Plaintiffs Weigh Options in WTC Settlement
New York, NY —The federal judge in a large settlement with World Trade Center workers wants to hear more from the attorneys later this week and from individual workers with health problems at a hearing...
View ArticlePaterson Signs Health Bill But Still Wrangles Over Budget
New York, NY —Gov. David Paterson signed into law reforms that will make it easier for New Yorkers to make end of life decisions for their loved ones.The governor says the new law gives close friends...
View ArticleMonserrate Loses Bid to Keep Senate Seat
New York, NY —Hiram Monserrate, who was expelled from the state senate, has lost his bid to get his seat back. He lost to Democratic Assemblyman Jose Peralta in a special election in Queens last night....
View ArticleNY Lawmakers Challenge State Police Accountability
New York, NY —The push to make the New York State Police more accountable as an agency is gaining steam. WNYC's Bob Hennelly has more.REPORTER: Under legislation now pending in Albany the State Police...
View ArticleImmigrant Group Offended by Paterson Comment
New York, NY —On a radio show in New York, Governor Paterson made a surprising comment about immigration, when he responded to a caller on WOR complaining about the cost of educating immigrants who are...
View ArticlePuerto Rican Birth Certificates Will Be Null and Void
New York, NY —On July First, all Puerto Rican birth certificates will become invalid. U.S. officials say many fraudulent applications for U.S. passports and social benefits use Puerto Rican birth...
View ArticleNYS Cuts Funding for Domestic Violence Programs
New York, NY —Advocates for domestic violence survivors say Governor Paterson is not only accused of trying to protect an aide who allegedly abused his girlfriend he is also cutting $3 million for...
View ArticleNY Senate Democrats Offer $136B Budget
New York, NY —Senate Democrats have approved their version of the state budget. It includes deep spending cuts first proposed by Gov. David Paterson, but refrains from imposing taxes proposed by the...
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After 19 Years, Released From Prison Under the Rockefeller Drug-Law Reforms
New York, NY —Last year, New York State overhauled what many saw as the overly severe Rockefeller drug laws. The changes eliminated mandatory minimum sentences for most drug offenses, expanded drug...
View ArticleNY Court Hears Lawsuit Challenging Public Defender System
New York, NY —New York's highest court heard arguments today in a lawsuit charging that the state is violating its constitutional duty to provide effective counsel to poor people accused of crimes.The...
View ArticleDrilling, Dancing, and FDR
On today’s show, we’ll hear from people upstate about what’s happening with drilling for natural gas in their area. Anne Bass director of the documentary film “Dancing Across Borders,” and...
View ArticleDrilling Upstate
We’ll look into the controversy over drilling for natural gas in Marcellus shale in Upstate New York, and discuss the challenges landowners face when deciding whether to lease their land to gas...
View ArticleNY Students Show No Improvement in National Reading Test
New York, NY —New York students made no progress at all on last year's national reading test, despite big gains on their state exams.Only 36 percent of the state's fourth graders were proficient in...
View ArticleNew Accusations in Paterson Aide Case
New York, NY —Governor Paterson may have been much more closely involved in a top staffer's domestic violence case than previously reported.Citing three sources with knowledge of Paterson's role, The...
View ArticlePaterson Predicts Budget Will Be Late, Says Will OK Austerity Spending
New York, NY —Governor Paterson says it looks like the state budget will once again be late. If that's the case, he'll have to take drastic steps to keep the state running after April 1st. Karen DeWitt...
View ArticleCourt Rules Social Security Admin Unlawfully Cut Benefits
New York, NY —A New York federal appeals court recently ruled that the Social Security Administration was cutting off people's benefits without sufficient proof that they had violated parole or...
View ArticleLong Island Lighthouse Project Stalled
New York, NY —Six months after giving a Long Island town an ultimatum, hockey team owner Charles Wang is no closer to building his massive housing complex called the Lighthouse at Long Island.The...
View ArticlePaterson to Issue Second Budget Extender
New York, NY —With the New York State budget a week overdue Governor Paterson says he's issuing another round of emergency spending measures. Karen DeWitt reports from Albany.REPORTER: Paterson says,...
View ArticleFederal Panel Grills Former Citi Execs on Market Losses
New York, NY —Yesterday a federal commission repeatedly pressed two former Citigroup executives asking them to accept some form of responsibility for the huge losses that the bank incurred in 2007 and...
View ArticlePaterson Withholds State Employee Raises
New York, NY —New York lawmakers are not happy with Governor Paterson’s latest emergency spending bill which holds back raises for state workers. Karen DeWitt reports from Albany.REPORTER: State...
View ArticleAlbany Targets Non-Native Wildlife
New York, NY —The increasing numbers of invader species, like the voracious northern snakehead fish, have given environmental officials a fright. WNYC's Ilya Marritz reports state regulators are now...
View ArticleJudge: Lawsuits Brought by Workers Beyond Ground Zero Can Proceed
New York, NY —The federal judge in the lawsuit of World Trade Center workers and first responders has cleared the way for additional cases to proceed.Most of the attention has focused on rescuers and...
View ArticleSchools Fend for Selves as State Delays Payments
New York, NY —School districts in New York are taking their own emergency budget measures now that Governor Paterson has delayed their state aid. Karen DeWitt reports.REPORTER: Paterson withheld a $2.1...
View ArticleFraudulent Immigration Group Pays $1.2M to Former Clients
New York, NY —New York's Attorney General has shut down one of the state's largest providers of immigration services because it was defrauding customers.The American Immigrant Federation (AIF) was...
View ArticleBanks Disagree Over Plan On Principal Reduction
New York, NY —At least one big bank is expressing reservations about the Obama administration's plan to address rising foreclosures. Officials have been encouraging banks to go beyond what they've done...
View ArticleNY Lawmakers at Budget Standstill
Albany, NY —With the New York State budget now two weeks overdue, lawmakers have left Albany with no signs of reaching a spending agreement with the governor.Gov. David Paterson asked legislators to...
View ArticleFive Firms Settle in AG's Pension Probe
New York, NY —Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has obtained five more cash settlements in his probe of alleged corruption at the state pension fund. One of those settlements could increase the pressure on...
View ArticleEnergy Companies Say Gas Drilling Can Help NYS Finances
New York, NY —The energy industry has a proposal to help New York State with its fiscal crisis. It's offering to lease state lands for natural gas drilling.Gov. David Paterson has proposed closing...
View ArticleState Lawmakers Approve Third Budget Extender
Albany, NY —Lawmakers have approved a third round of budget extenders to keep New York State, but not without some complaints.Lawmakers grumbled over the governor's latest round of austerity spending...
View ArticleShrinking Housing Subsidies for the Homeless Raise Questions
New York, NY —Housing subsidies for homeless families are about to get less generous. Homeless advocates are skeptical about the change and so are brokers who rent apartments to low-income families....
View ArticleSenate Leader Espada Charged with 'Looting' $14M
New York, NY —Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada has been charged by the state Attorney General with stealing more than $14 million dollars from a Bronx not-for-profit run by the Senator and his...
View ArticleEspada Calls Cuomo's Lawsuit Politically Motivated
New York, NY —Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is charging a civil suit that New York Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Junior looted more than $14 million from a South Bronx health network he founded....
View ArticleGOP Senator Says Espada Should Give Up Leadership Post
New York, NY —Senator Espada's legal troubles are inspiring some lawmakers to call for new leadership in the chamber. Karen DeWitt has more from Albany.REPORTER: State Senator Marty Golden, a Brooklyn...
View ArticleFinancial Reform a Tricky Balancing Act for NY Senators
New York, NY —Today the Senate begins debate on amendments and possible passage of new rules for Wall Street -- and anything that affects Wall Street ultimately affects New York because the city and...
View ArticleReport: NYS Routinely Overpays Hospitals
New York, NY —A new report suggests New York routinely overpays hospitals for various medical procedures. State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli's office looked at how much the state Health Department and...
View ArticleFormer NY Senate Leader Bruno Sentenced to Two Years
New York, NY —Former New York State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno has been sentenced to two years in prison. Bruno was convicted on two counts of felony federal corruption charges last December....
View ArticlePaterson Insists on Furlough Plan for State Employees
New York, NY —Governor Paterson is standing firmly behind his decision to seek a one-day-a-week furlough for state employees to force lawmakers to pass a state budget, even if the matter ends up in...
View ArticleNY Legislature Approves Furloughs
New York, NY —Thousands of state workers rallied at New York’s Capitol and around the state yesterday, protesting Governor Paterson’s plan to include one-day-a-week furloughs in the emergency spending...
View ArticleCourt Challenge is Next for State Furlough Plan
New York, NY — New York Lieutenant Governor Richard Ravitch is warning that if state worker unions succeed in their court challenge to the governor’s furlough plan, lay offs could be next. But Governor...
View ArticleJudge Issues TRO Against NYS Furloughs
New York, NY —Those one-day-a-week furloughs of state workers Governor Paterson wanted to impose next week won't be happening. A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order against the plan....
View ArticlePaterson to Ask for Delay in School Aid
New York, NY — Gov. David Paterson will ask the legislature to allow him to delay around $1.5 billion dollars due to schools June 1, saying the state does not have enough cash on hand to afford the...
View ArticlePaterson, Silver Disagree Over School Budgets
New York, NY —School districts across New York State are holding budget votes today, and top state officials are already predicting the outcome.Governor Paterson, who slashed school spending in his...
View ArticleNew York Parks Now On Most Endangered Historic Places List
Albany, NY —New York's parks now have the dubious distinction of a listing on a national preservation group’s register of endangered sites. That’s due to the closings of several dozen parks and...
View ArticlePaterson Threatens Layoffs If No Budget By June
New York, NY —Governor Paterson says he may have to lay off state workers if lawmakers don't approve his budget plan by June. During a rare public meeting yesterday, Democratic and Republican...
View ArticleNew York Home Sales Rise in April
New York, NY —Thanks to a generous tax credit aimed at first-time homebuyers, April sales of existing homes rose significantly above expectations. But that same credit expired at the end of April, so...
View ArticlePaterson Bill Would Open Parks, But at a Cost
New York, NY —Gov. David Paterson's proposal to keep all New York's 213 parks and historic sites funded and open starting Memorial Day weekend has hit resistance from lawmakers and environmentalists...
View ArticleCuomo's Running Mate Raises Democrat's Eyebrows
New York, NY —Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's pick of Rochester Mayor Robert Duffy as his running mate in the governor's race has raised some eyebrows among New York's Democrats.Duffy is a career cop...
View ArticleNY GOP Meets to Pick Candidates
New York, NY —New York Republicans are kicking off their convention in Midtown Manhattan to pick a slate of candidates for the fall elections on Tuesday.Despite Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's large...
View ArticlePaterson and NY Legislature Wrangle Over Budget
New York, NY — Gov. Paterson and New York's legislature are still trying to negotiate a state budget that is nearly three months late. While the legislature says it will vote on their own budget...
View ArticleLegislature Restores Cuts, but Paterson Wields Veto
New York, NY —On Monday evening, New York Gov. David Paterson vetoed over $400 million in additional spending out of the legislature’s budget, saying lawmakers had engaged in “gimmicks” and...
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