The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s $6.4 billion proposal to balance this year’s budget and narrow budget shortfalls in future years relies too heavily on additional state and New York City assistance, Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said in a report today. The MTA needs to develop a contingency program because the financial help may not be forthcoming given [...]

With high turnout expected for the presidential election, state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s office is reviewing 18 county boards of election to see whether they’re prepared. DiNapoli chose a sampling of election boards that are various sizes.

   Counties include Broome, Erie, Monroe, Putnam, Schuyler and Westchester. Others are Albany, Brooklyn, Fulton, Greene, Lewis, Manhattan, Nassau, Onondaga, Rensselaer, Schoharie, [...]

   The Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Google launched Google Transit in New York today, Gov. David Paterson has announced. Google Transit, provided through Google Maps online mapping service, will now offer public-transit trip planning in MTA service territories. That includes New York City Transit, the Long Island Rail Road, the Metro-North Railroad, MTA Bus, Long Island [...]

   The Independent Oil and Gas Association of New York is launching a blog in response to concerns in the community about potential natural gas drilling, specifically the Marcellus Shale in the Southern Tier and Catskill regions.  The site provides details about the drilling process, leasing, links to other relevant sites and a section for comments.

“Our goal [...]

   At a meeting scheduled for Sept. 29, the State University of New York’s Finance and Administration Committee expects to receive reports on how its campuses will implement $40 million in reductions, according to H. Carl McCall, chairman of the committee.

   With the latest round of state budget cuts last month, SUNY will be losing [...]

Voting-rights advocates asked the state Board of Elections today to help make sure poll workers know how to work ballot-marking devices on Election Day and understand that while they are in place to provide access to disabled voters, anyone can use them.

Aimee Allaud of the League of Women Voters told the board that poll workers [...]

   Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced today that he is increasing the pressure he has been putting on MillerCoors LLC to stop plans for a new caffeinated alcohol drink called Sparks Red. He and attorneys general from 24 other states sent a letter today to MillerCoors that asks the company to quash plans to introduce [...]

Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith wants his colleagues to take time off campaigning for the November elections and return to Albany. He is calling for a special session of the Senate “to protect the hundreds of thousands of jobs that have been put at risk by the extraordinary challenges facing New York’s financial markets.”  

   Smith [...]

   The price of gasoline is not regulated in New York State, but retailers, distributors, refiners and producers are not free to use natural disasters (such as Hurricane Ike) to justify large hikes in the cost of gas unless increases are directly attributable to additional costs incurred, according to Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. With that [...]

   The state Department of Taxation and Finance will begin mailing property tax rebate checks Sept. 29 to homeowners who qualify for the 2008 Middle Class STAR Rebate Program. The mailing will continue through the end of October. 

   Unlike last year, most homeowners do not have to apply for the rebate in 2008. If a [...]