Albany, NY, Apr 14, 2011 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo and one of New York State's biggest unions have agreed to labor concessions in the first major union contract of the year. The deal includes a pay freeze for three years and other concessions.

Cuomo praised the Agency Law Enforcement Services unit of Council 82 for sharing in the sacrifice of a state fiscal crisis. A union leader says the deal is in the best interest of members and taxpayers. Karen DeWitt has more on the deal the governor calls "a model."  Go to full article

Ogdensburg, NY, Apr 05, 2011 — Governor Andrew Cuomo is preparing a final list of state correctional facilities that will close this year as part of his austerity spending plan.

That means prison towns here in the North Country are waiting on pins and needles, hoping their facilities aren't on the list.

Once the governor announces his decision, prisons could close within thirty days.

Brian Mann visited Ogdensburg. He found that people there are worried, but hopeful.  Go to full article

Albany, NY, Apr 04, 2011 — Last week, Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York lawmakers reached a budget agreement that closes a $10 billion deficit without raising taxes. Hundreds of millions of dollars will be cut from education, health care, senior programs, education and funding for state prisons.

Groups around the North Country are still scrambling to understand what the consequences will be in their communities. Tomorrow, Brian Mann reports from Ogdensburg on the impact corrections cutbacks could have on the prisons in this region. This morning, he talked with Martha Foley about the larger picture for the North Country.  Go to full article

Ogdensburg, NY, Feb 02, 2011 — As part of his plan to balance New York's budget over the long term, Governor Cuomo wants to close as many as ten prisons statewide.

He offered to compensate each community that loses a correctional facility with $10 million in redevelopment funds.

As Brian Mann reports, it's still unclear which prisons will close or how the North Country's prison industry could be affected.  Go to full article

Lyon Mountain, NY, Jan 31, 2011 — Tomorrow, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo will unveil a plan to cut New York's budget deficit, which now stands at more than $11 billion. Cuomo's spending plan could hit nearly every part of the North Country's economy, from schools to hospitals. He's also considering massive layoffs, with as many as 10,000 jobs on the line statewide.

One state agency that could face the deepest cuts is the Department of Correctional Services. According to the New York Times, between six and ten prisons could be slated for closure. This morning, Brian Mann looks back at the changing debate over prisons and their role as an economic engine here in the North Country.  Go to full article

Jan 07, 2011 — Yesterday we heard that Governor Andrew Cuomo is talking again about downsizing the state's prison industry.

The North Country has eighteen state correctional facilities, which provide thousands of high-paying jobs.

Local leaders say finding new uses for mothballed prisons will be difficult.
The state has struggled for nearly two years to sell the Camp Gabriels prison,
which closed in 2009.

As Brian Mann reports, prisons inside the Adirondack Park are tangled up in legal questions involving the state constitution and the APA's zoning rules.  Go to full article

Lyon Mountain, NY, Dec 27, 2010 — As we make our way through this final week of the year, Brian Mann will be checking in with his top-five picks for the most important stories of 2010.

In a year when state budget deficits drove the debate in Albany, Brian's looks back first at the renewed debate over the future of the region's prison industry.  Go to full article

Queensbury, NY, Jun 30, 2010 — State Senator Betty Little says the budget chaos in Albany has been brutal for the North Country - with more spending for more programs shifting to communities downstate.

But she gave Governor David Paterson high marks for promising to veto additional deficit spending proposed by Democrats in the legislature.

Senator Little spoke yesterday with Brian Mann.  Go to full article

Ogdensburg, NY, Jun 21, 2010 — New York's state Senate is expected to vote on Gov. David Paterson's latest budget bill today. It includes controversial revenue-raiser: an increase in the sales tax on cigarettes and other tobacco products that would make New York's tax rate the highest in the country, and action to collect taxes on Native cigarette sales (see related story). State Budget Director Robert Megna expects the bill to pass, despite the failure of earlier proposals to tax Native cigarette sales.
That would be a relief to two North Country communities -- it would save the Ogdensburg Correctional facility, and the Moriah Shock Camp, saving hundreds of jobs in the North Country. Martha Foley has more.  Go to full article

Jun 18, 2010 — Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver says there's progress on the state budget. Silver said his house plans to pass the public safety, transportation and economic development portions of the budget today.
Silver says he's not fazed by the governor's new ultimatum, to pass a budget by June 28th or be forced to vote on approve Paterson's spending plan in emergency spending bill. And he says he thinks some kind of accord on a full budget can be reached soon, perhaps by Monday or Tuesday.

The North Country's bipartisan legislative team is especially worried about the emergency bill expected from Paterson today. "Public safety" includes prisons, including North Country prison the governor has said he wants to close. Martha Foley has more.  Go to full article