More States Than Ever Will Raise Their Minimum Wage On New Year's Day

Dave Jamieson dave.jamieson@huffingtonpost.com

If you're a minimum wage earner and of drinking age, be sure to raise a glass when the ball drops Wednesday night. There's a decent chance you'll be getting a pay raise.

Thanks to a raft of state-level laws and ballot measures this year, 20 states will be hiking their minimum wages on New Year's Day -- evidence of a growing nationwide move toward higher mandatory pay despite congressional inertia on the issue.

New phase of e-recycling to go into effect

ALBANY, N.Y. – The final phase of the New York Electronic Equipment Recycling and Reuse Act goes into effect January 1 making it illegal to throw old electronics in the trash.

Waste collectors cannot pick up discarded electronics, but there are hundreds of locations in the Capital Region that will properly recycle old electronics for free.

Many unused electronics stay tucked away in a corner collecting dust, or they’re tossed in the dump.

“They’ve sat in a box,” Albany resident Robert Morrissette said. “I haven’t done much with them.”

In the final phase of the act, consumers are required to recycle their e-waste rather than put it outside for garbage pick-up.

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Rensselaer mayor demands answers on casino location selection

RENSSELAER, N.Y. – It was announced on Monday that Governor Andrew Cuomo sent a letter to the Gaming Commission, asking them to reopen the bidding process for the Southern Tier, and now the Rensselaer mayor wants in.

Mayor Dan Dwyer is now demanding answers and a review of the Gaming Commission.

In a letter to Cuomo, Dwyer states he wants to see a so-called “score card” on how Rensselaer and Hard Rock were beat out by the Rivers Casino in Schenectady.

“I need some answers,” he said.

Cuomo’s intervention into the casino debate comes after he said the decision was solely up to the Gaming Commission and after board chairman Kevin Law stressed the commission had no plans to issue the fourth license. 

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NYT: Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver under investigation

Updated: 12/30/2014 8:30 PM
Created: 12/30/2014 9:22 AM WNYT.com
By: WNYT Staff

ALBANY - To many people, it sounds redundant -- an ethics investigation at the state Capitol.

This time, the subject of the apparent probe couldn't be much bigger.

The official comment from Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver's office is: there is no comment.

According to the New York Times, federal authorities are now looking into the possibility that questionable payments were made to Speaker Silver, and if they were, they weren't disclosed on his financial disclosure reports.

If the New York Times report is true, then Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver may have received "substantial" payments from a law firm that specializes in seeking tax reductions for its clients -- and that income may not have been properly disclosed by Silver.

"I think once the feds show up and begin investigating, they don't do that lightly," said Republican Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin, from Melrose

McLaughlin -- a long time Silver critic -- says he's long past the point of calling for the speaker to resign, hoping others at the Capitol feel the same way.

"If they do the right thing next week and turn around send a message a not re-elect this man, that would be the end of Sheldon Silver in Albany and I think that would be a bright day for the state of New York if he goes," McLaughlin proclaimed.

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Cuomo Vetoes Teacher Evaluation Bill

The veto was announced in a batch of bill approvals and additional vetoes - See more...

Updated: Tuesday, December 30 2014, 08:32 PM EST 

ALBANY -- Governor Cuomo has veteoed a bill that would have kept teachers from losing their jobs based on their students' test scores. Those who supported the measure are shocked because the bill was something that Cuomo himself had proposed. "It just means we're back to the starting block in some ways," Assemblywoman Pat Fahy said. "My concern in all of this is it's taken quite some time to get to this agreement." The agreement would have altered the state's teacher evaluation system by barring the use of Common Core test scores when determining a teacher's future in the classroom. One former teacher tells CBS6 she agrees with the decision not to let the bill pass. 

"It should count. It's important. It is important, if the students aren't performing then we need to look at why and if it's the teacher or the teacher style or lack there of us then we should be doing something about that," Samati Simmons said.

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Christmas Eve tirade lands woman in jail

By Web staffPublished: December 29, 2014, 3:41 pm

EAST GREENBUSH, N.Y. – Police say a woman spent Christmas Day in Rensselaer County Jail after attacking her family.

East Greenbush Police say 30-year-old Jessica Leahey went on a Christmas Eve tirade.

According to authorities, Leahey, who lives with a relative, became highly agitated after apparently not getting her way, and turned violent against her family, knocking down the Christmas tree and upsetting a miniature Christmas Village.

Police say Leahey pulled the telephone wires out to prevent a 911 call, then proceeded to knock holes through the sheetrock walls of the home and punched out a kitchen window before police were able to arrive and take her into custody.

Leahey is charged with two counts of criminal mischief. She was arraigned early Christmas morning in Schodack Town Court and remanded to County Jail.