State Senator Pete Harckham

A New York state senator from the Hudson Valley says the House coronavirus aid package fails to address the pandemic’s behavioral health crisis.

In a typical year, New York state lawmakers would be entering the last few weeks of the legislative session — with the state budget already finished but the so-called “big ugly” still looming. This year has been anything but typical. But one New York state senator said he expects to be back in Albany in the next week or two, though there has been no formal announcement. WAMC’s Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Allison Dunne spoke with first-term state Senator Pete Harckham about this and other COVID impacts.

The first of two functioning reactors at the Indian Point nuclear power plant in New York’s Westchester County is permanently shutting down tonight. It's something that might have garnered some in-person fanfare, but the COVID-19 pandemic has squelched any such recognition. Meantime, two area state lawmakers are promoting a few bills pertaining to the shutdown.

A New York state Senator has introduced legislation to address some of the financial concerns related to COVID-19. Democrat Pete Harckham spoke with WAMC’s Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Allison Dunne about these bills and his views on the budget due April 1. NOTE: This interview from Wednesday precedes New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s budget-related announcements Thursday.

Five years after the deadliest crash in Metro-North Railroad history, New York state lawmakers are renewing calls for safety upgrades to rail grade crossings.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is reviewing an application from Entergy Nuclear Operations to transfer Indian Point licenses to another company for decommissioning.  The application has kicked off a public comment period and the opportunity to request a hearing.

The New York state Public Service Commission has approved a rate hike for Con Edison. The three-year plan approval is for an amount far less than what the utility proposed, but there is still opposition among Westchester customers.

It’s a familiar experience for thousands of people in the WAMC listening area: you drive to a Metro-North station, park, and catch a train. Now, parking costs could be going up. But as WAMC’s Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Allison Dunne reports, a vote on the proposal has been postponed.

New York state lawmakers from Westchester County are letting the governor of Connecticut know they oppose his proposed toll increase on an interstate highway.

Two New York state lawmakers from the Hudson Valley say Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed their bill to help establish a distillery in Putnam County.

There is a New York state roundtable discussion and public hearing Thursday on tackling the opioid epidemic. And it’s being held in Putnam County.

With the book closed on New York’s legislative session until next year, several items were left on the table, including the legalization of recreational marijuana. One Hudson Valley state senator says a deal was close, but says the session did lead to a lot of big accomplishments.

With the New York state legislative session ending in June, two state lawmakers from the Hudson Valley are pushing bills related to the closure of the Indian Point nuclear power plant in Westchester County.

The Indian Point nuclear power plant in New York is a year away from permanently closing one of its two operating reactors. After the plant shuts down, it will be sold.