Kirsten Gillibrand, Like Chuck Schumer With Connections

PolitickerNY.com - Kirsten Gillibrand kind of knows everyone in politics. Just ask her. “What makes me so successful is that I’ve developed so many relationships,” she said in a phone interview on Jan. 27, hours after being sworn in as a U.S. senator, as she walked to the Senate floor to cast her first vote. Read More...

Getting to know our new senator

Post Star - The voters felt that connection, which is why Gillibrand was able to get 63 percent of the vote during the last election -- in a heavily Republican district, against a homegrown Adirondack Republican with a boatload of personal cash to spend on the race. Read More...

Senate Choice: Folksy Centrist Born to Politics

NY Times - As he officially appointed her at noon on Friday after a tortured two-month selection process, Gov. David A. Paterson said of Ms. Gillibrand, “I believe I have found the best person.” Read More...

Clinton Confirmed as Secretary of State

Associated Press - The Senate yesterday confirmed Hillary Clinton, runner-up in the Democratic presidential sweepstakes and a former first lady, as the nation's top diplomat. Read More...

NY Dems back Sen. Smith for majority leader post

The Business Review - After weeks of wrangling, Democrats in the state Senate have announced that they’ve united behind downstate Sen. Malcolm Smith as the Senate’s new majority leader. Read More...

Democrats Widen Senate Edge to Solid Majority

NYTimes - Democrats expanded their slim control of the Senate to a solid majority on Tuesday when they picked up at least five seats, ousting Republican incumbents in New Hampshire and North Carolina and capturing seats in Virginia, Colorado and New Mexico left vacant by Republican retirements. Read More...

Democrats Are Poised to Control Albany

NYTimes - Propelled by a surge of new voters, Democrats won a majority in the New York State Senate on Tuesday, putting the party in control of both houses of the Legislature and the governor's office for the first time since the New Deal. Read More...

Staten Island's McMahon vows to 'roll up sleeves' after congressional win

Staten Island Advance - Newly-elected Congressman Michael McMahon took the podium at the Staaten in West Brighton amid an overwhelming ovation and bagpipe music. Read More...

Foley unseats Trunzo in state Senate race

Newsday - In a blow to Republican hopes of holding control of the state Senate, Democrat Brian X. Foley defeated longtime Republican incumbent Caesar Trunzo in Suffolk County's Third Senatorial District. Read More...

Maffei a winner in the 25th Congressional District

Syracuse Post Standard - A landslide victory in New York by Sen. Barack Obama and a record $2 million in campaign contributions helped propel Democrat Dan Maffei to an easy victory Tuesday in his second run for the 25th Congressional District seat. Read More...

College Dems in NY promote GOTV

The College Democrats of New York are promoting a quick and simple idea to help Get Out the Vote this week: take two minutes to send out a text message, and show your support online through changing your social networking pictures and status. Read More...

Paterson To Run In 2010

NY1 - Saying he will run for a full term in 2010, Governor David Paterson launched a new website for the campaign today. The site touts Paterson's achievements as governor, including his leadership amid the state's financial downturn.Read More...

Paterson Moves to Help Democrats in State Senate

NYTimes - While playing down his role in this year’s election in public, Gov. David A. Paterson has been quietly leading an effort to raise more than $2 million to help fellow Democrats win control of the State Senate, according to people familiar with his plans. Read More...

GOP Playing Defense in Senate Races

Times Union - The fight for the Senate majority kicked into high gear Wednesday, as poll results were released on six battleground districts across the state – the first public glimpse of where the two parties stand in the chamber's biggest showdown in over 40 years. Read More...

Albany Watch - New York state Democrats are getting into the Kuhl-Massa debate over debates.

Democrat and Chronicle - Democratic congressional candidate Dan Maffei raised more campaign money in the second quarter of this year than any other Rochester-area incumbent or challenger, newly released campaign reports show. Read More...

Kyzan Wins Upset in Buffalo-Area Primary

Times Union - Environmental lawyer Alice Kryzan says the negativity that her two primary opponents used toward each other may have sent voters in her direction. Kryzan has won a shocking primary upset in a heated Democratic primary in the Buffalo-area district held by retiring GOP Rep. Tom Reynolds. Read More...

Staten Island Battle Is Joined

NYTimes.com - It didn’t take long for the political positioning to begin for the general election in the Congressional district that is anchored in Staten Island. Within minutes after it became clear who the nominees would be, the Democratic and Republican candidates – or their surrogates – began swinging Tuesday night. Read More...

McMahon, Straniere, Set for November Duel in Staten Island Race

SILive.com - If you went to bed before the results were in last night, you're waking up to find that the field of major-party contenders for the Staten Island/Brooklyn Congressional seat was narrowed from four to two around 10 p.m. Read More...

NY Dems: When Is Kuhl Going To Debate

Albany Watch - New York state Democrats are getting into the Kuhl-Massa debate over debates. Read More...

Republicans could lose control of State Senate

Newsday - Nearly 70 years of Republican domination of the State Senate could end after the fall elections - and with it would go Long Island's main power base in the Capitol since 1974. Read More...

More aid sought to ease cost of heating

Associated Press - Democrats in the State Senate have introduced a proposal to extend home heating aid to middle-class families and increase the benefit for low-income households. Read More...

Gov. David Paterson signs foreclosure Bill

Associated Press - Gov. David Paterson has signed legislation giving New Yorkers an extra 90 days to save their homes from foreclosure." Read More...

Paterson gets lift in wake of speech

Times Union - A newly released Quinnipiac University poll conducted in the days following Gov. David Paterson's statewide address about the state's finances suggests that, in the words of Polling Institute Director Maurice Carroll, "tough talk pays off politically." Read More...

Maffei leads in fundraising

Democrat and Chronicle - Democratic congressional candidate Dan Maffei raised more campaign money in the second quarter of this year than any other Rochester-area incumbent or challenger, newly released campaign reports show. Read More...

Bruno Says He Will leave State Senate by Week's End

New York Times - Joseph L. Bruno, the longtime majority leader of the State Senate who unexpectedly relinquished his leadership post late last month and announced that he would not seek re-election, said Tuesday that he plans to leave the Senate altogether by the end of this week. Read More...

Paterson Raised $3.2 Million in Two Months for Re-election

New York Times - Gov. David A. Paterson's campaign committee said on Sunday that it had raised $3.2 million in the last two months, surprising political observers in Albany and attesting to the governor's determination to get re-elected in 2010. Read More...

Back and Forth: June O'Neill

The Capitol - Looking forward to the fall elections, State Democratic Chair June O'Neill took some time to reflect on strategies for November, pushing her 62-county effort and her work as chair to increase enrollment, funding, visibility and candidate recruitment. "The only way to eat an elephant," she said, "is one bite at a time." Read More...

Maffei launches election campaign on TV

Syracuse Post-Standard - Central New Yorkers can count on seeing plenty of campaign commercials on TV - both early and often - in the race for the open 25th Congressional District seat. Democrat Dan Maffei, flush from his best fundraising quarter yet, began a TV campaign Tuesday that his aides said will continue right up until the November election. Read More...

Bruno's exit opens door to opportunity

Albany Times Union - State Sen. Joseph L. Bruno's 32 years of political power and clout had limited the potential field of challengers... The 79-year-old Republican senator dropped out of the race and from his post as Senate majority leader last week, creating a vacuum that candidates are rushing to fill. A quiet political summer now has the potential for Republican and Democratic primaries if hopefuls can get the 1,000 signatures needed for a spot on the primary ballot in September. Read More...

McCain Orders Shake-Up of His Campaign

New York Times - Senator John McCain's presidential campaign has gone through its second shake-up in a year. Responding to Republican concerns that his candidacy was faltering, Mr. McCain put a veteran of President Bush's 2004 campaign in charge of day-to-day operations, and stepped away from a plan to have the campaign run by 11 regional managers, Mr. McCain's aides said Wednesday. The elevation of Steve Schmidt - who worked closely with Karl Rove - at Mr. McCain's headquarters represented a sharp diminishment of the responsibilities of Rick Davis, who has been Mr. McCain's campaign manager since the last shake-up nearly a year ago. Read More...

Obama: Service to be a cornerstone of presidency

New York Times - Barack Obama urged people Wednesday to look past the ''bustle and busyness'' of their everyday lives this Fourth of July weekend to find a way to help make the American dream real not just for themselves, but for all. The call for service is part of a flag-draped week focused on God, country, veterans and freedom. They are larger-than-life themes, all prominent in the successful campaigns of President Bush and aimed at introducing Obama to Americans who know little about the presumed Democratic nominee -- or who may be skeptical based on what they've heard. Read More...

Joe Bruno says exit for GOP's sake

The Daily News - Former Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno on Tuesday said he gave up his post in part so that a federal probe into him wouldn't be used against Republican candidates. As Republicans try to hold on to a slim majority, Bruno said he didn't want the investigation to be an issue in this fall's elections. Read More...

Republicans Scramble to Choose a Candidate

New York Times - These are tense days for Republican officials on Staten Island. For the last few days, party leaders and elected officials have been calling each other in a frenzied effort to find a candidate to succeed Francis H. Powers, who died on June 22, on the ballot for Congress. Still, there is no consensus. Read More...

Skelos optimistic about November Elections

Newsday - While admitting Republicans face a tough battle this fall to retain control of the State Senate, their new leader Dean Skelos said yesterday that internal polls showed all 30 incumbents "doing well" and no wave of retirements in the offing... The state Democratic Party Committee, citing the hot-button issue of high property taxes, which Skelos also mentioned, predicted defeat for the GOP. "Long Island residents are fed up with skyrocketing property taxes and the failure of Senate Republicans to do anything about it," said Democratic spokesman Jonathan Rosen. Read More...

Weighing New Candidates for Fossella's House Seat

New York Times - Following the death of their candidate for Congress, Republican leaders on Staten Island and in Brooklyn are turning their attention in earnest - once again - to finding potential candidates to run for the seat. And they say they will probably reach a decision by the weekend. Party leaders on Staten Island said they were looking seriously at a number of potential candidates. The most prominent is Matthew Mirones, a former assemblyman who operates a prosthetics company. They had also considered Lisa Giovinazzo, a lawyer and part-time anchor at the cable channel NY1 News. But on Wednesday, Ms. Giovinazzo said she would not be a candidate. Read More...

The Big Pander to Big Oil

New York Times - It was almost inevitable that a combination of $4-a-gallon gas, public anxiety and politicians eager to win votes or repair legacies would produce political pandering on an epic scale. So it has, the latest instance being President Bush's decision to ask Congress to end the federal ban on offshore oil and gas drilling along much of America's continental shelf. Read More...

Joseph Addabbo Jr. Win may end Republican reign in Albany

New York Daily News - New York State's political landscape could dramatically change this fall - and Queens Councilman Joseph Addabbo could be the man who does it. Democrat Addabbo's anticipated challenge to Queens Republican Sen. Serphin Maltese is seen by his party's leaders as the linchpin race in the quest to seize complete control of Albany for the first time since the 1960s. Read More...

Party wants Dems to control Senate

Syracuse Post-Standard - A top priority for the Working Families Party in endorsing candidates for state office is to shift control of the state Senate from Republican to Democratic. Read More...

Foley hits Trunzo on foreclosures

Newsday - One small speech for Brian X. Foley turned into one big jab at Ceasar Trunzo. Foley, the supervisor of Brookhaven Town, joined members of New York ACORN in Central Islip Tuesday to stump for foreclosure moratorium legislation. Foley used the news conference to make a jab at Trunzo, a veteran Republican state senator against whom he plans to run this fall. Read More...

NY Dems, SEIU, WFP Unite To Protest McCain

The Daily Politics - The protest of McCain's $28,500-a-head event at the 21 Club is being organized by SEIU (a very big Barack Obama supporter) with an assist from the labor-backed Working Families Party. The improv group "Billionaires for Bush" will also be on hand... The protest has the blessing of the state Democratic Party, whose chairwoman, June O'Neill, released the following statement: "Once again, John McCain has come to New York to fill his campaign coffers with money from the same questionable Wall Street characters who helped elect George Bush president, raid our economy, and push this country to the brink of recession." Read More...

GOP Candidate for Congress Faces Challenge from his Son

NY Times - Competition and rivalry are common in politics, just as they are within families. But it is highly uncommon for a family rivalry to boil over into politics, and that is just what has occurred in the race for the Congressional seat that is being vacated by Representative Vito J. Fossella of Staten Island. The Republican candidate is Francis H. Powers, 68, a retired Wall Street executive and longtime fund-raiser for Republican candidates on Staten Island. One of two candidates seeking the Libertarian nomination for the seat is Mr. Powers's son Francis M. Powers. It is a rare political situation, to be sure. The elder Mr. Powers, the Republican, is saying little about the possibility of running against his son. The younger Mr. Powers, the Libertarian, is far more outspoken. Read More...

Bruno challenge kicks off

Albany Times Union - Promising change and reform, attorney Brian Premo launched his campaign Tuesday to unseat State Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno from the 43rd district Senate seat he's held for 32 years. "I believe in honesty, integrity, truthfulness and doing the right thing to get the job done," he said in his kickoff at Rensselaer County Democratic headquarters. Read More...

Paterson Embraces Property Tax Cap

Daily News' Daily Politics Blog - Gov. David Paterson has not only accepted the Suozzi Commission's proposed property tax cap, but is adopting it as his own, announcing today that he plans to introduce it in legislation that would apply to all school districts outside the so-called "big five" cities (NYC, Buffalo, Yonkers, Rochester and Syracuse).Read More...

Paterson Eyes Tax Cap...

New York Sun - Governor Paterson, setting the stage for his first clash with state lawmakers, is expected today to call on the Legislature to impose vastly tighter controls on local property taxes. State officials said Mr. Paterson would declare his support for a property tax cap modeled after a 28-year-old Massachusetts statute, which has been credited with dramatically reducing local taxes in the Bay State. The governor may advance legislation to establish a cap. Read More...

A Rochester-area Challenge

New York Times - One candidate exits, and another enters. The Democrats have enlisted a former Bausch & Lomb executive, David R. Nachbar, to challenge Senator James S. Alesi, a Republican who represents much of the Rochester area. "I've spent my entire career listening to people and understanding what their hopes, their skills, their ambition and their dreams are, and finding the best way to put people to work," said Mr. Nachbar, who was an executive vice president of human resources at Bausch & Lomb. Read More...

Greece businessman runs for Assembly

Democrat and Chronicle - Saying his top priority would be pushing for local job growth and economic development, a Greece businessman announced Sunday he will challenge a three-time incumbent in the state Assembly's 134th District. Democrat Dave Garretson is seeking the seat held by Republican Bill Reilich in the district that encompasses the towns of Greece, Ogden and Sweden. Read More...

Assembly Contest is taking shape

Albany Times Union - Democrat Mark Blanchfield on Sunday officially announced his candidacy for Republican George Amedore's 105th district Assembly seat in November. Blanchfield talked about the city's improving financial position and ongoing local revitalization efforts that occurred during his tenure on the City Council. His interest in the congressional seat first became apparent when he asked for the Schenectady City Democratic Executive Committee's endorsement in March. Read More...

Protecting the Rights of Married Couples, by Governor Paterson

Daily Kos - For decades, New York has had laws on the books designed to protect the rights of couples who were legally married in states and jurisdictions other than New York. I believe, and our courts strenuously agree, that those laws are meant to protect all legal marriages, including unions involving same-sex couples. That is why I have ordered all New York State agencies to review their policies and ensure that none of the more than 1100 rights and privileges extended to married couples by the State are denied to same-sex couples granted marriage licenses in other states and jurisdictions. Read More...

A Step Closer to Justice

The New York Times - New Yorkers should be proud of Gov. David Paterson's efforts to assure basic civil rights for same-sex couples married outside the state. Now, the State Legislature should prove its own commitment to equality and justice by granting gay couples the right to marry in New York State. Read More...

A Victory for Gay Rights

Albany Times Union - New York is suddenly a more enlightened place than it was that dreary day just two years ago, when its highest court ruled same-sex couples had no right under state law to marry. Governor Paterson's order that New York recognize gay marriages that take place in other states and countries is a clear and bold step toward providing same-sex couples that right in this state. Read More...

Couples Call Dave's Move a Victory for Equal Rights

New York Post - Married lesbians Cathy and Sheila Marino-Thomas said yesterday that Gov. Paterson's directive forcing state agencies to recognize same-sex unions is a "big win" for them. Honoring marriages from other states lets couples like Cathy and Sheila - who live in Manhattan but were legally married in Massachusetts five years ago - to file joint tax returns and provides other benefits under state laws that heterosexuals receive. Read More...

Staten Island Democrats Choose a Councilman as Their Candidate for Fossella's Seat

The New York Times - The Staten Island Democratic Party voted on Wednesday night to endorse City Councilman Michael E. McMahon as its choice for the Congressional seat being vacated by Representative Vito J. Fossella, a Republican. Mr. McMahon, who has represented the North Shore of Staten Island for the last seven years, said he had already received the support of the Brooklyn Democratic Party leader, Assemblyman Vito J. Lopez, as well as other Democratic elected officials who had considered running for the seat. The district includes all of Staten Island and portions of Brooklyn. Read More...

New York to Back Same-Sex Unions From Elsewhere

New York Times - Gov. David A. Paterson has directed all state agencies to begin to revise their policies and regulations to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions, like Massachusetts, California and Canada. In a directive issued on May 14, the governor's legal counsel, David Nocenti, instructed the agencies that gay couples married elsewhere "should be afforded the same recognition as any other legally performed union." Read More...

Paterson Moving to Recognize Same-sex Marriages

New York Daily News - In what is being hailed as a major victory for gay couples, the state will soon begin recognizing same-sex marriages performed legally in other jurisdictions. Gov. Paterson quietly gave the order in a May 14 memo through his counsel, David Nocenti, that directed state agencies to provide all the same rights to gay couples who are married legally elsewhere as they do to straight married couples.Read More...

GOP Struggles to Replace a Favorite Son

The New York Times - Finding a candidate to replace Representative Vito J. Fossella, who will step down at the end of the year, is proving much harder than Republican Party leaders ever imagined. Since Mr. Fossella admitted having a child out of wedlock more than two weeks ago, Republican after Republican, including some of the district's best known elected officials, has opted not to run for his seat. Now Republican leaders are seriously questioning whether they can find a candidate capable of winning a seat that the party has held for 28 years. Read More...

Foley looks to oppose Trunzo for Senate seat

Newsday - Brookhaven Supervisor Brian Foley yesterday announced he will seek to run against GOP State Senate veteran Caesar Trunzo - but first he will have to fight off two other Democratic contenders. Foley, 50, is hoping to challenge the 36-year Republican veteran in a bid to take control of the State Senate. Read More...

Rensselaer Democrats endorse Premo

Albany Times Union - The Rensselaer County Democratic Committee endorsed attorney Brian Premo to run against Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno, R-Brunswick. Read More...

Democrat claims success in Senate

Albany Times Union - The Republican-controlled New York Senate has approved five major bills with Democratic prime sponsors and 16 more could reach the floor, which Senate Democratic leader Malcolm Smith says reflects unprecedented reform in the chamber. Read More...

As the state shook, David Paterson called former deputy mayor dad

NY Daily News - Just two years ago, Paterson reluctantly agreed to become Spitzer's running mate. He resigned his post as Senate minority leader just as the Democrats were poised to possibly wrest control of that chamber after decades of Republican rule.He left a powerful post for a thankless and largely ceremonial job - a post that no one cares about, until a governor dies or resigns. Read More...

The Winds of Albany

New York Times - I spent some time talking to David and Basil Paterson this week, asking them especially about the remarkable changes they've witnessed over the course of their lives. Both grew up in Harlem (Basil was a well-known stickball champion), and both triumphed over difficult circumstances that they refused to allow to become debilitating.Read More...

State's Democratic chair knows 48th Senate district well

Post-Standard - Had you been driving through downtown Canton during Tuesday's special election for the 48th state Senate district, you might have spotted a woman waving a Darrel Aubertine sign. That was June O'Neill, chairwoman of the state Democratic Party Committee. O'Neill wasn't just working to elect a Democrat; she was working to elect her own state senator - and capitalizing on a shift in Upstate party registration. Read More...

Election stumble shows state Republican Party out of step

Albany Times Union - he simple truth is the state Republican Party deserves to be tossed out on its ear. It has brought this crisis on itself. Just look at the face of the Republican Party in today's Legislature against the profile of who and what is New York.Read More...

AUBERTINE SWORN IN AS SENATOR

WWNY - Democrat Darrel Aubertine was sworn in as the 48th state senate district's senator at 12:30 Wednesday afternoon. It's the first time in more than a century that a Democrat will represent the district.. Read More...

IN BLOW TO GOP, AUBERTINE WINS BY 52 TO 47 PERCENT

Albany Times Union - In a blow to Senate Majority Leader Bruno and the state Republican Party, Democratic Assemblyman Darrel Aubertine wins the race for the 48th Senate District. With all districts reporting, but not counting absentee ballots, Aubertine, of Cape Vincent, beats Republican Assemblyman Will Barclay of Pulaski, 27,901 to 25,345 votes, or 52 to 47 percent. Read More...

UPSET SENDS DEMOCRAT TO ALBANY

In a major victory for Gov. Eliot Spitzer and his party, a Democratic assemblyman won a stunning upset in a State Senate election on Tuesday in a district that has been in Republican hands for a century. The win reduces the Republicans' majority to one seat and will intensify pressure on the majority leader, Joseph L. Bruno, as he tries to maintain his party's grip on the Senate, which it has controlled for more than 40 years. "I think it has to send shivers up their spines," said the state Democratic chairwoman, June O'Neill, about the Republicans, as whoops and hollers erupted around her at a victory party for Mr. Aubertine at an Italian-American civic club in Watertown. She added: "The Democratic Party can meet and beat the Republican machine anywhere. If we can do it here, we can do it anywhere." Read More...

POLL SHOWS AUBERTINE WITH SLIGHT LEAD

Registered republicans may be double the number of democrats in the 48th Senate district, but a poll by Zogby International and the Watertown Daily Times shows democrat Darrel Aubertine leading Will Barclay by two and a half percentage points.... Read More...

AUBERTINE HAS SLENDER LEAD

There were 112 respondents, or 22.1 percent, who are still unsure of their candidate. Among those who have made up their mind, Mr. Aubertine captured 51.8 percent of the vote, with Mr. Barclay receiving 48.2 percent. Read More...

MYSTERIES OF NEW YORK DEMOCRATIC DELEGATES, EXPLAINED

When New York Democrats cast their ballots a week from Tuesday, it will be only one part of the complicated - and often baffling - delegate-selection system that their party uses to decide their presidential nominee. Here is a guide to how the system works...Read More

STATE DEM CHAIR SPEAKS OUT ON SENATE CAMPAIGN SUSPENSION

Another Democratic official is voicing an opinion on the growing controversy over what constitutes a suspension of campaign activities by the candidates for the 48th State Senate seat. With the death last Thursday of Democratic candidate Darrel Aubertine's father, the Republican candidate, Will Barclay, suspended campaign appearances and press out of respect for the Aubertine family.Read More

AUBERTINE ENDORSED BY BRICKLAYERS AND ALLIED CRAFTWORKERS

Darrel Aubertine received the strong endorsement of the Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local Union No. 2 today in his bid for the 48th State Senate seat. The 1600 member union is the latest to give their endorsement to Aubertine based on his strong legislative record on behalf of working people and their families.Read More

WOMEN SUPPORT SENATE HOPEFUL

Women flooded Shuler's Restaurant to near capacity Thursday afternoon, eager to hear the day's special: a Senate stump speech by Darrel J. Aubertine. The "Women for Aubertine" rallies in Watertown and Oswego were the apparent brainchild of the assemblyman's wife, Margaret S., who said she believed her husband's main concerns overlapped those of the fairer sex. Read More

June O'Neill Writes a Letter...

I guess it shouldn't surprise anyone that Will Barclay's campaign came out of the gate banging on the upstate/downstate NYC is scary thing. The Upstate GOP has been dining out on that one for decades. And, let's face it, what else have they really got? They certainly can't run on what an awesome job they've done for those they were elected to serve, now can they? Lost in the shuffle seemingly is that Darrel Aubertine has a local on her side, St Lawrence County native June O'Neill...Read More

Schumer's endorsement of Aubertine defended

U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer's endorsement of State Senate candidate Darrel Aubertine is generating heat between Rebublican and Democratic party leaders. On Monday Schumer and Aubertine appeared together in Oswego County. That's where Aubertine needs to make inroads in his attempt to win a special election for the 48th Senate seat. That prompted retired State Senator Jim Wright to issue a statement criticizing the event... Read More

48th Senate District candidates square off in ads

The race for the 48th state Senate District has moved into cyberspace and onto television. While Gov. Eliot Spitzer has yet to announce a date for a special election to replace state Sen. Jim Wright, who resigned as of Monday, the Republican and Democratic candidates to succeed him have launched Web pages and TV ads. Assemblyman Darrel Aubertine, D-Cape Vincent, and Assemblyman William Barclay, R-Pulaski appear in TV commercials airing in the district, which includes Oswego and Jefferson counties and parts of St. Lawrence County. Read More

AUBERTINE THROWS HAT IN RING FOR N.Y. SENATE SEAT

Syracuse Post-Standard - Assemblyman Darrel Aubertine (D-Cape Vincent) officially announces his candidacy for the state senate seat being vacated by Jim Wright with stops in three counties--Oswego, Jefferson and St. Lawrence. Wright, a Republican from Watertown who has been senator since 1992, plans to submit his resignation Monday.Read More

SILVER UNVEILS SUBPRIME MORTGAGE AID PLAN

Schenectady Gazette - New York State Assembly Democrats propose a $180 million program to help people who have fallen behind on their subprime mortgage payments get out of financial difficulty. "Time is of the essence on this issue," Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver tells a news conference. "New Yorkers are losing their homes."Read More

SPITZER IN JOBS-AND-POWER DEAL WITH ALCOA

AP - Gov. Eliot Spitzer says Alcoa and the state of New York have reached a 30-year power agreement that will result in the company investing $600 million in its Massena smelter operations. Spitzer announces the pact between the New York Power Authority and Alcoa during a visit to the northern New York plant. Read More

SCHUMER AGAIN VISITS ALL 62 N.Y. COUNTIES

AP - It comes down to the wire, but Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) again manages to visit all 62 counties in New York state this year. Since his 1998 election to the Senate, he has visited every county each year he has been in office. Back then, the former New York City congressman pledged to complete the annual statewide tour to counter doubts that he would pay much attention to upstate New York. Read More

SPITZER PLANS UPSTATE 'STATE OF STATE' ADDRESS

Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin - Gov. Eliot Spitzer plans to break precedent and give two State of the State addresses in January -- one upstate and one in Albany. Spitzer will give his traditional State of the State address on Jan. 9 in Albany to the state Legislature, but will travel to Buffalo on Jan. 14 to give what he's calling an Upstate State of the State, an event that appears to be a first for a New York governor. Read More

MITT CAN'T RECALL PLANNED PARENTHOOD PARTY

AP - Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney dismisses a picture on the Internet that apparently shows him attending a fundraising reception for Planned Parenthood in 1994 during his Senate campaign. "I attend a lot of events when I run for office. I don't recall the specific event," Romney says. Read More

SOME IN WHITE HOUSE WANTED TORTURE TAPE DESTROYED

New York Times - At least four top White House lawyers took part in discussions with the Central Intelligence Agency between 2003 and 2005 about whether to destroy videotapes showing the secret interrogations of two operatives from Al Qaeda, according to current and former administration and intelligence officials. Read More

HIGHER EDUCATION REPORT 'BOLD,' 'EXPENSIVE'

Albany Times Union - New York's public colleges could get more flexibility to set different tuition prices by campus and program if the recommendations of a state panel on higher education become law. It's a concept that one hesitant legislator -- Assembly Majority Leader Ron Canestrari (D-Cohoes) -- suggests could create class distinctions within the State University of New York, with higher-priced schools becoming "the Ivy League part of our system." Read More

DINAPOLI UNCOVERS MEDICAID OVERCHARGES

WNYC Radio - Some psychiatrists and other medical providers overcharged New York by more than $1.3 million for treatments, according to a new audit by New York Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. In one case, DiNapoli found a psychiatrist repeatedly billed Medicaid for more than 24 hours of treatment in a single day and also appears to have charged the government healthcare program for treatment he never provided. Read More

N.Y. DEMS STEER MONEY TO UPSTATE N.Y.

Utica Observer-Dispatch - Several Upstate New York projects could receive federal funding through a bill Congress is expected to clear Tuesday. The House approved the fiscal year 2008 Omnibus Appropriations Bill Monday and the Senate is expected to adopt it Tuesday. Read More

UH-OH: BUSH INSISTS ECONOMY 'PRETTY GOOD'

AP - President Bush tries to reassure an edgy public that the economy is ''pretty good'' despite the dreary mix of a failing housing market, a national credit crunch, a plummeting dollar and surging energy costs. Read More

RUDY SINKS IN NEW STATE POLL

Journal News - New York Republicans are losing some of their enthusiasm for former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani even as they rank him well ahead of other GOP candidates, according to a new poll. On one of the dominant issues of the Republican primary - illegal immigration - New York voters show more sympathy with the undocumented than in other states, says the poll by Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. Read More

'NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND' COSTLY FOR N.Y. SCHOOLS

Plattsburgh Press-Republican - The ripple effect of No Child Left Behind's unfunded mandates is spreading through the nation's pool of public schools. To meet the federal law's requirements, schools are making cuts, shifting resources and asking taxpayers for more money. Read More

WOMEN KEEPING THEIR DISTANCE FROM RUDY

New York Daily News - Rudy Giuliani's messy personal life is a big turnoff to women, who favor Hillary Clinton over him by a healthy margin in a new Daily News national poll of female voters. Pitting the two New Yorkers against each other in a hypothetical general election, the poll finds that Clinton wallops Giuliani among women, 45% to 30%. Read More

GOP LAWMAKER PAYS PRICE FOR VOTE ON WATERBOARDING

Syracuse Post-Standard - It doesn't take long after a vote Thursday for opponents of U.S. Rep. James Walsh (R-Onondaga) to accuse him of approving of torture. The House of Representatives Thursday narrowly passed an intelligence bill that bans the CIA from using harsh interrogation tactics such as waterboarding and mock executions. Read More

HUCKABEE TO WOMEN: 'JUST SAY YES'

AP- Mike Huckabee's record on women's rights is coming under increased scrutiny, including his endorsement of the Southern Baptist Convention's stance that women should ''submit graciously'' to their husbands and his opposition to sending women into combat. Read More

DID RUDY'S FIRM PUSH FEDERAL LIMITS?

New York Times - Rudy Giuliani's consulting firm was hired in 2002 to help a Florida company build its business under a contract that called for Giuliani's firm to be paid in part for lining up work with the federal government and other clients. Read More

GOP SHIELDS BIG OIL, BLOCKS CLEAN ENERGY TAX BREAKS

AP - The Senate passes a trimmed-back energy bill aimed at bringing more fuel-efficient vehicles into showrooms in the coming decade and fill their tanks with ethanol. But Democrats are forced to abandon efforts to impose billions of dollars in new taxes on the biggest oil companies, unable by one vote to overcome a Republican filibuster. Read More

GOP FUNDRAISER PUTS COUNTY WORKERS ON THE SPOT

Buffalo News - Even before he takes over as Erie County executive, Republican Chris Collins will use the power of the office to restock his campaign war chest. He will hold a fundraiser Wednesday, charging $1,000 for a VIP ticket and putting a number of employees at the Rath County Office Building in a pickle. Those who serve at the pleasure of the county executive are wondering: If they don't show up at the new boss' "Holiday Reception," can they kiss their jobs goodbye? Read More

SPITZER TOUTS BROADBAND INTERNET FOR ALL

Buffalo Business First - Gov. Eliot Spitzer uses a stop in Niagara Falls to promote an effort to ensure every New York resident is capable of receiving high-speed Internet service. The first-year governor, in announcing the New York State Council for Universal Broadband, says $5 million in funding has been set aside to promote the plan. Read More

HISPANICS TIRED OF BUSH, RETURN TO DEM FOLD

AP - Hispanics are returning to the Democratic Party after several years of drifting toward the Republicans, with many saying Bush administration policies have been harmful to their community. Read More

REP. GILLIBRAND 41 YEARS OLD, 14 WEEKS PREGNANT

Albany Times Union - U.S. Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) has a baby on the way. The congresswoman, who turns 41 on Sunday, is 14 weeks pregnant. She will be the sixth woman to give birth while serving in Congress. Read More

SCHUMER SEEKS HELP TO RESTOCK FOOD PANTRIES

Oneonta Daily Star - As area food pantries run low, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer announces he is introducing a bill to transfer unused food from cafeterias in government buildings to nonprofit agencies for distribution through food banks. Read More

BRUNO WON'T SAY WHAT HE DOES FOR INVESTMENT FIRM

New York Times - State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno decline to describe what he does for a Connecticut-based money management firm that has employed him for more than a decade. The company, Wright Investors' Service, is managing tens of millions of dollars for New York labor unions that have significant interests before the State Legislature, including measures that Bruno has backed. Read More

OFFICIALS ASK NRC TO SHUT DOWN INDIAN POINT

New York Daily News - Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is urging the federal government to discontinue the nuclear plant operating licenses for Entergy, the company that runs the Indian Point facility, when they expire in 2013 and 2015. Read More

TAXPAYERS PAID FOR GIULIANI MISTRESS TRIPS HOME

New York Daily News - In the fall of 2001, city cops chauffeured Rudy Giuliani's then-mistress, Judith Nathan, to her parents' Pennsylvania home 130 miles away on the taxpayers' dime. Read More

WHY IS BRUNO ON INVESTMENT FIRM PAYROLL?

New York Daily News - An investment firm that employs state Senate Republican Majority Leader Joe Bruno also manages major funds for unions in the state, documents show. Read More

SCHUMER TOUTS BINGHAMTON-NYC RAIL LINK

Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin - U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) urges Amtrak and the state Department of Transportation to study providing passenger rail service from Binghamton south along the Intestate 81 corridor. Read More

DID STATE TAXPAYERS HELP RUDY WOO JUDITH?

New York Newsday - Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani's presidential campaign scrambles to explain why his administration shifted tens of thousands of dollars in his personal security costs to obscure city agencies -- right at the time in 1999 when he was beginning an extramarital affair with Judith Nathan on eastern Long Island.

EXXONMOBIL SKIPS QUEENS OIL SPILL HEARING

New York Sun - New York City Councilman Eric Gioia criticizes ExxonMobil after the company declines to send a representative to a council hearing on the Newton Creek oil spill cleanup in his Queens district.

GOP FACES TOUGH 2008 ELECTORAL LANDSCAPE

Washington Post - Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott's resignation announcement is the latest in a wave of retirements to hit congressional Republicans, making an already difficult 2008 electoral landscape even more complicated for the minority party.

U.S. MILITARY DUNNING WOUNDED SOLDIERS -SCHUMER

AP - Service members seriously wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan after they received a $10,000 bonus for enlisting are being dunned by the Pentagon to repay portions of the incentive money. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) says the policy remains in effect despite a report that wounded veterans are being unfairly penalized by a requirement that enlistees lose a pro-rated portion of their bonus if they fail to fulfill their entire term of service.

NO MTA FARE HIKE FOR TWO YEARS - SPITZER

New York Daily News - Reacting to public pressure, Gov. Eliot Spitzer announces there will be no increase on the $2 bus and subway fare for at least two years. "We will save the $2 fare," Spitzer says.

TOM KEAN, BYPASSING GIULIANI, PICKS MCCAIN

New York Daily News - Few politicians know as much about New York City's response to 9/11 as Tom Kean, so the former New Jersey governor and 9/11 Commission chair has endorsed as president ... Arizona Sen. John McCain.

SCHUMER SEEKS FUNDS TO DEEPEN PORT OF OSWEGO

AP -U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) says the federal government needs to dredge an upstate port on the Great Lakes. He says the increasing shallowness of the Port of Oswego on Lake Ontario is threatening to scuttle shipping activity in the central New York community.

HIDDEN COST OF IRAQ WAR: $1.5 TRILLION

Washington Post - The economic costs to the United States of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan so far total approximately $1.5 trillion, according to a new study by congressional Democrats that estimates the conflicts' "hidden costs"-- including higher oil prices, the expense of treating wounded veterans and interest payments on the money borrowed to pay for the wars.

STATES SUE FEDS OVER EPA EMISSION STANDARDS

AP - California and 14 other states, including New York, demand urgent action on global warming from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, arguing in a lawsuit that the environmental and health risks are mounting every day that the Bush administration delays action.

DEMS AGAIN SEEK IRAQ WAR FUNDING LIMITS

New York Times - Congressional Democrats renew their challenge to President Bush's Iraq war policy, offering $50 billion in interim spending for combat operations coupled to a goal of pulling out most troops within a year.

FOUR MORE FIRMS TO GET LOW-COST HYRDOPWER

Buffalo Business First - The New York Power Authoirity approves allocations of low-cost hydropower from the Niagara Power Project to four western New York businesses.

New York Sun - Envisioning a dramatically greater role for universities and colleges in the remedial education of secondary students, the Spitzer administration is planning to pump billions of additional dollars into the State University of New York and the rest of New York's higher education system, sources say. Read More

ANGER BUT NO VICTIMS IN LATEST CHENEY HUNT

New York Daily News - Nobody gets shot, but Vice President Dick Cheney still fires up controversy when he goes hunting at a private club that hangs the Confederate flag. Read More

NEW YORK JOINS NEW GLOBAL EFFORT TO COMBAT WARMING

AP - California, New Jersey and New York join with European countries, Canadian provinces and New Zealand in a new international effort to restrict greenhouse gas emissions. Read More

BRONX JEERS FOR GIULIANI, NOW ROOTING FOR THE RED SOX

NYTimes - The Providence Journal in Rhode Island when asked, this June, if he would agree to be president if it hinged on his becoming a Red Sox fan. "I have great respect for people who really are fans of the team they say they are fans of," Mr. Giuliani said. "But probably that's a deal I could not make." Read More

DEMS SEE RACISM IN GOP ATTACK ON LICENSE PLAN

NY Daily News - Ruben Diaz, the Democratic state senator and Pentecostal minister from the Bronx, calls it the "worst display of racism" he's seen since his days as a young soldier in South Carolina in 1960. Read More

CHILD HEALTH CARE BILL REMAINS IN LIMBO

AP - The Senate is the next stop for legislation to expand children's health coverage, revised by Democrats but rejected by President Bush as little changed from their earlier offering. Read More

SPITZER OUTLINES PLAN TO CURB GREENHOUSE GASES

AP - Gov. Eliot Spitzer says New York's program to cut greenhouse gas emissions as part of a multi-state effort will use a cap-and-trade program that has helped reduce acid rain in the Adirondacks and Catskills. Read More

HOUSE DEMS PUSH NEW CHILD HEALTH PLAN

Bloomberg News - House Democrats are seeking a vote on a revised version of the legislation expanding a children's health program that President Bush vetoed.Read More

GIULIANI SURROUNDS HIMSELF WITH HAWKS

New York Times - In developing his foreign policy views, Republican presidential contender Rudy Giuliani is consulting with, among others, a particularly hawkish group of advisers and neoconservative thinkers. Read More

GIULIANI TO KIDS: 'LET THEM EAT CAKE'

AP - Republican presidential candidate Rudy Guiliani says he too would have vetoed the children's health insurance bill rejected by President Bush. Read More

SPITZER UNVEILS PLAN TO BOOST PLATTSBURGH ECONOMY

AP - Gov. Spitzer's ''city by city'' plan for boosting the upstate economy includes upgrading the former air base in Plattsburgh and improving cell phone and broadband service in the North Country.Read More

REP.GILLIBRAND AMASSES $2.1 MILLION WAR CHEST

Albany Times Union - U.S. Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-Greenport) appears on track to meet her fundraising goal for the 2008 election campaign, her latest federal disclosure report shows. Read More

U.S. FRESHMAN HALL RAISES OVER $1 MILLION FOR RE-ELECTION

RPoughkeepsie Journal - Freshman U.S. Rep. John Hall (D-Dover) has raised more than $1 million for his House re-election campaign next year, but Republican hopeful Andrew Saul is hot on his heels after having raised $780,000, according to the latest disclosure reports. Read More

SCHUMER WANTS TOUGHER OVERSIGHT OF MEAT PLANTS

New York Post - U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) wants to beef up the federal government's power to close down meat processing plants that repeatedly fail safety inspections. Read More

SUPPORTERS OF BUSH CHILD HEALTH VETO TARGETED

AP - Several labor unions and advocacy groups are targeting about three dozen Republican lawmakers in a $1 million lobbying campaign aimed at turning enough votes to override President Bush's veto and expand a children's health insurance program. Those lawmakers can expect television ads, picket lines and an avalanche of telephone calls. To override Bush's veto of a $35 billion expansion in the State Children's Health Insurance Program, about 15 Republicans and eight Democratic lawmakers in the House would have to change their previous votes on the issue.

NEW YORK GROUPS TALKING UP IMPEACHMENT

The Journal News - Philipstown for Democracy, a grass roots group that promotes what it calls "progressive politics is expected to be among some 25 organizations planning to gather Oct. 14 at the Ethical Culture Society in White Plains to talk about moving forward a campaign to impeach President Bush. A Rockland group brought a discussion of impeachment to the Nyack Village Board in April. "Impeachment scares people. Some think (of it) as this evil, radical thing," says Margaret Yonco-Haines, a directing force within the Philipstown group that began in 2003. "It is an important part of the Constitution that helps to make sure we don't slip back into monarchy. It is used only in extreme circumstances - and the discussion we are having is to raise the issue. We are talking about Congress and that it needs to start the process of investigating allegations of the Bush administration."

STATES FIGHTING BUSH CHILD HEALTH PLAN LIMITS

AP - New York has joined Illinois, Maryland and Washington in a lawsuit against the federal Department of Health and Human Services to challenge new rules governing the State Children's Health Insurance Program, Gov. Eliot Spitzer says. The states are seeking an injunction against new federal restrictions on eligibility and against a de facto limit on covering children from middle-income families who lack health insurance. Arizona, California, Connecticut, New Hampshire and New Mexico are submitting friend of the court briefs in support of the action, and New Jersey has filed a similar lawsuit. The new Bush administration rules forbid states from providing health care unless the child has been without coverage for a year. The program covers 6.6 million children from modest-income families that aren't poor enough to qualify for Medicaid.

BUSH VETOES CHILD HEALTH INSURANCE EXPANSION

AP - President Bush, in a confrontation with Congress, vetoes a bipartisan bill that would have dramatically expanded children's health insurance. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid calls Bush's action heartless. "Never has it been clearer how detached President Bush is from the priorities of the American people," he says. "By vetoing a bipartisan bill to renew the successful Children's Health Insurance Program, President Bush is denying health care to millions of low-income kids in America." Gov. Eliot Spitzer and the leaders of seven other states this week announced plans to file a lawsuit in federal court challenging new Bush administration rules overriding state plans to expand the children's health insurance program.

PATERSON REPAYS STATE AFTER FLYING TO FUNDRAISER

Albany Times Union - Lt. Gov. Paterson makes history a few days ago after meeting with a high-powered Democratic fundraiser in Syracuse in a trip involving a state airplane. By writing a check to the state for $169.90 from his campaign account, the Harlem Democratic leader becomes the first public official to reimburse taxpayers for the use of a state aircraft under an ethics policy created in August.

DINAPOLI WARNS OF FRAUDULENT E-MAILS

Schenectady Gazette - State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli warns that someone pretending to be him is sending "fraudulent e-mails. . . to unsuspecting people nationwide." The comptroller's press office distributes a copy of an e-mail sent to a couple in Kansas, telling them "The State of New York is currently holding billions of dollars in unclaimed funds. Some of this money may belong to you!!!" The e-mail, which purports to be from DiNapoli, is "mimicking language from the state comptroller's Web site," DiNapoli says in a news release. "This is a scam."

JUDGE: NYC DUTY TO SAFEGUARD RESERVOIRS IS ETERNAL

Albany Times Union - New York City may be eternally responsible for helping local businesses in the Catskills bear costs of meeting water protection rules for the city's vast drinking water reservoir system after a state Supreme Court justice rules in favor of a century-old dairy in Roxbury, Delaware County. Justice Michael Coccoma, in a Sept. 26 judgment, rejects the city's arguments that its responsibility for water treatment expenses for the dairy ends after 30 years and does not cover expansions for the business to grow. Under a 1997 deal with the EPA and state, the city agreed to rules that protect a five-county watershed around its upstate reservoirs, avoiding the need to build a costly filtration system. "Simply put, the city, and the city alone, is responsible for all costs associated with its filtration avoidance measures," Coccoma writes.

State Democrats Convene in Nassau County, a Republican Stronghold

New York Times - It is not a surprise that the state Democrats decided to hold their annual conference here in Garden City in Nassau County. In terms of political geography, itÕs the heart of the state's Republican Party and its last redoubt, the majority held by Republicans in the State Senate. ...

EIGHT STATES TO SUE BUSH OVER CHILD HEALTH LIMITS

Albany Times Union - Gov. Eliot Spitzer and the leaders of seven other states head to federal court in their battle against the Bush administration's plan to clamp down on a federally funded children's health insurance program. "We'll take this fight one step further," Spitzer tells a news conference, announcing that a lawsuit over the State Child Health Insurance Program will be filed in the next day or two in federal court. Joining New York in the lawsuit or through friend-of-the-court briefs are New Jersey, Illinois, Maryland, Washington, Arizona, California and New Hampshire.

SPITZER FLAYS 9/11 LINK TO DRIVER'S LICENSE PLAN

NY Daily News - Gov. Eliot Spitzer accuses Republican leaders of being "completely out of touch with reality" by suggesting terrorists will be able to get New York driver's licenses under a policy to make them available to illegal immigrants. "Rather than make an argument based on substance, the Republicans are using the rhetoric of desperation, taking advantage of the memory of 9/11 to push their anti-immigrant agenda," Spitzer tells reporters in Manhattan.

'PROJECT SUNLIGHT' A STEP TOWARD REFORMING ALBANY

Staten Island Advance - Attorney General Andrew Cuomo believes reform in Albany should start with a little sunlight. Cuomo adviser Blair Horner announces plans to create a one-stop, clearinghouse-style Internet database -- dubbed "Project Sunlight" -- that New Yorkers could use to track campaign contributions, member-item spending, lobbying activity and other policy-influencing events in state government.

EX-FOOTBALL STAR BOOSTS BID TO END GOP GRIP ON SENATE

New York Times - Tim Green, a former football star who is also a lawyer, a TV commentator and a best-selling children's author, is laying the groundwork to mount a Democratic challenge to the longtime Republican state senator in his district in the Syracuse area, Democratic officials say. Green, who played seven seasons for the Atlanta Falcons after a standout career at Syracuse, plans to run against John DeFrancisco, 60, of Syracuse at the urging of Gov. Eliot Spitzer. The move is a worrisome development for the Republican Party, which holds a narrow two-seat majority in the Senate, their last statewide power base. In other races, Republican Serphin Maltese will probably have to fight for his Queens seat, with a potential challenge coming from City Councilman Joseph Addabbo Jr. or Albert Baldeo, a lawyer who came within 900 votes of beating Maltese last year. And Sen. John Bonacic, an upstate Republican whom Democrats have been wooing to switch parties, has been distancing himself from Senate GOP Leader Bruno; he recently raised eyebrows by introducing Spitzer at a fund-raiser.

FEDS BACK DISASTER AID FOR 3 UPSTATE COUNTIES

Poughkeepsie Journal - Federal officials approve $4.5 million in disaster assistance for three upstate counties damaged by storms and flooding in June. Heavy rain and flash floods swept the southern Catskills beginning June 19th. Three people died in the floods. This week a search was called off for another woman missing and presumed dead. The federal money will be used to repair public infrastructure in Delaware, Sullivan and Ulster counties, Federal Emergency Management Agency officials say.

DEM LAWYER SETS CHALLENGE TO GOP REP. MCHUGH

Syracuse Post-Standard - Mike Oot of Stockbridge announces plans to seek the Democratic nomination for New York's 23rd Congressional District in next year's election, challenging longtime Republican incumbent Rep. John McHugh. Oot, 57, a lawyer who served from 2001 to 2007 on the Stockbridge Valley school board, accuses McHugh of supporting failed economic policies, saying the congressman "has watched businesses cut jobs, leave our district and hurt our citizens." The district is the state's largest geographic congressional district, stretching from the eastern shore of Lake Ontario to the Vermont border. Its 11 counties include Madison and Oswego from the Central New York region, though most of the district is in the Adirondacks and North Country. McHugh, who turns 59 Saturday, won his first seat in Congress in 1992. He defeated Sackets Harbor Democrat Robert Johnson last year and in 2004, both times by wide margins.

NO PRESIDENT LEFT BEHIND?

New York Daily News - President Bush once again mangles the English language, this time at an event to promote education, in front of a group of New York City elementary school students. First lady Laura Bush manages not to flinch as her husband says, "As yesterday's positive report card shows, childrens do learn when standards are high and results are measured." Moments later, he does it again, stating: "Congress needs to work with this administration to pass legislation that helps gives our children the education they deserve."

OCT. 22 LEGISLATIVE SESSION HINGES ON AGREEMENTS

New York Newsday - Both houses of the state legislature could reconvene Oct. 22 if agreements are reached on capital projects, larger property-tax rebate checks for seniors and other issues, leaders say. The Senate will return to the Capitol probably for a one-day session, says Senate Republican Leader Joseph Bruno. And Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D) "has agreed to bring the Assembly back into session on October 22 as well," Bruno adds. But Silver says he told Assembly members only to "hold the week of October 22 for a possible session." He adds: "The Assembly will reconvene when we have agreements on important issues with the Senate." Bruno replies that such agreements could be reached.

SPITZER PROPOSES $12 MILLION FOR NEW AFRICAN ART MUSEUM

Crain's New York Business - Gov. Eliot Spitzer proposes $12 million in funding to help build the new permanent facility for the Museum for African Art at Fifth Avenue and 110th Street. The museum, slated to open in late 2009, was founded by Susan Mullin Vogel in 1984 and has displayed its collection in rented spaces throughout New York City. The exhibits are currently being stored in Long Island City. Executive director Elsie McCabe describes the museum's history as 23 years of nomadic travel, adding, "We are delighted to finally break ground on our new building in a wonderful community that is as diverse as our audience." The $80 million dollar facility will be the first addition to Museum Mile in 50 years. It will span 85,000-square-feet on the ground level and contain all the usual elements of its neighboring museums but will also include 116 luxury condominiums new housing units above the museum.

STATE THRUWAY TOLLS MAY INCREASE

New York Daily News - Thruway tolls could increase and E-ZPass discounts could evaporate as the state Thruway Authority deals with slower-than-expected traffic growth due to rising fuel costs, officials say. Most passenger and commercial drivers could see toll increases of less than 5% phased in over several years. Larger increases are possible in discount zones, including upstate Grand Island, New Rochelle and the Tappan Zee Bridge areas, and for users of annual passes for frequent short trips such as between Amsterdam and Albany. The Thruway Authority isn't offering any estimates of what those increases could be.

SCHUMER WARNING ON MEDICARE RULE CHANGE

Buffalo News - Many Western New York rehabilitation patients will face problems obtaining their care in hospitals if a Medicare rule takes effect next year, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) warns. "This would be a devastating blow to local hospitals with rehabilitation units across the region, leaving residents with routine operations like hip and knee replacements devoid of vital short-term treatment," he tells a news conference at Kenmore Mercy Hospital in Tonawanda. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the federal agency that manages the Medicare program, says the phase-in of the so-called 75-percent rule is benefiting patients and taxpayers. It says the rule ensures that patients with less acute conditions increasingly receive their care in settings, such as skilled nursing facilities, that are less intensive and less expensive than hospitals. "Nobody is being denied care. We are trying to get people to the appropriate facility at the appropriate cost," says Deputy Administrator Herb Kuhn. At issue are inpatient rehabilitation facilities in hospitals that care for patients recovering from strokes, amputations, brain injuries and other serious medical problems.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TO GET NY DRIVER'S LICENSES

New York Sun - Illegal immigrants in New York will be allowed to obtain New York State driver's licenses under a new policy the Spitzer administration is expected to announce shortly, a source says. Starting in 2008, the Department of Motor Vehicles will accept foreign passports and birth certificates from immigrants as proofs of identification for new license applications. Immigrants will no longer need to provide legal status paperwork or a Social Security card, the source says. The changes could not be immediately confirmed by the Spitzer administration. County clerks around the state gather in Albany to be briefed on the new policy by David Swarts, commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles. During last year's gubernatorial campaign, Gov. Eliot Spitzer said he would permit illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses, arguing that banning them from driving worsened the lives of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers without adding to security.

STATE PANEL SEEKS FEWER GOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES

Associated Press - A state commission releases 150 ideas gathered from local officials to reduce the more than 4,200 local government entities in New York state and thus help curtail property tax bills, which are among the nation's highest. The Commission on Local Government Efficiency was formed by Gov. Spitzer. If the ideas come to fruition, villages would be dissolved, counties would share jails and Tioga County would be eliminated. "Forty-two-hundred taxing entities, decision-making entities, just doesn't make sense," the governor says. Many of the proposals would require local voter approval. The commission is expected to report its own recommendations by April 15.

AUSTRALIAN BEE IMPORTS WORRY SCHUMER

Syracuse Post-Standard - U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) sends a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture calling for the suspension of Australian bee imports after a group of scientists led by the USDA identify a possible link between honeybee Colony Collapse Disorder, a virus, and the importation of honeybees from Australia. Colony Collapse Disorder is the name given to the mysterious death or loss in the past few years of millions of honeybees in this country and in Europe. It causes bees to leave the hive, get confused and not make it back to the hive. Many die. Some beekeepers in Central New York lost thousands of bees this year. "The precipitous decline in the bee population hit New York farmers like a ton of bricks, and if we don't act fast to stem the decline and rebuild the bee population, it could be too late," Schumer says.

HOSPITALS GET STATE FUNDS TO AID CONSOLIDATION

Kingston Daily Freeman - Kingston and Benedictine hospitals will share nearly $48 million in state money to carry out the state-mandated affiliation of the two facilities, New York Health Commissioner Dr. Richard Daines announces. He says the $47.6 million will help the hospitals complete the affiliation ordered last year by the state Commission of Healthcare Facilities in the 21st Century, commonly referred to as the Berger Commission.