U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel, D-Bronx, announced today the introduction of a bill that would require half of all cars made in the U.S. be manufactured as “flexible fuel” vehicles, meaning they could run on gasoline, alcohol or a combination of the two.

Vehicles manufacturers would have until 2012 to meet this goal before it rises to [...]

A recent APNews-Yahoo poll has found that pet owners were more likely to vote for Republican Arizona Sen. John McCain in November’s presidential election than Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, a Democrat.

A subsequent Associated Press article took note of the popularity of White House pets.  Like him or not, George W. Bush’s Scottish terriers are good [...]

Rockland’s county executive couldn’t resist a little gloating today at a county executives forum at Dominican College in Orangeburg.

When someone from the audience asked how the state could clean up politics in Albany, C. Scott Vanderhoef deadpanned “Well, if they elected another governor last time, I would have been helpful.”

Vanderhoef, who then broke into a [...]

State Sen. Thomas Morahan, R-New City, has been given the Heinz E. Lehman Award for Distinguished Service to Research. Presented by the state Office of Mental Health, the award honors health professional or advocates who promote research for the treatment, prevention and rehabilitation of mental illness.

Morahan led the effort for Timothy’s Law, now a state [...]

County Legislature Vice Chairman William Darden, D-Hillcrest, announced today that he would not seek election to the 95th Assembly District against incumbent Ellen Jaffee, D-Suffern.

“I thought about it for a period of time. I had supporters over there and I truly treasure their support,” Darden said this afternoon.

Even though he knows it’s cliche, Darden said [...]

Legislation has passed both state chambers to declare Friday as Thurgood Marshall Day in the state.

The measure was sponsored by State Sen. Thomas Morahan,  R-New City, and Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee, D-Suffern, to honor the Supreme Court justice for his contributions to the civil rights movement.

Marshall visited Rockland in 1943 to call for desegregation of a [...]

Ramapo Town Clerk Chris Sampson has formally announced that he will challenge Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee, D-Suffern, in the Democratic primary for Jaffee’s seat this fall.

Sampson was one of several area Democrats who said this winter they were interested in the seat. The others were County Legislature Vice Chairman William Darden, Suffern Mayor John Keegan, [...]

The state Board of Elections has a brand new Web site as of today. It looks nice—nothing flashy—but there’s still some kinks to be worked out.

When I tried to access a campaign committee’s financial disclosure I was taken to a search based on contributors. Oops. Then my Safari browser timed out. Ditto for Firefox. Oops [...]

U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel’s office announced today that the Internal Revenue Service would open sites and be available by phone to assist residents who are eligible for the upcoming economic stimulus payment, but who don’t regularly file an income tax return.

On Saturday, the IRS will assist residents with the 1040A form that residents are filing [...]

Minutes after Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned over his purported role in a pricey prostitution ring, Rockland County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef, a Republican, issued the following statement:

“This is a very sad day, but it marks a new beginning for New York state,” he said. “The Spitzer tenure is now over, and the Paterson tenure [...]