Karen DeWitt

When the state legislature approved 40 percent of the state budget Monday night in the form of an emergency extender, supporters said it was a desperate measure for desperate times. But critics say it’s the wrong way to do a budget, even in the midst of a crisis.

The New York State legislature has passed $385 million in health care cuts and millions more in savings as part of emergency spending measures to keep the government running.

The New York State legislature has passed around $385 million in health care cuts and savings as part of emergency spending measures to keep the government running.

New York, NY —

Gov. David Paterson, following through with his threat to take budget matters into his own hands, is proposing $775 million in health-care cuts and savings as part of his latest emergency spending bills.

Earlier this week, Paterson announced he'd try to implement his budget cuts through ...

New York, NY —

New York Gov. David Paterson says he’ll take action to close the state’s budget deficit by passing weekly emergency spending extenders if the legislature does not pass a state budget. The budget is more than two months overdue.

Gov. Paterson says if lawmakers don’t figure out ...

New York, NY —

Gov. David Paterson confirms he’s planning to lay off thousands of state workers in a plan that would likely occur after January 1, 2011, when Paterson is no longer in office. The state is once again out of money and has to delay payments to ...

A federal Judge sided with state worker unions today, and against New York Governor David Paterson, when he threw out Gov. Paterson's proposed plan for one-day-a-week furloughs for state workers.

New York, NY —

A federal judge sided with state worker unions today, and against New York Governor David Paterson, when he threw out Gov. Paterson's proposed plan for one-day-a-week furloughs for state workers.

Judge Lawrence Kahn ruled Paterson's furlough proposal would be put permanently on hold ...

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo received his party’s nomination for governor at the Democratic convention Thursday. He promised to restore public trust in government, which he says is sorely lacking.

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo received his party's nomination for the Democratic convention today.

New York, NY —

Gov. David Paterson's proposal to keep all New York's 213 parks and historic sites funded and open starting Memorial Day weekend has hit resistance from lawmakers and environmentalists because it's embedded in a broader measure to reduce dedicated environmental spending.

Paterson initially said the bill would ...

Albany, NY —

Gov. David Paterson met with legislative leaders to try to come to agreement on the long overdue state budget, but much of the discussion focused on a small yet important portion of the budget: how to open state parks. There’s a yawning $9.2 billion gap in ...

Albany, NY —

New York's parks now have the dubious distinction of a listing on a national preservation group’s register of endangered sites. That’s due to the closings of several dozen parks and historic sites by Gov. David Paterson because of the state's budget crisis.

Wendy Nicholas with the National ...

New York, NY —

With the budget in Albany nearly seven weeks late, state parks will remain closed. Governor Paterson has told legislative leaders that he has no plans to put extra funds in future emergency spending measures to reopen the 55 parks and historic sites closed this week.

Governor ...

New York, NY —

School districts across New York State are holding budget votes today, and top state officials are already predicting the outcome.

Governor Paterson, who slashed school spending in his state budget plan, predicts that the majority of school budget will be defeated because he says the public ...

Albany, NY —

The state budget is now more than six weeks late, with no settlement in sight. Gov. David Paterson is trying to step up the pressure, meeting with Assembly Democrats behind closed doors, announcing a public leader’s meeting, and opening the door to the possibility of state ...

New York, NY —

Gov. David Paterson will ask the legislature to allow him to delay around $1.5 billion dollars due to schools June 1, saying the state does not have enough cash on hand to afford the payment. Paterson’s budget director, Robert Megna, says the governor will send ...

New York, NY —

Those one-day-a-week furloughs of state workers Governor Paterson wanted to impose next week won't be happening. A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order against the plan. Karen DeWitt reports from Albany.

REPORTER: In the order Judge Lawrence Khan says that any future emergency spending ...

New York, NY —

New York Lieutenant Governor Richard Ravitch is warning that if state worker unions succeed in their court challenge to the governor’s furlough plan, lay offs could be next. But Governor David Paterson is standing firm in his decision.

The governor distanced himself from his ...

New York, NY —

Thousands of state workers rallied at New York’s Capitol and around the state yesterday, protesting Governor Paterson’s plan to include one-day-a-week furloughs in the emergency spending bills issued to keep the state running while the budget is late.

Legislators reluctantly approved Paterson’s furlough plan, saying they ...