Joyce M. Rosenberg Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) Within three months, one of MacLaren Cummings' staffers passed away from cancer and then both his own mother and the mother of an employee were diagnosed with breast cancer. Although he was the CEO, Cummings says, “the last thing I could think about was work.” That painful […]

By Christopher Rugaber AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP)  After nearly a decade of being all but invisible, inflation, or the fear of it, is back. Tentative signs have emerged that prices could accelerate in coming months. Pay raises may be picking up a bit. Commodities such as oil and aluminum have grown more expensive. Cellphone […]

by Chris Carola Associated Press ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) The union representing New York correction officers says new security methods are needed to reduce the amount of contraband smuggled into state prisons, while prison officials say more prohibited items are being seized than ever before. The Department of Corrections and Community Supervision said this week that […]

New York State Senator Pam Helming has announced that local farmers are eligible to receive up to a $5,000 tax credit for food donations made to food banks that serve needy families and seniors in our region. Eligible donations include fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs, and meat produced in New York State. Working with the New […]

by David A. Lieb Associated Press JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP)  When President Donald Trump called for a $1.5 trillion infrastructure investment in his State of the Union address, he didn’t pledge that the federal government actually would provide that much money for roads, bridges, rail and waterways. To the contrary, Trump’s plan counts on state […]

by David Klepper Associated Press ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) New York state will require internet providers to observe net neutrality or risk losing eligibility for state contracts under an executive order issued Wednesday by Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The new policy aims to protect consumers by using the state’s lucrative information technology contracts as leverage over […]

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP)  Fire departments that also provide emergency medical services are seeking some financial relief from the New York State Legislature. Many of the departments are smaller volunteer organizations that operate ambulances alongside firetrucks. While the number of fire calls has decreased in communities, the number of EMS calls requiring ambulances has increased. Under […]

by David Klepper Associated Press ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) Here's one way New York could fight back against the new federal tax code: allow people to make fully deductible charitable donations to the state in lieu of their state taxes. That's one idea from a state report issued Wednesday that examines how New York could respond […]

by Christopher Rugaber and Josh Boak AP Economics Writers WASHINGTON (AP) American Airlines is handing out $1,000 bonuses to its employees. So are AT&T, Bank of America and Nationwide Insurance. The same for Comcast, JetBlue Airways and US Bancorp. Such announcements , coming from dozens of companies, have followed the passage of the Republican tax […]

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) An investigation is underway into whether some propane companies engaged in price-gouging during the recent cold spell while others left customers freezing in their homes because of shoddy delivery service, New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The probe also will look into possible misconduct by […]