Last month we learned that lobbyists for the gas industry spent $3.2 million in lobbying Albany over the last two years to influence lawmakers regarding the controversial tactic of hydraulic fracturing. Now Common Cause has released a report [pdf] detailing that gas companies have contributed $1.34 million to the state's politicians, including $153,816 to governor Andrew Cuomo. "New Yorkers need to be assured that such a controversial issue will be decided based on merit, not money," Common Cause's executive director Susan Lerner tells the Daily News. more ›

The biggest news to come out of Governor Cuomo's State of the State address yesterday was his big idea to raze the Javits Center and partner with a Malaysian company to build a $4 billion convention center, with a hotel and expanded gambling space, out in Jamaica, Queens. It would be bigger than America's current-largest convention center in Chicago, and Cuomo promises it would "bring to New York the largest events, driving demand for hotel rooms and restaurant meals and creating tax revenues and jobs, jobs, jobs. In addition to the new convention space, up to 3,000 hotel rooms will be developed. We will make New York the No. 1 convention site in the nation." Your move, Shelbyville! more ›

A draft report released by the EPA on Thursday indicating that hydraulic fracturing for natural gas is probably the cause for contaminated water supplies in central Wyoming may affect New York's impending decision on whether to permit fracking upstate. Sandra Steingraber, an Ithaca College biologist, tells the Daily News, "It takes away the industry's claim that there has never been a documented case of groundwater contamination because of fracking." more ›

The rumors are true! Governor Cuomo's office has sent an op-ed written by the governor expressing his support for tax reform. You can read the whole thing below, but here's one key paragraph: "In New York under the permanent tax code, an individual making a taxable income of only $20,000 pays the same marginal tax rate as an individual making $20 million. It’s just not fair. While New York’s earned income tax credit, child care credit, and high standard deduction help working poor families, New York has left the middle class with an undue burden which also hinders our economic recovery." more ›

In his weekly radio address, billionaire autocrat Michael Bloomberg took the opportunity to criticize the groups of students, labor unions, and other demonstrators who haven taken to Lower Manhattan to protest the state of our economy. "They're trying to take away the tax base we have, because none of this is good for tourism," Bloomberg said, apparently unaware that the tourists are eating it up and that some of the protesters are tourists themselves. He also claimed that those in Zuccotti Park were "trying to destroy the jobs of working people in this city." more ›

After reading reports that 99 percent of Long Island houses have had power restored from Irene-related outages, it's easy to just turn on your hairdryer, dishwasher, and that giant neon sign you stole from Applebee's and just take it all for granted. Yet one percent is still one percent, and they are pissed. One Hicksville couple who lives around 500 feet from the Long Island Power Authority's headquarters made an "SOS" banner to draw attention to the fact that they've been without power for over a week. "I feel like going across the street with an extension cord and saying 'can you please give me electricity,' because they never lost their lights," Beth Arrieta tells CBS. more ›

A 2.9 magnitude earthquake has just hit upstate New York. Governor Cuomo's office has just released a statement: "We have reports of a 2.9 magnitude earthquake just west-southwest of Altamont, New York. Although this was a mild earthquake, out of an abundance of caution, I have ordered immediate inspection of nearby infrastructure, including a NYPA inspection of the Blenheim-Gilboa Dam in Schoharie County." Updates to follow. more ›

A nuclear power plant located 27 miles from the epicenter of today's earthquake in Mineral, Virginia has been shut down. Reuters reports that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission pulled the plug after the 5.8 magnitude earthquake, but another nuclear plant in Surry, Virginia, 103 miles from Mineral, remains operational. Indian Point, the nuclear power plant located 35 miles from New York City, "is operating normally" following today's earthquake, Entergy spokesman Jim Steets tells us. more ›

A group of NY State politicians has banded together to sponsor a bill to legalize medical marijuana, through a "registered dispensing facility" with doctor approval. And State Sen. Diane Savino made a personal appeal to Governor Cuomo yesterday in a letter in which she invokes the memory of her parents, who both died of cancer, and calls out NY for falling behind NJ. "As someone who has lost both parents to cancer, I know first-hand what it is like to see a loved one in pain and not be able to do anything about it," she wrote. more ›

After passing both the Assembly and the Senate, Governor Cuomo is poised to sign a bill requiring large trucks to affix a "crossover" mirror that eliminates blind spots in front of the vehicle. The bill, sponsored by state senator Martin Golden of Brooklyn, was spurred on by the death of 4-year-old Moses Englender, who was killed by a truck in May as he was riding a tricycle because the driver couldn't see him. Cuomo's office told the Daily News that the law was a "necessary step" to "reduce the number of injuries and deaths that have been the result of a drivers' inability to see pedestrians that pass in front of their vehicles." more ›

Mayor Bloomberg was in Albany yesterday with Christine Quinn to pressure State Senators to support a same-sex marriage bill. During meetings with seven Republican Senators, Bloomberg vowed to campaign for any candidate who came out for gay marriage, regardless of how they voted on any other issue. And he made the case that same-sex marriage is “entirely consistent with the G.O.P.’s core values of promoting limited government and individual liberty." more ›

For years, the city and state have vowed to crackdown on parking placard abuse by lawmakers, police, and other state officials. But despite their best efforts, officials keep getting caught misusing the parking permits, adding to a sense of imbalance between haves and have-nots. But after a new state probe earlier this week which condemned the widespread misuse, the Cuomo administration announced yesterday that new limits will be placed on the placards, and nearly 1,500 state officials will lose theirs. "They may have to circle the block [like everyone else]," said Howard Glaser, Cuomo's state operations director. more ›

Governor Cuomo's proposed $132.9 budget would cut spending 2.7%, slashing $1.5 billion in education aid and $2.8 billion from health care. But it would also get rid of a tax on incomes over $200,000 for single filers and $300,000 for joint filers, first levied in 2009. Cuomo promised during the campaign that he would close the budget gap without raising taxes, and the affluent people in New York would be so disillusioned if they saw a politician breaking his promises. But Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver and a growing army of other Democrats want him to do just that! more ›

18 years ago Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa was allegedly shot by one of John Gotti Jr.'s crew members as payback for trashing the don on his radio show [pdf]. To mark the anniversary, Sliwa will be appearing in Gotti Jr.s' old stomping grounds in Little Italy on Father's Day as "King Cuomo II," to parody the Attorney General's gubernatorial bid and mock Cuomo's girlfriend Sandra Lee's controversial lasagna. more ›

Back in February, remember how Paterson dropped his election campaign in the midst of an ever-widening scandal regarding his alleged attempts to silence a woman who accused his top aide of beating her? We haven't heard anything on that in a while, and according to the Times, "Paterson has yet to be questioned, and a date has not even been set for him to be interviewed." Attorney General Andrew Cuomo recused himself in March and turned the case over to Judith S. Kaye, who took the case for free and says, "I’m just plugging ahead." Meanwhile, Paterson's aide, David Johnson, is facing "financial hardship" because he's been suspended for more than three months and unable to collect unemployment. Your heart just bleeds for him, doesn't it? more ›

In May there was some speculation about SoHo's Apple Store discriminating against Chinese people, with claims coming out that racial profiling was at work. Now word is that New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is investigating the claims that those of Asian descent are refused iPads due to smuggling fears. more ›

When Attorney General Andrew Cuomo kicked off his long-expected campaign for governor, he also unveiled a logo, which shows a big "C" around the state of NY and them "UOMO." Gothamist reader jt10000 commented, "Strange campaign logo. The red in the C is not good, unless they intentionally want some people to read it as Uomo, which is possible." more ›

A Queens assemblywoman who, according to mortgage documents, doesn’t actually live in Queens says she won’t seek a eighth term. Ann-Margaret Carrozza wrote Friday that it was "a profound honor to have represented the people of the 26th Assembly District for the past 14 years," but that a reelection bid wasn’t in the cards, reports the News. On top of an ongoing residency investigation by the attorney general, it’s possible that she’s just lost interest. According Albany watchdogs, she’s often failed to show up at legislative sessions “for days on end.” more ›

After spending two weeks leading an investigation into Governor David Paterson and reportedly coming up short, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced today that he'll recuse himself. In a conference call with reporters, Cuomo said he's appointing Judith S. Kaye, the former Chief Judge of New York, to lead lead the inquiry into whether Paterson and his proxies illegally interfered with a domestic violence case involving a top aide. Kaye will also take over the investigation into whether Paterson solicited free World Series Yankees tickets last year, then perjured himself during an inquiry. Presumably, Kaye will also grab the shovel if/when any more dirt surfaces about the embattled governor. more ›

Lawmakers, especially Brooklyn councilman Charles Barron, are upset about a private meeting yesterday between Attorney General Cuomo and Lt. Gov. Ravitch. Allegedly, the two top officials were discussing the possibility of a resignation by Gov. Paterson, as well as the state budget which Ravitch is helping to write. According to NY1, “Barron said such a meeting comes too close to crossing the line in terms of conflicts of interest, as Cuomo is likely to run for governor, and that the attorney general should remove himself from the investigation of Paterson.” He and other community leaders will hold a press conference today, calling for Cuomo to disinvolve himself from the probe into Paterson’s accused wrongdoing. more ›

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and Lt. Gov. Richard Ravitch had a “secret” meeting to discuss how things will proceed if/when Gov. Paterson resigns. The meeting was Ravitch’s idea, reports the Daily News, and took place at midtown Manhattan’s swanky Water Club. "It was not a briefing on the state of the investigation," said an anonymous source, reporting that Cuomo didn’t go into accusations that Paterson intervened in a domestic violence case involving his top aide. What they did talk about was the “process” of continuing governance, in the event that Paterson steps down. more ›

Immediately after Governor Paterson exited the room where his press conference was held today, New York State Democratic Chairman Jay Jacobs seized the moment and held his own press conference, for the purposes of crowning Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. "Andrew Cuomo is going to be our nominee," Jacobs said, according to Politico. "I would suspect there will be rapid movement to Cuomo. I will be endorsing him. He's the natural choice." So natural, so organic, the way the Democrats finally separated Paterson from his gubernatorial ambition and hoisted Cuomo on their shoulders—with Paterson probably still within earshot! But Cuomo's still acting coy. Or is classy the right word? He issued this statement today: more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] Representative Steve Israel of Long Island, a longtime friend of Governor Paterson’s who was high in the running to fill Hillary Rodham Clinton’s Senate seat, personally called Paterson this morning to implore him to abandon his election campaign in light of today's news. Israel would not reveal Paterson's response, but he tells City Room, "I think it’s become apparent that he should not seek re-election and should announce it soon. Look, sometimes friends have to speak unpleasant truths, and as a friend, I told the governor there is life after Albany." Paterson has had trouble building support in the Democratic party for his campaign, and now it seems that his allies are taking the opportunity to jump ship. more ›

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand wants her likely Democratic rival to tell voters if he received a "taxpayer-backed" bonus from his Wall Street job. Gillibrand is pushing former Tennessee lawmaker, current Merrill Lynch employee, and possible Senate candidate Harold Ford Jr. to say whether or not he received cash during a controversial round of bonuses at the end of 2008 from companies that were bailed out with TARP funds. more ›

The state's budget might be the least of Governor Paterson's monetary woes. New filings reveal that Paterson has just $620,000 in available cash to spend on the upcoming Democratic primary, while his likely rival Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has a whopping $12 million on hand. With Cuomo sitting on nearly 20 times as much money as Paterson, insiders are already saying the Governor doesn't stand a chance. "A governor with $600,000 on hand less than a year before the general election is a dead duck," said Democratic political consultant Hank Sheinkopf. more ›

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo doesn't just lead Gov. David Paterson by a ratio of 4:1 at the polls — he's also ahead of Paterson by a ratio of 5:1 at the bank. Though he hasn't formally announced his candidacy, Cuomo has already pulled in more than $16 million, while Paterson has just over $3 million in his war chest. more ›

A week after Attorney General Andrew Cuomo subpoenaed State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr., the AG's office finally revealed details about the fruit of their long, nine month investigation into the scofflaw senator. "Portions of a potential legal case against Espada were outlined this morning in a bombshell filing Cuomo's office made in Manhattan Supreme Court that asked a judge to compel Espada to cooperate with a subpoena," writes Elizabeth Benjamin at the Daily News. Is it too soon to start hoping Christmas will come early this year, with Santa tossing Espada behind bars? Today's filing has us hearing sleigh bells, and Espada hearing a witch hunt. more ›

On Tuesday, when "Bronxchester" Senator Pedro Espada, Jr. got caught blocking a fire hydrant with an illegal police parking placard, we took the opportunity to wonder what the hell was happening with the long-simmering investigation into how Espada runs his non-profit. Well, we don't want to take all the credit, but on the very next day Attorney General Andrew Cuomo finally subpoenaed Espada—after launching the investigation nine months ago. Good probes take time? Naturally Espada says this is just a political attack. more ›

Deborah Yannicelli of Long Island and Maurice Keshner of Brooklyn, will walk away with $1.6 million and over $250,000 respectively after blowing the whistle on three city-based home health-care companies who were fraudulently collecting government money for uncertified home health aides. The reward money is part of the $24 million recovered from the companies after the two finked. Yannicelli's lawyer, Timothy McInnis said: "She's delighted. She's been waiting for a long time for this." more ›