New York News

Tempers flared Wednesday at a public hearing of a commission formed to enact a public campaign financing system for New York. But the tensions centered not on that proposal, but on the commission’s decision to also consider whether to end fusion voting, which allows candidates to run on multiple ballot lines.

The City Council in Saratoga Springs has approved a new downtown parking garage. The structure has been the subject of discussion in the Spa City for decades.

New York state legislators questioned state officials about the build-out of broadband internet service on Tuesday. The hearing at the state capitol served as an update on the state’s $500 million New NY Broadband Program.

WAMC's David Guistina speaks with Jeff Wilkin of The Daily Gazette about reports that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's administration has scrapped a plan to charge up to $45 to replace some license plates.

New York’s Health Department Public Health Council voted Tuesday to ban flavored e-cigarettes in the state beginning October 4. The panel did so over the protests of vape shop owners, who say they are helping people quit smoking tobacco cigarettes, and that they will lose their businesses when the ban takes effect. 

A spokesman for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says a plan to charge up to $45 for a requirement that license plates more than 10 years old be replaced is no longer going forward. The news comes after a Siena College poll finds New Yorkers strongly oppose having to pay for new license plates.

Corruption scandals have reached the top of New York state government in recent years, but there is one organization that wants to make sure the public knows that most government employees are dedicated, hardworking and honest. The State Academy for Public Administration will give its Rockefeller Award for distinguished public service to Democratic State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins Wednesday evening in Albany. 

WAMC's David Guistina speaks with Mike Goodwin of The Times Union about reports that police are investigating a homicide in Troy, New York. 

The vaping industry is reacting to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s upcoming ban on flavored e-cigarettes – saying it is misguided and will force many small business owners to close their shops and lay off employees. Some are predicting legal action.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has issued an executive order to direct the state health department to ban all flavored electronic cigarettes, in response to a vaping heath emergency that has sickened hundreds and killed six people.

WAMC's David Guistina speaks with Yancey Roy, Albany bureau chief for Newsday, about a Friday court filing by the New York state Attorney General's Office exposing $1 billion in overseas wire transfers by the Sackler family. 

The Amsterdam Free Library, which is more than a century old, has been nominated for a spot on the National and New York State Registers of Historic Places, as officials at the library are envisioning what the building could look like in the future.

There’s new scrutiny over vaping products of all kinds, as the number of New Yorkers sickened with a disease that is so far related to some black market marijuana vaping products has now risen to 60. Hundreds of people across the U.S. have been sickened and five have died.

While a new report finds one in every three Americans is considered obese, New York appears on the lower end of U.S. average obesity numbers.

District Attorneys across New York state are preparing for changes involving pre-trial evidence rules that include requiring prosecutors to share information with the defense much earlier in a criminal case.

WAMC's David Guistina speaks with Ken Lovett, Senior Vice President for Communications and Albany Director for Metropolitan Public Strategies, about Governor Andrew Cuomo's warning to New Yorkers regarding e-cigarettes.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is rolling back a 2015 rule governing which water bodies are subject to federal regulation.

County governments are beginning to show opposition to a mandatory license plate replacement program in New York.

WAMC's David Guistina speaks with Jim Kevlin, Editor and Publisher of Hometown Oneonta, The Freeman's Journal, and AllOtsego.com, about reports that a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission decision has revived plans for the 125-mile Constitution Pipeline in New York. 

The first hearing of a state commission to implement a public campaign finance system for New York’s elections was overshadowed by the issue of whether to end fusion voting, which allows candidates to run on multiple ballot lines. Critics of the proposal say Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo wants to strike against a left-leaning party that he’s been feuding with, something the governor denies.

Three candidates running for mayor of Troy met Tuesday night for a debate. The discussion involved the first-term mayor, a returning rival, and a newcomer.

Calling it an “industry-wide conspiracy," New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced his intention to file a lawsuit for the over-prescription of opioids that he says has defrauded  New Yorkers out of billions of dollars.

WAMC's David Guistina speaks with Jeff Wilkin of The Daily Gazette about some events commemorating 9/11 in Schenectady and Glenville, New York. 

WAMC's David Guistina speaks with Mike Goodwin of The Times Union about a data breach resulting in the theft of information about more than 2,100 students at Bethlehem Central School District. 

WAMC's David Guistina speaks with Yancey Roy, Albany bureau chief for Newsday, about increased debate in New York state over the proposed use of facial recognition technology in schools. 

MyPayrollHR, a Saratoga County payroll company, abruptly closed its doors last week.

The shutdown of business which serves more than 4,000 employers has the potential to affect tens of thousands of workers, with paychecks disappearing from bank accounts. 

In June, New York joined the list of states that have legalized sports betting. The move came in time for the National Football League's 100th season.