Tuesday Headlines: Is It Over Yet?

Are you keeping count?

The state legislature passed this year’s 11th budget extender yesterday to keep state government running while negotiations over the upcoming fiscal year’s budget continue.

The operational band-aid runs through Thursday, so there isn’t much chance of seeing budget bills until then, and that’s assuming that Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Gov. Hochul come to an agreement on what an agreement is and wrap up negotiations on policy and spending.

How close is New York to a budget?

The Assembly’s finance czar gave a pretty good picture.

“The specifics at this time are difficult and when you’re at this stage of the budget process,” said Assembly Ways and Means Chair Gary Pretlow (D-Mount Vernon) you really don’t want to divulge any things because you’re under risk of blowing it up.”

More news:

• Things are heating up in Manhattan politics. Assembly Member Alex Bores picked up an endorsement from Rep. Pat Ryan (D-Hudson Valley) in his quest to secure the 12th Congressional District. Kennedy family scion Jack Schlossberg is making a healthcare pitch to voters as he also vies for the seat. Further south in the 10th Congressional District, Rep. Dan Goldman and former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander’s face-off for the Democratic nomination is turning into something of a proxy battle for factions of the party. Right now, polls have Lander slightly ahead. (Politico, amNY, NY1, Gothamist and City & State)
• Hochul secured a disastrous car insurance deal, but how?
• State lawmakers concede that the plan’s supposed savings will take a while to materialize. (WXXI)
• The Stop Super Speeders Act will only work if New York City officials and state government work together to close any loopholes.
• The Republican primary to replace Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-North Country) continues to divide the party at the local and national level. (NCPR, Newsday)
• Rep. Mike Lawler (R-Rockland) is being accused of double-dealing with his old consulting firm. (The New York Times)
• Hochul wants to avoid a LIRR strike as a new labor agreement eludes the MTA. (Newsday)
• The governor’s negotiation style upsets many, but she has no plans of changing. (State of Politics, City & State)
• And on climate, she’s infuriating advocates who see her rollback of state law as a politically calculated betrayal. (WSKG)
• A Bar panel is taking action against John Sarcone, the man President Trump tried to force through as U.S. attorney for the Northern District of New York. (The Times Union)
• Kingston is spending $1.5 million on street accessibility and safety. (Hudson Valley One)
• A Wappingers sidewalk closed since 2020 could be reopened after repairs. (The Poughkeepsie Journal)
• A commercial corridor in Irondequoit could be transformed by $4.5 million in state funding to include more pedestrian infrastructure. (Rochester Democrat & Chronicle)
• Middletown is cracking down on motorized scooters on city streets. (Mid Hudson News)
• Dead voters appeared on a Brooklyn Assembly candidates’ petition. (The New York Post)
• And Ballot challenges are reshaping some of New York’s primary races. (The Times Union)
• Honda suspended plans for a $15 billion electric vehicle plant near Toronto, with U.S. tariffs appearing a likely culprit. (BTPM)
• Murals meant to give new meaning to a highway’s separation of Syracuse neighborhoods are starting to fade. (Central Current)
• Hey, Mayor, how about filling your vacant seats on the MTA board? (The City)
• A delivery robot committed a hit-and-run that left a cyclist badly injured. (News12)
• Wise move: Amazon now says it won’t sell illegal e-motos in California. (ABC7)
• Road squalor: U.S. Department of Transportation Sec. Sean Duffy wasn’t content to merely punish New York for its public transit, its congestion pricing and its growing effort to spur bike use — he had to go and turn a family road trip into a reality program. (The Daily Beast)