New York News

New York's inspector general says the state corrections department improperly permitted 64 prison superintendents and 16 other staff to use state cars essentially for commuting.

Inspector General Catherine Leahy Scott says the investigation, which The Associated Press first reported almost two years ago, has been completed and corrections officials now return cars to the agency vehicle pool instead of assigning them to top staff.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo joined volunteers in serving thousands of Thanksgiving meals in Albany, while high-ranking members of his administration volunteered at holiday community events from Manhattan to Buffalo.

Cuomo and his three daughters were at the Empire State Plaza's Concourse Cafeteria Thursday to join the volunteers at the annual Equinox Thanksgiving Day community dinner. Started in the early 1970s, the event serves more than 10,000 Thanksgiving meals to homebound or homeless people in Albany.

New York Congressman Paul Tonko, a Democrat representing the Capital Region, says his Republican colleagues could face political fallout if the bumpy rollout of the Affordable Care Act gives way to a successful program in the long term. Tonko spoke on WAMC’s Congressional Corner program.

  The city of Albany has FIOS-envy.

"When you think about the opportunity that is presented by FIOS, by this phenomenal product that’s been developed by Verizon," Albany Mayor-Elect Kathy Sheehan says. "And you look at where Albany is at this point in history, we are really poised to be an ideal place for Verizon to make this investment."

On a September evening, Greg Garrison and his family are preparing to pick the last of their first harvest of hops. After pulling the load of bines off the back of a truck, the hops are loaded onto an angled table.

Police agencies around the state will be out in force during this long holiday weekend in a concerted effort to crack down on drunk driving.

Sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols will be in place to deter drunk driving. Law enforcement agencies will also be cracking down on drivers who are impaired by drugs — both illegal and prescription.

According to Department of Motor Vehicle statistics, last year there were 8,633 alcohol-related crashes in New York state reported by police that resulted in 358 deaths and over 6,000 injured.

With Thanksgiving approaching, New Yorkers have been bracing for the impact of cuts to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. That impact may not be as severe as initially thought...

A government watchdog group in New York is calling for strict limits on money individuals and corporations can give candidates in state elections.

The New York Public Interest Research Group blames the state's political scandals on lax limits, poor enforcement and loopholes. It says individual limits per candidate should be $2,600 per election with a $1,000 corporate limit to any campaign committee during an election cycle.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has some harsh words for state lawmakers who are fighting his commission in court over subpoenas that would force legislators to reveal their outside business with legal clients.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo today took questions on the state of the investigation into public corruption by the Moreland Act Commission. Responding to a report in the Daily News that said half of state legislators are complying with the investigation despite the body’s contention that it violates separation of powers, Cuomo says such cooperation disproves the legal argument.