Pension costs are set to increase again for both the state and local governments, according to state figures released Friday. Starting April 1, the state, counties and municipalities will contribute an average of 20.9 percent of salaries into the state pension system, state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli announced. It’s an increase… Read More →
A new report on the state’s energy transmission system has something of a rough roadmap for replacing the Indian Point Energy Center tucked deep inside. The state Energy Planning Board unanimously approved a final draft of the report on Thursday. The board, which includes representatives from various state agencies and… Read More →
Hoping to end questions about its involvement in a sexual harassment settlement in the Assembly, the state attorney general’s office released a set of emails late Thursday that offer a window into the talks that led to the controversial agreement. The emails appear to confirm a number of details about… Read More →
A freshman Assemblyman took criticism of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver to a whole new level today, comparing the longtime legislative leader to former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno. Assemblyman Steve Katz, a Republican from Yorktown, Westchester County, and known for his outspokenness, announced he will hold a news conference… Read More →
State parks saw a total of 43.7 million visitors through the summer months this year, a 5.6 percent bump over the same period in 2011. There were 2.3 million more visits in 2012 over the previous year, according to the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Attendance was… Read More →
A total of 60 candidates running for the state Legislature have failed to file a legally required document disclosing their outside income and financial holdings, according to a list just published by the state ethics board. Under state law, anyone running to become a state lawmaker has to file such… Read More →
A Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and a well-known poet have been tapped for a pair of top state writing posts. White Plains native Alison Lurie was named the official New York State Author late Wednesday, while Marie Howe—who was raised in Rochester—will serve as the State Poet. “Marie and Alison represent… Read More →
The Democratic leader of the state Assembly said today he would welcome an independent investigation of a secret legal settlement reached by the chamber, issuing a statement saying such a probe would “allow all of the facts to come out.” Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, has come under significant criticism… Read More →
High-profile Los Angeles attorney Gloria Allred joined with her co-counsel to issue a new statement today directed at Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, criticizing him for comments he made about the chamber’s policy on handling workplace complaints. Allred has all but acknowledged representing at least one Assembly employee that received $103,080… Read More →
A week after John Lennon’s killer Mark Chapman was denied early release for the seventh time, the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision has released the transcript of his parole board hearing, during which he described his crime in chilling detail. He was living in Hawaii when he read… Read More →