According to CityRoom, "St. Vincent’s Hospital Manhattan announced Tuesday that it had laid off 180 of its 3,800 employees, blaming the recession and two years of health care cuts and taxes imposed by the state." Apparently most of the layoffs "ranged from administrative workers to support workers in food service, housekeeping and clerical job" and it's unclear how many nurses were laid off. The Greater New York Hospital Association trade group said, "We have said time and again that hospitals have no room left to absorb additional cuts, and we’re deeply concerned that what happened at Saint Vincent’s today is just the tip of the iceberg." The hospital is embarking on a massive $800+ million project to replace its hospital. more ›

Perhaps nostalgic for the license plates of yore as well as being desperate for revenue, NY State rolled out a new license plate redesign that will be required for pretty much all vehicles, new and old, starting next year. The "Empire Gold" license plate, in gold with dark blue lettering, will replace the current white plate with the Niagara falls and city skyline elements and the cost will be another $25 for registration renewals and new registrations. Plus, if you want to your current letter and number license combination, that'll be another $20! more ›

While addressing the special session of the State Legislature, Governor David Paterson made it clear that the state's budget problems were real—and that the lawmakers had to deal with it. Paterson, who has proposed $3 billion in cuts to, mostly, education and Medicaid, said, "I will mortgage my political career on this plan. We stand on the brink of a financial challenge of unprecedented magnitude in the history of this state. This is a historic moment. We’re going to have to make historic decisions." He also added, "Unless immediate action is taken, we are going to have challenges to our state financials and cash flow in 4½ weeks. Frankly, we're running out of money. Right now we stand on the brink of a financial challenge of unprecedented magnitude in the history of the state. That's not opinion, that's not exaggeration -- that's fact." more ›