TheRepublic.com - Albany News

Cuomo: Create tax-free zones around SUNY campuses

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:07:54 -0400

ALBANY, New York - High-tech businesses from other states and abroad that move onto or next to college campuses in New York would operate free of all business, property and personal income taxes for 10 years under a proposal released Wednesday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Powerful storms sweep across region

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:42:26 -0400

COPAKE, New York - Torrential rains from a cluster of severe thunderstorms rumbling across upstate New York caused local flooding.

Protesters at capitol call to repeal NY gun law

Tue, 21 May 2013 11:27:20 -0400

ALBANY, New York - A few hundred people have gathered at New York's state capitol building in Albany to press for repeal of the state's tough new gun laws.

Ft. Drum commander tells NY lawmakers about post

Tue, 21 May 2013 07:56:38 -0400

ALBANY, New York - The commander of New York's largest military complex tells state lawmakers that they shouldn't take the post for granted with Pentagon budget cuts looming.

NY cigarette tax probes called weak, sloppy

Mon, 20 May 2013 18:09:22 -0400

ALBANY, New York - Sting operations aimed at black market cigarettes in New York had such weak investigative protocols and financial controls that money went missing and prosecutions were dismissed, the state inspector general reported Monday.

Poughkeepsie man admits Albany-area diamond theft

Sun, 19 May 2013 17:17:18 -0400

ALBANY, New York - A 43-year-old Poughkeepsie man faces three to six years in state prison for stealing a $40,000 diamond from an Albany-area jewelry store.

NY teacher delves into mystery of 'Indian Ovens'

Sun, 19 May 2013 16:11:16 -0400

ALBANY, New York - Steve Butz had heard the local lore about "Indian Ovens" for years, but it wasn't until this past winter that he hiked to a ridge near the Vermont state line to examine the unusual geologic formation stained black by soot from fires of uncertain origin and purpose.

NY state parks gets 36 police academy graduates

Sat, 18 May 2013 12:05:31 -0400

ALBANY, New York - The New York state parks system is adding 36 new officers to the ranks of its police force responsible for safety at 179 parks and 35 historic sites.

Long Island casino in play in NY negotiations

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:52:13 -0400

ALBANY, New York - Support grew Thursday for a proposal to build a casino on Long Island with video slot machines as legislators and the governor negotiated behind closed doors to expand casino gambling in New York.

Cops: Body found in Albany plaza was homeless man

Thu, 16 May 2013 06:40:03 -0400

ALBANY, New York - Authorities say they've tentatively identified the body found at the Empire State Plaza as that of a homeless man known to frequent the sprawling state government complex in downtown Albany.

Another delay in tearing down NY church's tower

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:12:37 -0400

WATERVLIET, New York - The latest attempt to tear down an Albany-area church's bell tower has been delayed another day after vandalism of the demolition crane was discovered.

Longtime Albany mayor says he won't seek 6th term

Wed, 15 May 2013 13:45:19 -0400

ALBANY, New York - Longtime Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings won't seek a sixth term in November, ending months of speculation that he was preparing to end his nearly 20-year run in office.

Prosecutor was GOP pick for NY attorney general

Wed, 15 May 2013 13:38:40 -0400

ALBANY, New York - The prosecutor behind Wednesday's report that blasted New York's Assembly leader, attorney general and comptroller for secretive and ineffective handling of sexual harassment complaints is a working-class Staten Island native who nearly pulled off a major political upset in 2010.

Cuomo: $80M to help local governments survive

Tue, 14 May 2013 19:11:57 -0400

ALBANY, New York - Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed at least $80 million in state aid Tuesday to help New York cities and counties escape a decades-long cycle of higher taxes and reduced services in the face of rising public payroll costs and dwindling populations.

Cuomo, ex-wife Kennedy push farm workers' rights

Mon, 13 May 2013 20:30:20 -0400

ALBANY, New York - New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his ex-wife, Kerry Kennedy, on Monday each pushed to protect migrant farm workers' rights, with Kennedy declaring that the workers are abused under remnants of laws aimed at oppressing blacks after the Civil War.

NY Senate GOP says murder convict bolsters case

Mon, 13 May 2013 20:11:21 -0400

ALBANY, New York - New York Senate Republicans say Monday's murder conviction of a Philadelphia abortion doctor bolsters their opposition in Albany to Gov. Andrew Cuomo's abortion proposal.

NY groups hold cleanup events in Hudson Valley

Sun, 12 May 2013 17:20:17 -0400

ALBANY, New York - The Hudson River shoreline is a little tidier after more than 100 clubs and organizations took part in the second annual Riverkeeper Sweep this weekend.

Cops: Man found dead in car at NY university

Sat, 11 May 2013 18:14:35 -0400

ALBANY, New York - A man has been found dead inside a car parked in the University at Albany parking lot.

NY inmate found dead in jail cell

Sat, 11 May 2013 17:50:12 -0400

ALBANY, New York - A New York inmate has been found dead in his jail cell.

Fed probe in NY legislature raises race question

Sat, 11 May 2013 15:33:25 -0400

ALBANY, New York - It's a glaring aspect of the most talked about issue in Albany's burgeoning public corruption investigation that few are willing to raise publicly: Is the federal corruption sting rocking New York politics singling out black and Latino politicians? Experts and many lawmakers acknowledge it may appear that way but it's not the case.

Lawmakers go undercover in NY corruption probe

Thu, 09 May 2013 18:12:36 -0400

ALBANY, New York - New York lawmakers are eyeing each carefully, watching every word they say and making only half-joking suggestions that they should start every meeting with a mutual pat-down.

Ex-state lawmaker gets 1 year in NYC fraud case

Thu, 09 May 2013 16:15:11 -0400

NEW YORK - A former New York state senator who admitted embezzling nearly $88,000 from a state-funded nonprofit she controlled has been sentenced to one year and one day in prison.

Record: Libous ended stake in firm eyeing fracking

Thu, 09 May 2013 16:05:34 -0400

ALBANY, New York - Sen. Thomas Libous on Thursday released a 2008 document that states he ended his personal financial interest in a real estate firm before it speculated in land purchases to benefit from drilling now being debated in Albany.

Philippine police: ex-Marine, murder weapon linked

Thu, 09 May 2013 15:50:54 -0400

ALBANY, New York - More than 20 months after the bodies of a retired Northern Ireland police officer and his girlfriend were found in a Philippines bedroom littered with bullet casings, authorities seeking the extradition of a former U.S. Marine say they have linked him to guns used in the killings and recovered blood-splattered jeans he tried to have burned.

Cuomo: No deal yet on new anti-corruption measures

Wed, 08 May 2013 20:52:38 -0400

ALBANY, New York - Even as the names of more lawmakers surface in a growing federal corruption probe and New Yorkers grow angrier, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday that Albany's made no significant progress toward enacting tougher anti-corruption measures.