Though for a second it looked like it might move to New Jersey, the popular grocery delivery service Fresh Direct is staying in town. Governor Cuomo, Mayor Bloomberg and Bronx Beep Ruben Diaz Jr. today announced that, thanks to some hefty financial incentives from the city, state and borough, FD is moving from Long Island City to the Bronx. And it's planning on adding 1,000 jobs or so in the next few years to boot. more ›

Smoking, it'll kill you (even you, casual smoker). But before that it will bring in beaucoup bucks for the government thanks to hefty taxes—or will it? Pols keep raising and adding taxes on smokes here for the dual purpose of making money and pricing people out of their favorite addiction. Its worked pretty swell for a while now, but it seems that those days are ending. State tax collectors were "recently calling around to convenience-store owners, wondering what was up. The $130 million in extra tax that Albany was expecting from a change in the law about cigarette sales on Indian reservations wasn’t happening." more ›

Governor Andrew Cuomo gave his State of the State today, vowing to make 2012 the year "we must transform our government to once again become the progressive capital of our nation." He proposed a $1 billion economic development package for Buffalo, which has the third-highest poverty rate in the country, abolishing the state's requirements for fingerprinting food stamp recipients, deemed himself the "student's lobbyist," and pitched a slew of environmental and energy improvements. But Cuomo was also mum about transportation, spoke glowingly of legalizing gambling, declined to read his brief remarks on hydraulic fracturing, and announced an ambitious plan to build the world's largest convention center at the Aquaduct Racetrack. more ›

Among New York State's many industries, beer brewing is actually one of our brighter spots, with more than 60,000 people employed by an industry that brought in $1.13 billion in federal and $1.14 billion in state and local taxes last year. But still, we shouldn't be really that surprised that Senator Chuck Schumer, always happy for a little publicity, wants the industry to be bigger. So he's kicked off his latest PR stunt: A so-called "I Love NY Brew" campaign. more ›

Andrew Cuomo has made it clear he wants to bring hydraulic fracturing, or hydro fracking (in which natural gas is extracted from the Marcellus Shale formation, often leaving nearby water flammable), to our state and today the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation went and released a revised draft report on the prospect. Which means we've all now got a 90-day public comment period (30 days more than usual) before this thing moves forward, so be prepared to hear a frack load more about fracking in the next three months! more ›

Governor Andrew Cuomo revealed his true identity as a radical bike lane terrorist determined to establish a cyclist caliphate in Albany yesterday, issuing a press release announcing that he will sign legislation requiring state and local transportation agencies to consider “complete streets" that safely accommodate all pedestrians, motorists and cyclists." The fatwa, which will no doubt enrage infidels like CBS 2 reporter Marcia Kramer and NY Post columnist Steve Cuozzo, is ostensibly intended to "make streets and roadways across the state safe and accessible to all New Yorkers." But what's this really about? more ›

As gay New Yorkers prepare for the arrival of marriage equality in the state—the city's clerk offices will be open on the big gay day, July 24th—a New York State clerk has resigned her post rather than place her name on a gay marriage license. more ›

economic winners, great states and cities must demonstrate a commitment to creating an open, healthy and equitable environment in which to live and work." more ›

New York has 23 official state symbols: we have a butterfly (Red-spotted Purple/White Admiral), a bush (Lilac Bush), and freshwater and saltwater fishes (Brook Trout and Striped Bass, appropriately). We have a fossil (sea scorpion), beverage (milk) and muffin (Apple Muffin). But you know what we don't have? We don't have an official man's best friend to represent us...but that might not be for too much longer. more ›

Two weeks ago, The Empire Center offered a glimpse into MTA employees' payroll data, like the one train conductor who was paid $239,148. Now the non-profit think tank has added a pension search system to its government transparency website SeeThroughNY, allowing us peasants to see just how much state and local government retirees are raking in. more ›

With New York State operating without a budget for the past two months, have you ever wondered how the government is still, ha, "functioning"? Well, every week Governor Paterson sends a one-week extender budget over to the legislature, which passes it in a up or down vote (they can't modify it). This is pretty much business as usual, but things are about to get dicey, because Paterson is now threatening to include the budget cuts he proposed in January in the temporary spending bill he'll submit to lawmakers tomorrow. "I'm taking over," Paterson told reporters. "I'm not going to sit here and watch this debate go on and on." more ›

After submitting what many legislators considered to be a sub-par application, New York state was named one of the finalists in a $4.35 billion federal education funding contest. In a surprising decision, federal authorities chose New York as one of 16 finalists in the competition, even though the state officials failed to increase the number of charter schools and couldn't agree on a policy for evaluating teachers by their students' test scores, the Post reports. New York will make a presentation to federal officials for the cash on March 15. If New York isn't given awarded funding then, the state can reapply in a second round in June, according to 1010WINS. more ›

Since he said he was considering challenging Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, former Tennessee Congressman Harold Ford Jr. has received the coldest welcome of any politician in New York since Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spoke at Columbia. Influential Democrats including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Sen. Chuck Schumer, and Gov. David Paterson have discouraged the 39-year-old from running, while pro-choice and gay rights groups have been on the attack against the former Congressman's record. So Ford took to the pages of the Post to tell potential voters how he really feels: more ›

In what is being described as a "high-profile event" tomorrow, Governor Paterson will sign an executive order extending legal protections to transgender employees of New York State. (The order applies only to state employees under the executive branch—not to the private sector.) Sources tell City Room that the executive order will include transgender people in antidiscrimination policies that already govern state agencies, and will offer the broadest protections ever extended to transgender public employees in New York. Dru Levasseur, Lambda Legal transgender rights attorney, says, "This will bring New York up to par with other states that are taking the lead on workplace fairness." more ›

The deficit-reduction plan passed by the State Legislature yesterday cut $140 million from the authority's operating budget, which is more than the $110 million that was originally anticipated. Bus and subway fares are already expected to rise 7.5 percent in 2011 and 2013, but after a hearing today on the MTA’s capital plan, Jay Walder, the authority's chief, told reporters that he would not raise fares... at least not next year. more ›

Sex offenders love networking on Facebook and MySpace just like everybody else, but a 2008 law called the Electronic Security and Targeting of Online Predators Act (e-STOP) put tight restrictions on their Internet use—especially if their prior offense involved a minor. In the first major crackdown since the law went into effect, 3,533 registered New York state sex offenders have been purged from Facebook and MySpace, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced yesterday. more ›

When the smoke clears from Albany's latest inept attempt to get a grip on the budget crisis, one casualty will likely be the state's anti-smoking campaign. Governor Paterson, a committed proponent of the anti-smoking program, has nevertheless proposed a $10 million cut in order to help address a $3.2 billion deficit. The cutback would reduce funding for programs that provide free nicotine patches and help Medicaid patients quit smoking, among other things. Naturally, the cigarette industry and its allies are passing around the cigars. more ›

The city’s unemployment rate is at 10.3 percent, its highest level in 16 years, and the unemployment rate statewide reached 9 percent in October, the highest rate since April 1983, the State Labor Department reported yesterday. Making matters worse, the usual holiday hiring bump doesn't seem to be happening; instead, the retail sector shed 1,100 jobs in October. Leisure and hospitality, which usually picks up toward the end of the year, lost jobs last holiday season and is doing slightly worse so far this year. At this point, we'd ask for a stiff drink, but who's left to pour it? Yet there is a silver lining empty lining where some copper wire used to be! more ›

Something crazy happened in Albany this week: The Assembly passed a bill, then the Senate passed their version of the bill, and then Governor David Paterson signed it into law—all in two days! Yesterday New York instituted the nation's toughest drunk driving law, making it a felony to drive intoxicated with a passenger 15 years old or under. The bill, "Leandra's Law," was named for the 11-year-old New York girl killed in a DWI crash on the West Side Highway last month. At the signing yesterday, Leandra's father Lenny Rosado vowed to take his crusade to Washington and pass the law on the federal level:

From here on, those that think it’s OK to drink and drive - with children in the car or not - will pay the price...This is not going to be where I stop. I'm going to go out there to as many people as I can and educate them about this terrible disease we have out there...and hopefully we can take it all the way up straight to the White House.

Bowing to pressure from families of drunk driving victims, state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has thrown his support behind a bill that would make it a felony to drive with a blood alcohol content of .08 while a passenger 15 years old or under is in the car. The legislation is named for 11-year-old Leandra Rosado, who recently died in a crash on the Henry Hudson Parkway while riding with her friend's allegedly drunk mother. more ›

The State Senate failed to vote on a measure legalizing same-sex marriage yesterday, but after a two hour closed door meeting with Democratic Conference Leader John Sampson, Senate President Malcolm Smith, and bill sponsor Thomas Duane, Governor Paterson finally emerged to tell reporters that an up-or-down vote on same-sex marriage will be held "at a date not certain between now and the end of the year." Earlier, when pressed about the bill's chances in the Senate, Paterson said, "I can't explain the dynamic of the Senate, because nobody can." more ›

The Post really had us going here for a second, because this headline could be misunderestimated to mean that George H. W. Bush, our 41st president, was being indicted for mortgage fraud. For an all-too-brief moment, we thought, well, it's not Dubya, but it's a start! Unfortunately, the 41st president remains untouchable, and the 41 in question here is a crowd of attorneys, loan brokers, accountants charged with mortgage fraud involving tens of millions of dollars across New York state. Screw them, too, but don't tease us Post. more ›

The New York State Health Department is now requiring mandatory seasonal and swine flu vaccinations for all hospital, home health and hospice workers. No other state or city agency in America has such a requirement, and a coalition of local health care workers unions are considering filing a lawsuit to block it. Less than half of all health care workers across America get an annual flu shot, and Dr. Julie Gerberding, the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, thinks the New York requirement is "a big deal." She tells the Times it's time for "a more aggressive approach," not just for the protection of workers, but also for patients with weak immune systems. more ›

The new jobless numbers from the State Labor Department are not too good, not too good at all. New York City's unemployment rate increased to 9.5 percent in June (the highest level since July 1997), while the rate outside of NYC climbed to 8.2 percent, the highest since June 1983. Last month the number of unemployed state residents jumped to 854,200, the greatest number ever on record. Low-five? And the state's overall unemployment rate soared to 8.7 percent in June, its highest level since October 1992, the same month that Sinéad O'Connor ripped up a photo of Pope John Paul II on Saturday Night Live. It wouldn't really be fair to blame all our problems on Sinéad this time, so let's just ramp up the class warfare and note that today also marked the announcement that JP Morgan's profits were up 36%, with second quarter earnings ballooning to $2.7 billion. Surely some of that largesse will be trickling down any day now! more ›

A survey of all 62 state Senators shows that a pending same-sex marriage bill faces tough odds of passing if brought to the floor for a vote. Majority Leader Malcolm Smith says he won't do that unless he's certain it has the 32 votes needed for passage, and the survey, conducted by NY1, would seem to contradict the bill's primary sponsor, Thomas Duane, who has optimistically predicted "there are enough votes for it to pass and a cushion." Reverend Jason McGuire of New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms tells NY1, "We're very confident in the fact that this bill is quickly going to crash and burn." more ›

A coalition of bottled water companies—including Nestle Waters, which owns Poland Spring, and Keeper Springs, a smaller company owned by environmental advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—filed a lawsuit yesterday to challenge a new state law that would require bottled water companies to charge a 5 cent deposit fee. The complaint argues that the law violates the Constitution’s equal protection clause because it exempts drinks with sugar added, such as competitors like Glacéau, makers of Vitamin Water. Lawyers also say the deposit would violate the Constitution’s interstate commerce protections the law because it could be interpreted as prohibiting companies from selling the New York-labeled bottles in other states. more ›

The State Assembly is expected to vote today to repeal the mandatory sentencing laws known as the Rockefeller Drug Laws; passed in 1973, the laws require judges to sentence even minor drug offenders to extremely long prison terms. According to the Times, the Assembly’s proposal would restore judges’ discretion in sentencing lower-level drug possession crimes, enabling them to send some offenders to treatment programs instead of prison. The measure would also permit about 2,000 prisoners to apply to have their sentences reconsidered. A growing coalition has long called for the laws' repeal, but only now, with the Senate in Democratic hands for the first time since 1965, is repeal within reach. Senate Democrats are expected to debate the issue tonight, and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver tells the Times, "I think the stars are aligned." In a statement, the NYCLU praised the bill as an "essential first step," but criticized it for still permitting (though not requiring) "unreasonably harsh maximum sentences for low-level, non-violent drug offenses." more ›

New York State will be receiving some $750 million from Washington in earmarks for various projects throughout the state, and Senator Chuck Schumer, as usual, is getting most of the credit. According to the watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense, the $410 billion federal budget contains approximately $7.7 billion in disclosed earmarks for various politicians' pet projects; 230 of those earmarks have New York pols' names attached. Locally, these include $381,000 for music education programs at Jazz at Lincoln Center, $277 million for the Second Avenue subway, and $210 million to connect the Long Island Rail Road to Grand Central. Watchdog groups argue that many of these special projects—such as $950,000 for a pedestrian bridge in Poughkeepsie (a bridge in nowhere?)—win funding based on each politicians' power, not because of the projects' merits. But Schumer spokesman Brian Fallon tells the Daily News, "If left to them, Washington bureaucrats wouldn't give New York its fair share." more ›

The economic stimulus package will benefit New York more than any other state in several crucial ways, and Washington insiders say Senator Chuck Schumer deserves a lot of the credit. Much of the allocation is still being determined, but as it stands now, New York will receive more money for Medicaid relief ($12.6 billion), mass transit ($1.3 billion) and home weatherization ($403 million) than any other state. Schumer is widely credited with big Democratic wins in the Senate in the 2006 elections, and one unnamed Democratic "insider" tells the Daily News, "Pretty much everyone from Harry Reid on down owes their job to Chuck. So whatever Chuck wants, Chuck gets." And it's not just Chuck; even less senior players like Rep. Anthony Weiner have been bringing home the bacon, securing $390 million to help New York's aging housing projects. But Weiner explains that part of the recent legislative success simply has to do with the end of the Dubya era: "Trying to explain public housing elevators to the Bush administration was the equivalent of talking French to a fish." more ›