Assemblywomen Amy Paulin and Barbara Lifton said they would vote in favor of expelling Vito Lopez from office, but said they see no reason to also oust Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan. So far, at least from Assembly members, the outrage about Lopez’s alleged sexual harassment of his young female aides… Read More →
Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday said the state Assembly should move to expel embattled Assemblyman Vito Lopez from the chamber if he doesn’t resign, but did not take a position on whether the chamber’s leadership should remain in place. Lopez, a Brooklyn Democrat, was the center of an ethics report… Read More →
The Oneida Indian Nation was granted exclusive casino rights in central New York under a deal struck Thursday that will send 25 percent of slot revenue to the state. The Native American tribe, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the heads of Madison and Oneida counties signed the agreement at the Capitol… Read More →
Albany County District Attorney David Soares on Thursday said the state Assembly’s handling of sexual harassment allegations against Brooklyn Assemblyman Vito Lopez was problematic and needs to be reevaluated, Gannett’s Haley Viccaro reports. Staten Island District Attorney Dan Donovan investigated the allegations against Lopez in Brooklyn, calling them “alarming” but… Read More →
New York’s unemployment rate in April fell to its lowest level since 2009 but still trailed the national average, according to the state Department of Labor. Statewide, the rate dipped to 7.8 percent from 8.2 percent in March, just behind the national average of 7.5 percent. In New York City,... Read More →
A revenue-sharing deal with the Oneida Indian Nation has eluded the state for 20 years, but Gov. Andrew Cuomo is set to announce an agreement at 1 p.m. to share profits with the state from the Turning Stone Casino near Syracuse. The Syracuse Post-Standard said the agreement includes more than… Read More →
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is facing increased pressure from good-government and women’s groups after two reports this week alleged sought to protect Assemblyman Vito Lopez from sexual harassment complaints made by Lopez’s aides. The state Republican Committee is calling Silver, a Manhattan Democrat, to resign as speaker, a post he… Read More →
Assemblyman Vito Lopez outlined his defense to a series of sexual harassment claims in a 23-page document sent to the Joint Commission on Public Ethics earlier this year, claiming a series of text messages sent by his female employees—messages they claim they were forced to send—showed they enjoyed their jobs…. Read More →
The FBI yesterday stormed the Town Hall in Ramapo, Rockland County, and seized records in an apparent investigation of bond sales for town projects, the Journal News reported. It’s the latest investigation by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney in the Southern District to root out public corruption. On April… Read More →
Embattled Assemblyman Vito Lopez put out a three-page statement this afternoon and condemned a state investigation that found he had sexually harassed a number of young female aides. “Salacious and sensational claims in the JCOPE report are fallacious,” the Lopez statement says. The statement went on to knock his accusers,... Read More →