Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

ALBANY – State Senator Cathy Young is helping spearhead an effort with other Senators who represent upstate districts, asking Governor Andrew Cuomo to give rural schools extra consideration in the upcoming state budget. The Governor will release his 2012-13 Executive Budget proposal on January 17. Senator Young joined 14 of her colleagues in signing the formal letter, requesting a significant boost to rural school aid. “New York State is unique in the country because the Governor has enormous power over the budget making process, unlike other states. The courts have made it more difficult for the state Legislature to change the Executive’s proposal. The Governor’s leadership to include more rural school funding up front in his plan would help ensure success in the final enacted budget,” Senator Young said. In December, legislation supported by Senator Young and area Assemblymen Andrew Goodell and Joseph Giglio was passed and signed by the Governor, ensuring a four percent -- or $800 mi...

Kristin Davis, Independent Candidate for Governor of New York State today said that she pleased and excited by the decisions of Democratic Andrew Cuomo and Republican Carl Paladino to join her and the other candidates for Governor at the October, 18, 2010 Channel 12-Newsday debate. "It won't be hard to stand out in a crowd of middle aged white men so bring it on" said Davis. "I intend to be an advocate for women's rights, abortion rights, gay and lesbian equality and personal freedom stated Davis". "The good news is I have 11 days to figure out what to wear" said Davis. "I intend to keep my presentation positive, I think voters are turned off by these career politicians constantly attacking each other. "I do want to ask Andrew Cuomo why he failed to prosecute Eliot Spitzer for violating numerous state laws which make prostitution illegal" stated Davis. Kristin Davis filed 22,000 valid voter signatures to become the first woman in New...

Kristin Davis, the ex-Madam who supplied call-girls for Eliot Spitzer when he was both Attorney General and Governor filed 22,000 voter signatures to secure a place on the ballot as an independent candidate for Governor with the New York State Board of Elections as the candidate of the Anti-Prohibition Party. "I am running on a platform of personal and economic freedom," said Davis who served four months on Riker's Island for pleading guilty to one count of promoting prostitution." I want to end the prohibition on marijuana, gay marriage and casino gambling to generate new revenues instead of raising taxes on already over-taxed New Yorkers." Davis is an outspoken feminist, libertarian and gay marriage advocate. "The two major parties have driven our state economy into a ditch," said Davis. "I think New Yorkers are ready for new ideas, new faces and new solutions," said Davis, 35, a former Hedge Fund Vice President. "Let the debate begin...

A court will ultimately decide whether New York has a lieutenant governor. Last week, Governor David Paterson appointed Richard Ravitch to the post to help end the month-long stalemate in the senate power struggle. Paterson has hired a team of private attorneys to defend him in a lawsuit by Senate Republicans that challenges the appointment. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who ruled the appointment would be illegal, has declined to handle the case. The lawsuit will be heard Wednesday in state Supreme Court in Long Island. New York hasn't had a lieutenant governor since Paterson took over for ex-governor Eliot Spitzer in March of 2008.

Another day, another extraordinary session in Albany. Democrats and Republicans again today entered the senate chamber separately, gaveled in, observed a moment of silence for Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett, gaveled out and left. Before the session, leaders met behind closed doors to try to work out a power sharing agreement. The Senate has been on standstill since June 8 when Democratic senators Pedro Espada Jr. and Hiram Monserrate voted to put GOP lawmakers back in power. The next day, Monserrate returned to the Democrats, leaving the Senate with a 31-31 split. Normally the lieutenant governor would break a tie in the senate, but New York hasn't had anyone in the post since David Paterson took over from former Governor Eliot Spitzer.

New York Governor Eliot Spitzer has a new job. He's a commercial real estate investor in Washington, DC, and worked with his father's company to buy an office building – one block from the Mayflower Hotel, where he had his infamous tryst with a high-priced prostitute. The building's tenants include the Washington outpost of the Nixon Presidential Library.

Former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer is back in the media – this time as a member of it. Last night, the online magazine Slate posted Spitzer's first column , which argues against government bailouts to financial institutions. Spitzer's semimonthly column will focus on the financial crisis, regulation and government. Spitzer resigned earlier this year after getting caught in a prostitution scandal. Last month, federal prosecutors announced they would not bring criminal charges against him.

The prostitute at the center of the scandal that led to the resignation of former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer has apologized to his wife. Ashley Alexandra Dupre tells People magazine she was stricken by the pained expression on Silda Wall Spitzer's face on March 12 as the governor left office. Her message to Mrs. Spitzer is: "I'm sorry for your pain." Dupre says the FBI told her in early March they were investigating one of her clients. She found out which client when she recognized Spitzer on TV resigning. Dupre says she's now in psychotherapy.

Federal prosecutors say they will not bring criminal charges against former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer for his role in a prostitution scandal. U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia says that after a thorough investigation, his office found no evidence that Spitzer or his office misused public or campaign money for prostitution. Spitzer resigned the office in March after the revelation that he paid for high-priced call girls.

The state Public Integrity Commission has found "reasonable cause" to charge four former state officials with misusing state police to discredit a political foe of former Governor Eliot Spitzer. The commission found "insufficient record evidence" to charge anyone else, including Spitzer. It is the first accusation of a violation of law in the political scandal that gridlocked state government for most of 2007. The commission says former Spitzer aides Darren Dopp, Richard Baum and William Howard and former state police superintendent Preston Felton conspired to smear former Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno by releasing his travel records to the media. Felton faces two charges carrying a maximum fine of $20,000, while Dopp faces one charge with a maximum penalty of $10,000. The two can now request a public hearing by an agency hearing officer into the matter, or sue the commission.

A woman accused of booking clients for a prostitution ring has pleaded guilty in the federal probe that brought down former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer. Temeka Rachelle Lewis pleaded guilty today to promoting prostitution and money laundering. The 32-year-old is among four defendants in the case involving the Emperor's Club VIP call-girl ring. Court papers say the FBI secretly recorded conversations between Lewis and Spitzer about a Feb. 13 tryst with a prostitute named "Kristin" in Washington. The former governor is identified in the court papers as Client No. 9. Spitzer announced his resignation March 12. He has not been charged.

The call girl linked to former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer is suing the founder of the "Girls Gone Wild" video series for more than $10 million. Ashley Alexandra Dupre filed a lawsuit Monday in Miami federal court claiming she never gave "Girls Gone Wild" founder Joe Francis permission to use her name and likeness to advertise the videos. Dupre contends she was 17 and not old enough to sign a contract when the videos were taken in 2003 in Miami Beach. A spokesman for Francis didn't immediately return a call for comment Monday.

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03/23/08 - 3-Year-Old Girl Murdered in Salamanca Two people have been arrested in connection with the death of a 3-year-old girl in Salamanca. Guy Maybee and Stephanie Pierce-Shennandoah are charged with second-degree murder for causing the death of Ianna Doris Maybee. They are in Cattaraugus County Jail. Sheriff's Deputies responded to a call of an unresponsive child on Friday in Salamanca. An autopsy performed Saturday at ECMC determined the cause of death was homicide. Sheriff's deputies and New York State Police are continuing their investigation. 03/24/08 - 3 Bradford Establishments Cited by BLCE Three Bradford establishments have been cited by the state police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement for selling alcohol to minors. Police say Players Downtown and The New Keystone each sold alcohol to a minor on January 10. La Herradura allegedly furnished alcohol to a 17-year-old girl on November 24 and furnished alcohol between the hours of 2 and 7 a.m. on November 24. All th...

03/11/08 - Shopping Cart Ordinance to be 'Tweaked' Grocery store managers agree that there's a problem with abandoned shopping carts in the city, but they also think more work has to be done an a proposed city ordinance aimed at curbing the problem. Mayor Tom Riel says the purpose of the ordinance is to make people more responsible and help to clean up the city. Businessman Fred Pysher says the right people -- those who steal the carts -- need to be held responsible. The ordinance passed 3 to 2 on first reading during Tuesday's City Council meeting, but council members and store owners will meet to tweak the ordinance before it's brought up on second reading April 8. 03/11/08 - Bradford City Council Meets Work is expected to start next month on the last project included in the Impact Bradford plan that received millions of dollars in state grant money. The project includes paving, curbing, planting, lighting and other improvements and will be Boylston Street from Me...

Spitzer? I didn't even touch her!