Search results for

Across the country, local governments are wrapping up a brutal year, with slipping tax revenues and sharp declines in state aid. The shortfalls come at a time when towns and cities are struggling to provide more services, from food kitchens to health care. In northern New York, local leaders in Elizabethtown may be forced to close the county-run nursing home.

More and more skiers and snowboarders are using helmets when they take to the slopes. In part, that's because the headgear is more comfortable and more stylish than ever before. But half of all skiers — and two-thirds of teenagers — still go unprotected.

American bobsled racers normally don't stand much of a chance against their European counterparts. But now they're getting money and design help from NASCAR.

General Motors is shutting down another factory in a small town in northern New York. The area will lose nearly 500 jobs, dealing another blow to its battered rural economy.

The seventh and final book in the Harry Potter series has been released. For some, the waiting was half the fun. In Vermont, some kids last week gathered at a special day camp designed to look and feel like Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

This week, the best trampoline athletes in the world are competing for World Cup titles, with competitions in Lake Placid, N.Y., and Quebec City. The heavy favorites are Russia, the Ukraine and China. American trampoline artists say their sport sometimes doesn't get the appreciation it reserves.

The arrest of 12 Muslim men and five teens in an apparent plot to attack the nation's stock exchange and spy agency shocks Canadians. The nation's fabled tolerance may enable support for radical Islam. Many Muslims see a danger.

State Rep. Attica Scott was charged with first-degree rioting, which is a felony. She was also facing lesser charges of failure to the disperse and unlawful assembly. She called charges "bogus."

Corrections officers in the federal prison system are bracing for possible staffing cuts and furloughs triggered by the sequester. The cuts come at a time when studies show that inmate crowding and staff shortages in federal prisons are already posing challenges for guards trying to maintain order behind bars.

A health care company Practice Fusion agreed to pay a $145 million fine for taking kickbacks related to opioid prescriptions. Documents say the payoff was allegedly paid by the OxyContin maker.

Attorneys who represent hundreds of local governments have a new proposal for how to deal with the opioid crisis. They unveiled the framework for nationwide settlement in federal court on Friday.

Two years ago, 10 northeast states set up a regional cap and trade program to reduce carbon emissions and promote conservation. The money raised was supposed to be used for green energy and environmental initiatives, but in an era of tight budgets, it has proved a tempting target for some state officials. Three of those states -- New York, New Hampshire and New Jersey -- have used some of the revenue from the initiative to shore up state budgets.

In much of the country, the spring turkey hunt is a tradition and a way of life. Calling in a wild turkey is an art form in itself. But the hardest part is the stillness and the waiting. North Country Public Radio's Brian Mann joins two veteran outdoorsmen in New York's Champlain Valley and has this audio postcard from the annual May turkey hunt.

With rock-bottom poll numbers and a massive budget deficit, New York Gov. David Paterson already faced a tough election fight. Now a New York Times article alleging that the governor pressured a woman to drop assault charges against his aide could be the final straw for voters.

Many inmates could be released or see their sentences sharply reduced as judges review crack cases starting Tuesday. Congress voted last year to ease sentencing guidelines for crack cocaine. But a decision last summer to revisit old cases sparked new controversy.

After years of delay, the clean-up of the Hudson River is off to a rocky start. Critics say the federal government's massive Superfund project is leaking too many toxic PCBs into the air and water.

Americans don't buy a lot of foreign novels, but go to any neighborhood bookstore and you'll find whole shelves devoted to international comics. In fact, more than half of the graphic novels sold in the U.S. are foreign-language imports.

Several million dogs and cats are put to death in U.S. animal shelters each year. Spay and neuter programs are having some impact in some areas, but solving the overpopulation problem tests the resources of activists and animal-control officials.

A rise in drug overdose deaths is putting doctors and dentists back under scrutiny for ignoring federal safety guidelines. Simple solutions could include prescribing weaker opioids or fewer pills.

In upstate New York, where statewide restrictions on public gatherings were loosened, people ventured out for Memorial Day weekend activities. But the crowds still paled in comparison to past years.