By ANNA GRONEWOLD Associated Press ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) Adrian Thomas falsely confessed to harming his infant son when Troy police told him that admittance could save the boy’s life. Video footage of the nearly 10-hour interrogation revealed what they didn’t tell him: the boy was already dead. The recording of the coercive interrogation gave Thomas […]

Assemblyman Bob Oaks (R-C Macedon), the ranking member on the Assembly Ways and Means Committee, led a debate on the Assembly’s one-house budget resolution last week in Albany. The resolution is a ceremonial position statement that would spend well over the state’s 2-percent spending cap, while proposing $7 billion in new taxes, and increasing state […]

By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump has finalized his first budget for the federal government, a blueprint that would make deep cuts in the Environmental Protection Agency and other domestic programs while significantly increasing spending on the military. The budget, submitted to Congress on Thursday, was widely expected to cause political […]

By JOYCE M. ROSENBERG AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) The hiring freeze at small businesses looks like it's finally thawing. Recruiting is picking up after being dormant at many companies even years after the recession. The factors behind companies' decisions to hire vary, with some anticipating a big revenue kick from the Trump administration's […]

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) Advocates for the elderly say each year con artists and greedy family members cheat New York seniors out of $1.5 billion in assets but they worry the number of reported cases is only the tip of the financial abuse iceberg. The Senate and Assembly's Joint Committee on Aging heard testimony Tuesday from […]

By MARY ESCH Associated Press FLORIDA, N.Y. (AP) When Denise Krohn came home to find her goldendoodle Kirby bleeding on the kitchen floor, she at first thought it was a terrible accident. But she soon realized that her home had been ransacked, and that her other dog, Quigley, was lying dead on his favorite blanket […]

President Donald Trump's first weeks in office have spawned anxiety and even arguments at some workplaces, putting owners — especially at smaller companies — in the position of needing to protect peace and productivity. At software maker BetterWorks, CEO Kris Duggan has noticed a drop in productivity since Trump's Jan. 20 inauguration, with staffers distracted […]

By DAVID BAUDER AP Television Writer NEW YORK (AP) These days of alternative facts, phantom terrorist attacks and fake news are changing the way news organizations do their jobs. Media outlets are more aggressively fact-checking political statements, a function often pushed into the background when campaigns end, finding innovative new formats and seeing keen interest […]

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP)  Thousands of new slot machines and table games debuting this month as part of New York state’s casino growth spurt are bringing not only more chances to gamble, but also millions of dollars more to help problem gamblers. The openings of the del Lago Resort & Casino in the Finger Lakes on […]

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) State lawmakers questioned the price tag of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's plan to make college tuition free for middle class students Tuesday, suggesting the true cost of the proposal could be far higher. The proposal has won the Democratic governor national attention and applause from education advocates, but lawmakers said during a budget […]