Free Republic

Governor Cuomo caved. Our lawmakers lied. After more than a year of fresh air in Albany — led by a governor who passed gay marriage, reformed ethics laws and capped property taxes — the state capitol again stinks. After midnight on Thursday, and behind closed doors, the proverbial three men in a room — Cuomo, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos — cut a deal carving legislative election districts that virtually assures the lawmakers who approved it will be running things for years. Instead of forming an independent panel to create districts that actually represent the...

Tragedy in Passaic County. A small plane carrying two people crashed in West Milford yesterday, killing both passengers. The Federal Aviation Administration says the Cessna 182 was attempting to take off from Greenwood Lake Airport when it crashed at the end of the runway. The four-seat, single-engine plane was quickly engulfed by flames and was destroyed. Authorities say the victims were 79-year-old Harold Botsford Junior, a flight instructor from Ringwood, and Ted Fletcher, a pilot from Franklin Lakes who was trying to refresh his license.