Politics and Government

A rare apology from one of New York’s most powerful Democratic leaders regarding a payout to alleged victims of sexual harassment is raising even more questions at the state Capitol. Meanwhile, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver says he welcomes an impending ethics probe.  

Rep. Bill Owens (D-Plattsburgh) is making Medicare a big issue in his race with Republican Matt Doheny.

Senior citizens vote at higher rates than the rest of the population.  So they’ll be key to the eventual winner of the North Country’s 21st Congressional district.  And issues important to seniors, like health care law and Medicare, will take front stage until November.

Owens’ campaign has been ratcheting up the debate with Doheny on Medicare.

Congressman Bill Owens has released the first television advertisement of his re-election campaign --  a day after his Republican opponent Matt Doheny did.

Two of the region's most hotly contested political races have taken to the airwaves with their first television commercials.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) is again trying to push incentives for woman-owned small businesses through Congress.

The senator was at Cathedral Corporation in Rome Friday afternoon to push the SUCCESS Act.

Almost every November, voters are asked to make choices about judges, but they have almost no relevant information about how those judges will approach their jobs. Beyond knowing the candidates' party, citizens end up casting votes largely in the dark. And Family Court is perhaps the murkiest of all judicial positions.

Governor Andrew Cuomo is one of many New York politicians who have chosen to scale back their participation in the national Democratic convention in North Carolina. While the others are Democrats seeking re-election in Congress, Cuomo is eschewing what could have been a prime time speaking slot.  

Running in her first race for public office, Ursula Rozum is the Green Party candidate for Congress in New York's 24th district.  She's going up against the incumbent Republican Ann Marie Buerkle and Democratic challenger Dan Maffei.

The cherished autumn tradition of apple picking is off to an early start in the Northeast as growers deal with aftershocks from bizarre spring weather that took a toll on fruit crops.

The New York Works Task Force is touring the state explaining how it's trying to better spend taxpayer dollars on infrastructure programs, and looking for suggestions on how to do it. The Task Force Stopped in Syracuse this week during a spate of infrastructure woes.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s choice of Paul Ryan as his running mate will impact New York’s competitive House races. But whether the effect will be good or bad depends on who you talk to.

The Republican candidate for US Senate, Wendy Long, is describing herself as pro-hydrofracking, for entitlement reform and focused on beating her opponent. Long spoke with reporters in Albany Monday and talked about everything from Paul Ryan to tort reform.

The head of the New York state Republican Party predicts that the choice of Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) as Mitt Romney’s vice presidential candidate will be helpful in some portions of New York state.

In the next couple of years, Governor Andrew Cuomo may have the chance to shape the state’s highest court, the Court of Appeals, as several judges reach the end of their terms or the mandatory retirement age. It’s an opportunity no New York governor has had in a generation.

There is a deadline looming in Washington, D.C. that many politicians are worried could have an effect on the economy -- including some local politicians who are worried it might hurt upstate New York in particular.  

County-run nursing homes across New York state face growing crises as county governments, strapped for cash, consider ending their historical role as providers of inpatient care to the elderly.

Central New York Congresswoman Ann Marie Buerkle sponsored a bill in the House of Representatives that she hopes will close a tax loophole that benefits federal employees. The bill would make sure that retirement plans of federal workers are not taxed differently than those of private sector employees.  

Central New York Representative Richard Hanna knows he comes down on the moderate side of his Republican colleagues in Congress.

Speaking this week during a visit to Central Square, which sits in the newly drawn 22nd congressional district he is running for re-election in, the first-term congressman talked about influences from his more conservative colleagues.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is making a renewed push for legislation that would create a $200 million fund to help business incubators and startup companies, but the bill could fall victim to politics.

Guessing who Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney might pick to be his running mate is one of the most popular parlor games among political wonks at the moment.

While many politicians won't venture to guess who the GOP vice presidential nominee will be, one central New York office holder was willing to make a prediction.