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 ›

New York lovers of mostly-naked dudes mercilessly pummeling each other with their fists inside an octagonal cage to pulsating Danzig: we are almost to the mountaintop! The Republican-controlled state senate has approved the legalization and regulation of Mixed Martial Arts (or MMA, if you don't like them fancy $5 words) and the bill is now off to the Democrat-dominated Assembly, where in the past it has died at the hands of fun-hating politicians. While the Daily News reports that Governor Cuomo "has not taken a formal position on the sport," we're sure he'll come around once he feels the steely elbow of Rochester native Jon "Bones" Jones. BOOYAH! more ›

Just as Andrew Cuomo was getting ready to take the stage at today's State of the State speech, word came out of more confusion in the State Senate. We aren't in the midst of another coup, but four state senators have decided to leave the Democratic conference. The change won't be as dramatic as last time—the Republicans control ain't going anywhere—but it does give the troubled state party another headache to worry over. more ›

The final legislative step in ratifying the nation's first-ever bill of rights for nannies, maids, and other domestic workers is set to be taken by NY State Senate, provided it is still functioning. Legislation was already passed two weeks ago guaranteeing protections for the 200,000 NYC household workers, like paid overtime past 40 hours a week, five paid vacation and seven paid sick days, six paid national holidays, and two weeks notice of termination. more ›

Apparently, things got downright nasty during yesterday's heated Senate debate over whether to expel glass-slashing Senator Hiram Monserrate. Brooklyn's own Kevin Parker, one of the eight senators who voted against expelling a fellow lawmaker because he assaulted his girlfriend, almost started throwing punches to prove his point. The episode began with Parker "yelling and cursing" at Senator Diane Savino during last night's closed-door Democratic conference, a source tells Elizabeth Benjamin at the Daily News. When the salty talk didn't get his message across, he reportedly charged at her! more ›

State Senator Diane Savino, who represents Staten Island and Brooklyn, is getting praise for her speech in favor of gay marriage during the ultimately unsuccessful vote in the Senate yesterday. She pointed out, "We're giving away husbands on a TV show," referred to fellow State Senator Thomas Duane's relationship with his partner, "I will tell you, I'm over the age of 40--and that's all you're going to get from me--but I have never been able to maintain a relationship of the quality and length that they have. We have nothing to fear from love and commitment. My only hope, Tom, is that we pass this bill and the governor signs it and that we can learn from you, and that you don't learn from us," and ended with, "We have nothing to fear from love and commitment." more ›

If Governor Paterson wasn't happy with the media's depiction of his job performance before a radio interview Friday connecting it to an "orchestrated" attack from the press related to race, he certainly can't be thrilled that he ended up inviting a whole new round of onslaught from voices throughout the state questioning his competence. more ›

If Governor Paterson expected to look up after his comments Friday that we are not living in a "postracial period" and found a reaction of one person daring to applaud his nobility, building slowly toward a standing ovation, then he was sadly disappointed with the reality of the actual response. After the governor went on the radio and claimed that the media was orchestrating his perceived failure and that President Obama would be the next target, everyone seemed to respond with a "not quite, Dave," including reps for the president himself. more ›