New York Government News Archives

Gov. David A. Paterson speaking in his Manhattan office on Thursday about his directive on recognizing gay marriage.

The other day, Governor Paterson declared that New York would recognize gay marriages performed in Canada, Massachusetts, and California.

Starting Sunday, New Yorkers who make purchases over the Internet from Amazon.com and some other retailers will see an addition to their bills: a charge for state and local sales taxes.

"Sex" moved from the city to the cinema on Friday as hordes of determined women descended upon Manhattan for the premiere of "Sex and the City" in the city where the hit television show-turned-film takes place.

Civil rights advocates have won access to the New York Police Department's internal, electronic database to search for any racial bias among hundreds of thousands of pedestrian street-stop cases.

The information could 'give New Yorkers a better understanding of the extent to which the NYPD targets communities of color and particularly African-American males for aggressive stops, even though they're doing nothing wrong,' New York Civil Liberties Union executive director Donna Lieberman said Friday.

Hillary Rodham Clinton , who ran for the presidency with the aura of inevitability, faces the reality of being one of 100.

View as a single page 5:00AM Saturday May 31, 2008 By David Smith Emily Gould regrets having delved too deep into the world of blogging.

With their latest album, Dirty Pretty Things are finally emerging from the shadow of The Libertines .

Barring a stay of a historic California Supreme Court ruling, gay couples will be able to wed in the state beginning June 17, according to a state directive issued Wednesday, and those nuptials may soon be fully recognized in New York.

California said it chose June 17 because the court has until the day before to decide whether to grant a stay of its May 15 ruling legalizing gay marriage.

Gay-rights advocates and some clerks initially thought couples would be able to wed as early as Saturday, June 14. The court's decisions typically take effect 30 days after they are made.

Filed under: Digital Cameras Don't get too excited -- that image you see to the right isn't actually a transatlantic telescope .

Barring a stay of a historic California Supreme Court ruling, same-sex couples will be able to wed in the state beginning June 17, according to a state directive issued Wednesday.

New York state will recognize gay marriages legally performed in other states and countries, according to a memo from the counsel to Gov. David Paterson, the governor's spokeswoman said Wednesday.

State agencies, including those governing insurance and health care, must immediately recognize same-sex marriages legally performed elsewhere as valid in New York, according to the directive.

Same-sex marriage is not legal in New York, and the state's highest court, the Court of Appeals, has said it can only be legalized by the Legislature. But the memo, based on a Feb. 1 New York Appellate Division court ruling, would recognize the marriages of New Yorkers who are legally wed elsewhere.

Governor David Paterson announced today New York has come to an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security to allow the state to issue Enhanced Drivers Licenses.

The cat and mouse game between Kennedy Airport felines and the Port Authority has come to an end -- and the cats lost.

New York Gov. David Paterson says the federal government has formally approved the state's ``enhanced'' driver's license, which can be used to cross the United States border without a passport.

When Virginia commemorated the 400th anniversary of the Jamestown settlement, the state spent about $15 million and welcomed the queen of England and President Bush to the celebration.

Even as she continues her longshot presidential bid, Sen. Hillary Clinton faces a political rift in New York, where black leaders say that her standing has dropped because of racially charged comments by her ...

Hello, London! Jolly good show, New York! New Yorkers can see their English cousins across the pond without benefit of cable TV or video conferencing, courtesy of an unusual live optical hookup created by a ...

NEW YORK

Patricia Field, the costume designer for 'Sex and the City,' has been standing behind a glass counter full of rhinestone jewelry in her Bowery store talking about the power of sexuality, the potential for movies to move clothes and her unexpected windfall of success from dressing Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha. Her half of the nearly two-hour conversation has been fueled by an uninterrupted chain of Winstons, each one lit without regard to city laws prohibiting smoking in public spaces. Field is not a woman who has ever fretted about the rules.

The rate of hospital infections has increased in New York and it's a trend that could indicate many more infections are occurring than can be tracked, according to the lead author of a statewide hospital ...

On a cloudless spring day, the NYPD helicopter soars over the city, its sights set on the Statue of Liberty.

The New York Power Authority is firing the former trooper at the center of allegations a rogue state police unit did dirty tricks for powerful politicians.

Published Friday, May 23, 2008 at 5:48 p.m. Last updated Friday, May 23, 2008 at 5:49 p.m. Health officials are warning New Yorkers to stay away from an illegal aphrodisiac made from toad venom after the ...

A former state police forensic scientist was found dead at his home Friday, the second apparent suicide of a retired state police official in just more than a week, according to a state government official.

A large optical device that harkens back to the Victorian era lets New Yorkers see their English cousins across the pond.

The former trooper at the center of allegations that a rogue unit in the state police was acting on political interests of past governors is declaring his innocence and exploring a lawsuit against the state ...

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal asked the Bank of New York Mellon Wednesday to explain how it lost computer tapes containing the information of more than four million customers.

Former Gov. George Pataki delivered the eulogy today for the former head of his security detail who apparently committed suicide as his former colleagues in the state police remain under investigation.

NEW YORK : Conde Nast Publications said Monday it will acquire the technology news site Ars Technica for an undisclosed amount and combine it with the online operations of Wired magazine.

Invoking the massacre of 32 people at Virginia Tech University last year, Gov. David Paterson yesterday proposed to ban in New York the purchase of firearms by people who are mentally unstable.

Both Democratic candidates widened their lead over Senator John McCain, with Senator Hillary Clinton leading 51-39 percent and Senator Barack Obama leading 49-38 percent, according to a new Siena Research ...

Games and Entertainment Monday, May 19, 2008 09:39 Redmond - Nintendo today officially launched its Wii Balance Board and Wii Fit application, which transform the game console into a virtual wellness center.

When he created ground zero's master plan, architect Daniel Libeskind added a performing arts center to bring life to a site devastated by terrorism.

Man of the moment ... Mark Rylance attends the opening night party for Boeing-Boeing on Broadway.

ALBANY - A 20-foot-high inflatable King Kong stood on the lawn of the Capitol yesterday, symbolizing that New Yorkers should stop 'monkeying around'' and buckle up, to usher in this year's Click It or Ticket ...

“New York is always in bloom - you can score great deals in Chelsea's flower district”

New York City is expanding a welcome campaign for foreign travellers with more insider tips from celebrities and local experts. via Times-Transcript

“We cannot stand by while our fellow New Yorkers are subjected to threats and intimidation through display of historic symbols of hatred”

ALBANY - ' Gov. David Paterson signed legislation Thursday that will make it a felony to display a noose as a threat. via NY Daily News

A state official confirms that a former head of the governor's state police protection unit apparently committed suicide at his home. via WGRZ-TV Buffalo

For the first time, New York fruit and vegetable growers have something to cheer about in the federal farm bill. via WPTZ

“Every $6 we don't raise is a meal we don't deliver.”

Executive Director Marcia Stein says the rising cost of food and fuel have left the 26-year-old charity struggling to keep up. via WABC

“And we're here to remind drivers and passengers, to buckle up every time they get in a vehicle. That means buckle up whether you're travelling two miles to the local grocery store of 200 miles to visit your family”

Officials want you to buckle your seat belt as you travel through New York, no matter who you are. via News 10 Now

Governor Paterson is expected to announce a proposal Wednesday that would let New Yorkers know when their doctor is charged with misconduct. via Capital News 9

State Assembly Republican leader James Tedisco is calling today for passage of legislation aimed at ending the state's nursing shortage. via WPTZ-TV Plattsburgh

“For major crimes like murders, judges have the final say. When it comes to drug cases, he has to defer to the district attorney. What kind of justice is that?”

Juan Jordan calls them lost years. "They could have helped me to address my problem. via News 10 Now

SIPPING on a cosmopolitan in the Meatpacking district, tripping through the streets laden with boxes from Soho boutiques: New York is as much the star of Sex and the City as its actresses, offering the chance ... via The Straits Times

“It's the worst disaster in Burma and we need the assistance from the American government and we need the assistance from any country who has humanitarian support”

In the days since Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar, Eh Taw Dwe has heard only snippets about the villages he left behind when he fled the country. via The Morning Call

Taxes have been a huge burden on families during this economic slump, and today, New Yorkers will finally catch somewhat of a break. via News 10 Now

“We are unsure right now what he did. He works with Annie Leibovitz, the photographer. And we don't have any record of him actually working on any of the Dove campaign.”

A major advertising campaign, which flaunted the "real beauty" of its ordinary women stars, was perhaps not as naturalistic as first thought after an expert who worked on the pictures claimed he touched them ... via Telegraph.co.uk

“With most New Yorkers already suffering high gas and food prices and with 91% expecting more increases, it is not surprising that women especially are worried about the future”

New York State consumer confidence decreased 1.8 points in April, while the nation's confidence decreased by 6.9 points, according to the latest poll by the Siena Research Institute . via Empire State News

“If this growth is not clustered around green transit, we will not only overwhelm our climate, but also destroy much of our nation's biodiversity through suburban sprawl. Green mass transit is the key to a green future.”

Earth Day this year was a lot different from the first observance in 1970. Back then, we faced highly visible smog in the air, towns combatting toxic waste sites, and a Cuyahoga River on fire. via Stateline.org

The New York Senate has passed legislation to suspend state gasoline taxes for the summer, but the effort has little traction because of opposition from the Assembly and Gov. via WSTM-TV Syracuse

“We are awaiting the legal papers and will review them thoroughly.”

A civil liberties group sued Wednesday in a challenge to the NYPD's practice of stopping hundreds of thousands of people each year for questioning, saying it is racially biased.

The New York Civil Liberties Union lawsuit lists New York Post reporter Leonardo Blair as the sole plaintiff, saying he was stopped and frisked by police officers as he walked from his car to his Bronx home last November.

He was taken to a police station, where officers expressed surprise that though he was black, he was not from 'the projects,' the lawsuit said. Blair, 28, has a master's degree from Columbia University. Read more

Amazon.com is suing New York over a new law that requires out-of-state online companies to collect sales tax from shoppers in New York, The Associated Press reported Friday. via NYSSCPA.org

“If we can just capture some of those folks to either stay in New York or to come across the border this summer, that can be a huge win for New York's economy”

ALBANY - The famed "I Love New York" marketing campaign gets its new makeover starting today. via Poughkeepsie Journal

Boris Johnson will crown his first week as London's mayor by welcoming Michael Bloomberg, his New York counterpart, for talks that will help set the agenda for the capital's government over the next four years. via Telegraph.co.uk

“This is not a new law, this is just amending the law to bring some of the new technology - the Internet - into compliance.”

Amazon.com is suing New York over a new law that requires out-of-state online companies to collect sales tax from shoppers in New York. via WHAM-AM Rochester

“These practices have always been unfair but they are becoming particularly painful today.”

Paying with plastic may soon get a whole lot less stressful. On Friday, the federal government launched a credit card crackdown on unfair and deceptive practices that are costing Americans millions of dollars.

It's the biggest assault on the credit card industry in decades -- and it's about time say cash-strapped consumers, CBS station WCBS-TV in New York reports.

"I think the government should step in and I think that everybody who has a credit card should crack down on the companies too," consumer Seth Baumrin said. Read more

New York state legislators passed a law that will require Amazon.com to collect sales tax on items New Yorkers purchase on the site. via ValleyWag

“It's from the purest, most pristine waters, and the greenest pastures”

A New Zealand contestant has been axed from one of the United States' top-rating reality television shows, Top Chef. via Manawatu Evening Standard

NEW YORK : National Geographic won three National Magazine Awards on Thursday including general excellence, the industry's top honor, while Vanity Fair picked up two. via International Herald Tribune

“New Yorkers should know we're aware of that, and that the state has to do the same thing”

Fiscal analysts for Gov. David Paterson said Thursday a recession is beginning in New York and should continue into early 2009, followed by a slow recovery. via WSTM-TV Syracuse