Brigid Bergin

There’s rarely a shortage of debate when it comes to the Roman Catholic Church. The latest debate will start on Friday at Fordham University and will center on the relationship betw...

UPDATE: 6:56 p.m. There were nearly 121,000 customers in New York City without power after Hurricane Irene barreled down on the region Sunday morning, bringing rains that could force the utility to cut power to Lower Manhattan if flooding becomes widespread.

One of the half-million parade-goers expected at Pride March on Sunday has elected to sponsor an unlikely institution to honor during the annual celebration: a Catholic Church.

New York City beaches are open from Memorial Day through Labor Day under the watchful eye of some 1,300 lifeguards. With a starting rate of $13.57 an hour, it's a good gig for someone who's saving for college and for people who have summers off like Brooklyn native Janet Fash.

Mermaids and mermen gathered in Brooklyn for Coney Island's annual Mermaid Parade on Saturday, marking the unofficial start of the summer each year since its start in 1983.

Close to 8,000 triathletes call New York City home. That's more than double the number there were just five years ago, according to USA Triathlon, the sport's national membership organization.  The sport is getting another boost this week when registration opens Wednesday at noon for the 2012 Ironman U.S. Championship, being held for the first time here in New York City and New Jersey.  For coach Scott Willett, the growth of the sport means the growth of his business.

A 26-year-old woman who said she is one of the women with whom Rep. Anthony Weiner confessed to having an online relationship told ABC on Tuesday that she thought it was "weird" when the Congressman first sent her a friend request on Facebook.

Cathie Black may be out of office but some city residents want Mayor Michael Bloomberg to pay for the time she served as Schools Chancellor.

For years, these gatherings of celebrities, politicians and entertainers were once the denizen of Page Six. But in the age of new media, some restaurants are using everything from ...

Bribery can now be added to the list of federal charges facing embattled state Senator Carl Kruger.  The Brooklyn Democrat, former Senate Finance Committee chairman from 2008 to 2010, had already surrendered to authorities on charges of conspiracy and money-laundering in a federal influence peddling case announced last month.  Assemblyman William Boyland was also named in the indictment.

The two lawmakers, along with six other defendants, now face 11 counts, up from prosecutors' original three counts. The new Superseding indictment also means all eight defendants will be tried on one indictment.

The defendants will be arraigned in federal court on Monday.

New York State Education Commissioner David Steiner announced plans on Thursday to step down from his post, issuing a joint statement with State Board of Regents Commissioner Merryl Tisch.  The news of Steiner's departure comes the same day that Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the departure of City Schools Chancellor Cathie Black.

The flakes have stopped falling, but the City Council hasn't forgotten the Bloomberg Administration's botched response to the December blizzard. The Council approved seven pieces of legislation on Wednesday designed to improve the city's planning, preparedness and response to emergency winter weather.

On the same day Albany lawmakers passed an on-time budget for 2011-12, two of the three men in the room opted to issue their postmortem statements using online videos. The first came from Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, this morning.  Now, the New York State Senate is putting its spin on what it all means.

Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos framed

For the past two years, when state government was controlled by the Democrats, New Yorkers were hit with late budgets that increased spending and taxes and drove jobs out of the state. We promised to put an end to that dysfunction and restore fiscal sanity cutting taxes, reducing spending and creating jobs.  The budget we passed two days before April 1st deadline fulfills those promises.

Here's the video:

This might just be your year!  But don't put all your chips on the April 1st deadline just yet.

Sure, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that lawmakers a reached a $132.5 billion dollar budget framework yesterday. But today's when all when legislators start hashing out the nitty-gritty details of the budget bills and there are plenty of people who'd like to see some changes to the budget in its final form.

Take New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg,  who issued a statement yesterday calling the plan, "the largest cut in state aid to New York City ever."  In its current form, the budget deal cuts total state spending spending by $10 billion, and does not raise any new taxes.

The city was seeking $600 million in funding from the state. Bloomberg had asked the state to reduce pension costs and relax other mandates. Right now the city says the current deal provides only $200 million of the funding (leaving a $400 million dollar hole).

At a press event on taxi fuel standards, Bloomberg told reporters that he did not know all the details of the budget, "but I know enough to be concerned. What I know is that less of our taxpayers' money is going to be coming back to the city."

The Mayor went on to call the city, "the jewel in the state's financial crown."

"We're the one that's generating the money," said Bloomberg, "and if we don't keep making investments and improving the quality of this city, then we aren't gonna provide the money that the rest of the state depends on."

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver praised state lawmakers' efforts in the face of dire economic times.

"I think given the economic circumstances that have taken place in this state, we've done the best we can, we've made restorations to various programs in the city as well as the state. Hopefully as time passes and this economy recovers, we'll be able to do better.

State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli said the budget deal looks promising and applauded the potential for a budget that was balanced and on time (only the third time that's happened in more than 25 years).

But DiNapoli said there are some “vulnerabilities” in the framework agreement, including reliance on uncollected taxes on cigarettes sold on Indian lands to balance part of the budget, and a plan to shrink the state prison system by 3,700 beds without naming the actual prisons.

“We need to see the details, we need to see the specifics. And then we need to monitor,” said DiNapoli.

A spokesman from Cuomo's office issued a statement defending the deal saying it includes, "shared sacrifice from communities across the state."

The statement also charged that the city’s Department of Education budget has a $300 million dollar surplus.

Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman candidate on a major party presidential ticket and a former member of the House of Representatives from Queens, was remembered at a mass there on ...

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) pledged to make the Indian Point nuclear power plant its top priority in its review of the seismic risk at 27 nuclear plants throughout the country.

At the request of the Cuomo Administration, the NRC has agreed to a cooperative review of Indian Point as a joint effort between the NRC and New York State.

The decision came after Lieutenant Governor Robert Duffy met with NRC officials today to discuss the seismic risks facing Indian Point, after new research shows the power plant could be more susceptible to earthquakes than first thought.

Since the crisis surrounding the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan, Cuomo has called for a new investigation of Indian Point's emergency preparedness and evacuation plans for the surrounding area.

Lt. Gov. Duffy and Gov. Cuomo announcing results of NRC meeting. (Karen Dewitt)

More from the Governor's statement about the NRC meeting:

As a result of the meeting today at NRC headquarters in Maryland between Lieutenant Governor Robert Duffy, Director of State Operations Howard Glaser, and top NRC officials, the NRC has also agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding that will:

• Share federal data regarding seismic risk specific to Indian Point with New York technical experts.

• Include New York experts as part of the NRC on-site inspection team that will evaluate Indian Point with regard to seismic risk.

In addition, NRC Chair Greg Jaczko has agreed to conduct a personal site inspection of Indian Point with New York officials.

"It is essential that the NRC move quickly to answer the significant and long-standing safety questions surrounding Indian Point," Governor Cuomo said. "We appreciate the NRC agreeing to move swiftly and we look forward to working closely with them on this issue to protect the health and safety of New Yorkers."

"I thank the NRC for hosting us today and for recognizing the legitimate concerns that exist regarding Indian Point," Lieutenant Governor Duffy said. "Seismic activity is a serious concern regarding the facility and we will now work with the federal government to make sure we get answers for the people of New York."

Indian Point is located in Westchester County, within fifty miles of where more than 20 million people live and work. Among its other structural and safety flaws, the facility is situated near a fault line and concerns have been raised about whether it was designed to withstand the seismic activity that could result from an earthquake.

Governor Cuomo has long been an opponent of Indian Point and has worked to prevent the federal relicensing of the facility. Governor Cuomo and senior officials will continue to work with the NRC to monitor the status of Indian Point and protect residents.

Teachers gathered on the lawn of the state Capitol today to protest Governor Cuomo's proposed budget, which would cut close to $1.5 billion from education.

The protest is part of an ongoing P.R. battle between advocates and the Cuomo administration, as they vie for support from the public and lawmakers.  Meanwhile, the budget clock keeps on ticking - 10 days until April 1!

Teachers rallying against Gov. Cuomo's budget. (Karen Dewitt)

Karen Dewitt caught up with NYSUT President Richard Iannuzzi for this quick Q&A:

Q: Cuomo's lecture that he delivered last week, he said it's all a game. It's an empty threat, you're playing a game. Schoolchildren aren't going to be hurt if he cuts the school aid.

NYSUT: When you look out at the people who are demonstrating here today, the teachers, the parents the children, you see the thousands that showed up, a thousand in William Floyd on Sunday, 500 in Watertown, a thousand in Binghamton, all over the state. It's teachers with parents and children talking about whats being taken away from those children. This is not a game, it's serious business. I know the governor understands its serious business. We have to get to a budget that takes care of New Yorks children.

Q: Are there savings that could be achieved through efficiencies as he said? Cutting administrative costs?

NYSUT: I am in total agreement with the governor, that efficiencies in the administration, efficiencies in terms of what can be done at the local level must be looked at, but our position is that with those efficiencies and with the kinds of things that have been going on that have tried to share the sacrifice, there will still be a gap and that's the gap that has to be filled, remains unfilled. And the only way that gap is going to be filled is with the choice of revenue and those revenues are the millionaires tax.

Q: Is the $200 to 300 million that the legislature wants to restore going to be enough? And do you think thats going to happen the way things are going?

NYSUT: Well we very much want to say thank you to both the Assembly and the Senate in terms of starting the process, but clearly the two house bills that are out there now are not enough. And what we have to do is to get to a combined budget with larger numbers that winds up on the governors desk and then Im confident that the governor will make the right choice.

Q: Would it be ok with you if the budget was late, would it be worth the wait to get more school funding in the budget?

NYSUT: A better budget is always the right choice rather than a budget that lays off people, eliminates programs and hurts kids.

Brooklyn State Senator Kevin Parker has been sentenced to three years probation related to his scuffle with a NY Post photographer.  Parker will also pay a $1,000 fine and receive anger management counseling.

This past December, Parker was convicted of a misdemeanor for the confrontation with the photographer in May of 2009, and faced up to two years in prison.  He was also stripped of his leadership posts in the Senate at that time, although he will not have to give up his seat.

Prosecutors say Parker broke the photographers' finger when he tried to grab his camera. The photographer's car and camera were also damaged, leading to the criminal mischief misdemeanor. The senator was facing foreclosure of his home at the time.

Parker, a Democrat, won his sixth term in November representing the 21st District in Brooklyn.

Congressman Anthony Weiner (D - NY) took to the House floor to chime in on the debate over federal funding for NPR. The bill, H.R. 1076, "blocks all federal funding to NPR affiliates and to special content production for NPR."  Rep. Weiner, not exactly known for his restraint, took a mocking tone in his remarks saying:

"What a relief. We've got the economy back. We've secured out nuclear power plants. I'm so glad Americans are back to work. We've finally found out our problem. We discovered a target we can all agree on. It's these guys. It's Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers."

Check out the whole speech, and the bad Boston accent:

The House voted 228-192 to approve the bill.

An Empire reader asked if the Moreland Act would apply to the state legislature. This comes a day after Governor Cuomo issued a pointed statement calling for the passage of ethics reform legislation, lest he convene a Moreland Commission on public integrity.

The Moreland Act applies to New York State's Executive Law and specifically to the office of the Governor. But what that Commission might do when it comes to looking at the legislature is up for debate even among the experts.

"The use of such a commission to investigate the legislature branch would raise serious separation of powers issues," said Peter J. Galie, director of the Raichle Pre-Law Center at Canisius College, via email. While there have been at least 58 Moreland Commissions since 1907, Galie said he does not know of any that have targeted the legislative branch, per se.

The power to convene a commission is granted to the governor under section 6 of the Executive Law, which states:

"The governor is authorized at any time, either in person or by one or more persons appointed by him for the purpose, to examine and investigate the management and affairs of any department, board, bureau or commission of the state."

But it also applies to section 63 of the Executive law, according to Stephen Gillers, of NYU Law School. Here's the relevant portion:

"Whenever in his judgment the public interest requires it, the attorney general may, with the approval of the governor, and when directed by the governor, shall, inquire into matters concerning the public peace, public safety and public justice."

"The first provision does not envision investigation of the legislature or legislators, but only executive agencies and the like," said Gillers via email, "The second one includes the elastic phrase 'public justice,' which could include the legislature -- or not. Any effort to investigate the legislature itself will be met with a challenge based on the separation of powers doctrine."

But it's still not that simple. Here's more from Giller's email:

But on the other hand, no senator or assemblyperson is immune to investigation personally (as opposed to the legislature as an institution of government). "Each can be investigated by a prosecutor just like anyone else. And prosecutors are executive branch persons.

So the governor is on solid ground if his Moreland Commission investigates individual members of the legislature and that would be an easy jurisdiction to define.

"Also, the governor would be on solid ground if the commission was charged to investigate any agency or board of the state government or any local government or private person and that investigation encompassed the behavior of a legislator."

The only sticking point, where the legislature may claim the law does not allow a commission, is if the investigation is into the legislature as an institution. But it will be very easy for the governor to frame his charge to any commission in a way that steers clear of any implication that the charge includes an investigation of the legislature as such.

So exactly who or what would be the target of Governor Cuomo's Moreland Commission?  We're still hoping for that answer from Governor Cuomo's office.