Cuomo, union agree on tentative SUNY contract

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) The Cuomo administration and the union representing more than 35,000 employees of the State University of New York say they have a tentative contract agreement.

The United University Professions members have been without a contract since 2011 and have not yet voted on ratifying the new proposal.

It contains no wage increases for the three years 2011-2013, and 2 percent raises in 2014 and 2015. It also increases health insurance premiums.

The contract announced Tuesday covers employees on 29 university campuses, both academic and professional staff, and three public hospitals.

The American Arbitration Association plans to conduct a ratification vote by mail this spring.

Authorities: Eastern NY man dies in logging mishap

BALLSTON, N.Y. (AP) Authorities say a 56-year-old man has been killed in a logging accident in eastern New York.

They tell the Daily Gazette of Schenectady that Larry Sisler cut down a tree that got lodged against another tree and then fell on him when it was blown free by the wind.

The accident happened at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Sisler's home in the town of Ballston, 20 miles north of Albany.

The Saratoga County Sheriff's Department is investigating the accident.

Hearing on utilities, storms set for Adirondacks

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (AP) A special state commission that's been gathering information about how utility companies have dealt with a series of disruptive storms is set to hold a hearing in the Adirondacks.

The Moreland Commission on Utility Storm Preparation and Response says the session Wednesday in Lake Placid will begin at 6 p.m. at the Olympic Regional Development Authority office on Main Street.

Anyone who can't testify in person can email comments to the commission' at comments(at)moreland.ny.gov.

The commission has already staged seven hearings in New York City and Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester and Ulster counties.

In addition to information about storm damage, the commission is also reviewing the state's regulatory oversight of the utilities.

DEC official Janeway to head Adirondack Council

ELIZABETHTOWN, N.Y. (AP) Willie Janeway has been chosen as executive director of the Adirondack Council after serving since 2007 as the Department of Environmental Conservation's regional director for the Hudson Valley and Catskills.

The not-for-profit Adirondack Council is an environmental research, education and advocacy organization dedicated to protecting the Adirondack Park. It seeks to combat acid rain, climate change, pollution and invasive species and promote well-planned economic development in the 6-million-acre park's communities.

Diane Fish was appointed acting director of the council in October after Brian Houseal resigned. Fish will return to her job as deputy director when Janeway takes over in May.

Janeway has played a prominent role in several environmental organizations, including the Adirondack Mountain Club, the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission, the Nature Conservancy and Friends of New York's Environment.

(All stories copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)