Associated Press

Authorities aren't saying whether they have a suspect in the mailing of what's believed to be poisonous ricin to Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi.

But a fellow senator is commenting. Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill says the person believed to have mailed the envelope writes a lot of letters to lawmakers.

The envelope containing the suspected deadly toxin was never delivered to Sen. Wicker. It was intercepted at a Senate mail facility and will be tested again to confirm its contents.

Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says the explosions at the Boston Marathon are being investigated as an act of terror, although authorities still don't know who is responsible.

BOSTON (AP) — Two explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon have resulted in injuries. 

NEW YORK (AP) — New York state Sen. Malcolm Smith, a New York City councilman and four other politicians are facing charges in a public corruption probe.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Federal agriculture researchers will again be doing a census of New York maple syrup production in April and May.    

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the state ranked second to Vermont in last year's survey of producers in 10 states. Inspectors will collect information about the number of taps, yield, prices and the overall value of the maple products from New York. The results will be released in June. Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's administration says it backs the state police commander who discussed the Newtown school shootings at a law enforcement seminar and won't punish him. 

The Journal Inquirer reports that Mark Ojakian, Malloy's chief of staff, called Col. Daniel Stebbins to ask how information about what he discussed at the seminar in New Orleans was published in a column in the New York Daily News earlier this month.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A formal complaint filed with New York's lobbying board asks it to investigate whether Artists Against Fracking, a group formed by Yoko Ono and son Sean Lennon, is violating the state's lobbying law.

New York has its third straight on-time budget after decades of missed deadlines.

The Assembly passed the final bills of the $135 billion spending plan just before midnight Thursday.

The budget approved by the Senate Wednesday is due Sunday, the start of the new fiscal year.

Major elements of the budget negotiated by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders includes $350 tax rebate checks for most middle class families and a new minimum wage that will rise to $9 over three years.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings says it's time National Grid reviewed the city's aging underground infrastructure, after the third incidence of exploding manhole covers downtown.

Fire officials and National Grid say an underground electrical fire sparked an explosion early Saturday that sent four manhole covers flying into the air in a downtown neighborhood. It was the third such incident in less than six months.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York legislators will need much of this week to pass the $135 billion budget it negotiated with Gov. Andrew Cuomo.