Monday Headlines: End In Sight Edition

The end is in sight.

Gov. Hochul made her annual Girl Scout cookie drop on Friday, bringing Albany reporters seasonal treats and the news that she and the state Legislature are getting close to a handshake deal.

“It’s important for the leaders to touch base with their conferences,” Hochul told reporters. “That’s going to be the early part of next week, I would say. It’s been an important process, and I feel good about the priorities I’ve put forth, and we want to make sure we deliver a budget that is good for all New Yorkers, so that’s where we are.”

State budget negotiations have been dominated by car insurance, climate and infrastructure regulations and immigration reform, with movement on some policy items proving easier than others. Insurance conversations have been headlined by lawmakers’ concerns that the governor is risking curtailed legal rights for crash victims for savings that may not exist.

Hochul said that budget negotiations ran through the weekend and joked that reporters who expected a budget deal could head home rather than wait for progress.

“You don’t have to stick around here. This is my gift to you,” she said.

More news:

• If a LIRR strike comes to pass, riders will be affected, although some can get refunds. (Newsday)
• Rep. Adriano Espaillat’s (D-Manhattan) lefty primary challenger has some less-than-progressive donors. (The New York Post)
• Ringleaders of a bogus surge pricing scam on Uber riders were sentenced to two years in jail. (The Daily News)
• State comptroller candidate Raj Goyle can’t keep his supporters straight. (City & State)
• A crypto billionaire is spending $3.5 million to back Assembly Member Alex Bores’s (D-Manhattan) Manhattan congressional primary campaign. (Politico)
• End Citizens United’s influence is waning in New York and elsewhere. (Politico)
• The Trump administration just loves going to court over congestion pricing. (amNY)
• Rep. Pat Ryan’s (D-Hudson Valley) latest Republican challenger survived a petition challenge. (The Journal News)
• Somehow, Albany’s city budget deficit got even bigger. (WAMC)
• AAA is asking teen drivers to be safe on the roads during prom season. (WXXI)
• A Webster driver was charged after hitting a 10-year-old boy on Friday. (Rochester Democrat & Chronicle)
• Cornell’s president backed his car into students. (WSKG)
• With the state Department of Financial Services doing little to curb rising insurance rates, New York City is eyeing the creation of its own watchdog. (QNS)