New York State Government

The Hudson River has been through a lot over the past few hundred years. It's no secret that the main culprit for river's near-death experience had been businesses dumping hazardous waste into the historic waterway.

The first time that I went to Montauk in October and saw a football field of striped bass, jumping out like frenzying piranhas, to eat bait fish, I was hooked. To the fisherman, that is called a 'blitz.' For over 3 decades, the 'blitzes' of striped bass have kept me coming back.

The big winner these days in sports wagering is the State of New York. In the gambling report released by state Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli on Wednesday, it revealed that the Empire State is far exceeding expected tax revenues from sports wagering. Sounds great? Well, there is a good side and a bad side to every story.

It is not a secret that whales are amongst the most visible marine life to return in abundance to New York waters. The massive beasts of the sea can be seen frequently from Manhattan to Montauk. However, a dark secret regarding the New York whale population is coming to light, people are intentionally chasing them and bumping them.

Applying to college can be costly for any student. Many, high school seniors have no idea what they really want to do or where they want to spend the next four years of their lives.

Nine break-ins in any town are going to cause alarm. When black bears are the culprits, that may be a bit more concerning. However, when your town sports a 'Bear Task Force', you probably have some level of expectation for this type of invasion.

Sunday is the start of Small Game hunting season in New York State. Some portions of the state will offer youth and veteran opportunities to get out there on Saturday. The biggest thing to remember as hunting season begins is: safety.

New York State is focusing on the latest technology to try to reduce one of our country's senior population's greatest challenges, loneliness. Researchers from the state's Office of the Aging is using a technology called ElliQ that is designed to reduce a person's feeling of isolation and being out of touch.

Some cases that go to Federal Court are a "little fishy." This is literally one of those. A Montauk fisherman faces 20 years for illegally over-harvesting fluke and black sea bass over a four year period. Seems like a steep penalty? That's because the story gets deeper and involves a prominent Montauk family that, some say, has dominated the East End of Long Island's fishing industry for decades.

A video emerged showing actor and comedian Kevin Hart in a wheelchair. The cause of his injury? A race with a former New York Jets' running back.

For the fifth time this summer, a person has been attacked by a shark on a New York beach. This time, the swimmer was left in critical condition.

For well over a century, maybe two, towns, hunting clubs and various organizations across New York State, and the country, have held fundraisers that pay cash and prizes to hunters and/or trappers that bring in the largest coyote or the heaviest sack of squirrels. Now, 8 states across the nation have banned such contests and Empire State Governor Kathy Hochul is contemplating signing a bill, passed by the legislature to join-in.