary Clinton says she hopes the free college tuition plan approved by New York lawmakers last week will lead other states to follow suit.

The opioid addiction crisis continues to grip upstate New York as well as the rest of the country. On Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer visited Schenectady to tout new legislation that is aimed at combatting the influx of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that can be many times more potent and lethal than heroin.

Now that the state budget has been passed, school districts in New York have a better idea on what to expect in state aid, as voters get ready to decide local school budgets on May 16. 

Toxicologist Michael Gallo is speaking at the Armory at Sage College of Albany tonight about environmental contaminants and efforts to counteract chemical terrorism. 

After years of efforts, ride-sharing advocates are celebrating in New York this week. The latest state budget deal paves the way for companies like Uber and Lyft to operate upstate.  

One of the greatest thoroughbred racehorses of all-time, Man o’ War, is being celebrated at the National Racing Museum and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs with a new exhibit.

Emergency officials were keeping a close watch for flooding this week after steady rainshowers. But as WAMC’s Southern Adirondack Bureau Chief Lucas Willard reports, communities are largely breathing a sigh of relief.

A group of volunteers in the Saratoga County village of Corinth is looking save an historic school building on Main Street. WAMC’s Southern Adirondack Bureau Chief Lucas Willard reports the advocates are holding an informational meeting this weekend.

The New York National Guard was one of the earliest units to lend its support to the U.S. Army during World War I. Earlier today, a ceremony at the New York National Guard base in Latham marked the 100th anniversary of America’s entry into the conflict.

Every April since 1981, communities across the nation have paused to honor crime victims and those who support them.  Local officials gathered at the Albany County Courthouse today for a remembrance.

With the country once again debating the future of health care, activists rallied Tuesday in Albany in support of a bill that would create a universal, publicly-financed health-insurance plan for all New Yorkers.