Albany, NY, May 12, 2011 — Governor Cuomo has been leading a push to legalize gay marriage in New York State, traveling to upstate cities to make speeches, and sending supporters to a major rally at the Capitol. As the pressure on lawmakers escalates, anti-gay marriage groups are stepping up their efforts as well, saying they want marriage to remain between a man and a woman.  Go to full article

Albany, NY, May 12, 2011 — Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is pushing the state legislature to pass an ethics reform bill, renewed his threat to investigate lawmakers if they don't comply.  Go to full article

Albany, NY, May 11, 2011 — Governor Cuomo began his statewide tour to win backing for a property tax cap and other issues in Syracuse on Tuesday. Back at the State Capitol, tensions between pro tax cap and anti tax cap advocates erupted into heated arguments.  Go to full article

Ray Brook, NY, May 10, 2011 — As Albany tightens its belt, the state Department of Environmental Conservation has faced some of the deepest cuts, losing key staff and money for services like campgrounds and fish hatcheries.

State officials say partnerships with environmental groups and local governments are helping to ease the crunch. But as Chris Morris reports, critics say partnerships can't erase the need for more dollars.  Go to full article

Albany, NY, May 10, 2011 — New York Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy told a major gay marriage rally at the State Capitol that his boss, Governor Andrew Cuomo, is with them all the way on the issue.  Go to full article

Canton, NY, May 09, 2011 — This school budgeting season has been among the toughest in memory.

Schools are swallowing hard to absorb Gov. Andrew Cuomo's 1.2 billion dollar cut in state education aid. Defending his cuts, he commands, "manage the school system. Reduce the waste, reduce the fraud, reduce the abuse.... 'Well, we don't have any.' ...I don't believe it."

Cuomo wants other efficiencies as well. He's looking for mergers and consolidations, and he's pushing small schools especially hard. We've reported that many of the North Country's little rural schools are struggling with state aid cuts that are disproportionate - bigger dollar for dollar than cuts in much larger, wealthier districts downstate.

Districts like Beaver River could end up with a single foreign language in the curriculum, or no advanced placement programs, or no music and art. As Superintendent Lueen Smithling told us, "Rural schools should not be taken advantage of and essentially he's creating a caste system of lower, substandard schools, and is that right?"

Even before this year's deep cuts, educators in St. Lawrence County saw alarming trends for small schools. The St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES office had already commissioned the Rural Schools Association of New York State to study alternatives to save schools and improve education. A draft report is due at the end of May, with public meetings planned.

Dennis Sweeney is leading the research team. They visited each district, analyzed data, and asked follow-up questions. He told Martha Foley this spring's budget climate just highlighted how dire the rural school picture is.  Go to full article

Albany, NY, May 09, 2011 — Governor Andrew Cuomo is poised to begin a statewide tour to rally New Yorkers to back his agenda, including a property tax cap and gay marriage. Karen Dewitt has this report from Albany.  Go to full article

Albany, NY, May 06, 2011 — Governor Andrew Cuomo is preparing to embark on a statewide campaign to promote his 2% across the board property tax cap, but school boards from across New York say the cap will harm schools if there is not corresponding relief from some strict state and union rules. In Albany, more from Karen DeWitt.  Go to full article

Albany, NY, May 05, 2011 — Governor Andrew Cuomo says he's headed back to the campaign trail- this time to rally public support for his end of session agenda, including a property tax cap, ethics reform, and gay marriage. Karen DeWitt reports.  Go to full article

Albany, NY, May 04, 2011 — Advocates for same sex marriage in New York got a boost from over 700 members of the clergy, as Governor Cuomo says he's optimistic that a bill can become law this year. In Albany, Karen DeWitt has more:  Go to full article