Free Republic

ALBANY, N.Y. — A new bill in the New York State Assembly would require all restaurants at Thruway rest stops be open seven days a week. That includes Chick-fil-A. The fast food chain has a company policy of being closed on Sundays — which lawmakers backing the bill say is a “disservice and unnecessary inconvenience” for travelers on the Thruway. The bill was just introduced Wednesday, meaning it has a while to go before it could b voted on or potentially signed into law. Right now, Chick-fil-A eateries are open at seven of 27 Thruway service areas being rebuilt.

The state Inspector General’s Office is finalizing a bombshell investigation into the state Thruway Authority that is said to reach the highest levels of the organization, sources say. While the focus is unclear, two sources confirmed the Cuomo administration has already been approaching possible replacements for Thruway Authority Executive Director Thomas Madison. Reps for the inspector general's office, Cuomo and the Thruway Authority had no comment. Billionaire developer Howard Milstein recently resigned as Thruway Authority chairman. One source said Milstein, a big-time donor to Gov. Cuomo, to avoid getting caught up in the controversy once the IG report is released....

New York State’s Dedicated Highway and Bridge Trust Fund hasn’t been all that dedicated. Since 1991, only 34.9 percent of the money in the fund went directly toward the repair and improvement of the state’s deteriorating roads and bridges. And over the next four years, that will shrink to about one fifth. It’s supposed to be a “locked box,” but apparently the lock wasn’t very strong. If only one-third of the money in the Highway and Bridge Trust Fund has actually been used to pay for highways and bridges, the question, is, where did the money go? The answer is...

SUNBURY — U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter said Tuesday that the fate of the proposed Central Susquehanna Valley Thruway depends on his re-election, and he and the federal transportation secretary will drive around Pennsylvania discussing the project Aug. 24 Specter and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood will go on a road trip to Philadelphia, Scranton and Allentown, said Specter’s press secretary, Kate Kelly. They will discuss highway priorities, she said, not necessarily confined to those locations. Speaking after his Tuesday town hall meeting in Lewisburg, Specter called the Thruway long overdue. Specter, who in April switched from the Republican to...

BUFFALO -- It appears the New York State Thruway will again figure prominently in a dispute between the Seneca Indian Nation and the state over cigarette taxes. On Tuesday, Seneca President Barry Snyder outlined the nations response to a law signed by Gov. David Paterson that would ban manufacturers from selling unstamped cigarettes to wholesalers who supply reservation stores. Snyder says tribal councilors are now devising a system to collect tolls of $2 per car on the Thruway, where it passes through the tribes Cattaraugus Reservation in western New York. He called the interstate an illegal, unlicensed business. In 1997,...

New taxes, deep cuts to education and health care, and a restructuring of the state's economic development programs will be hallmarks of Gov. David Paterson's first budget plan to be released in two days, according to interviews of people briefed on components. The plan will come with a host of revenue raisers — increased taxes on hospitals and insurance policies, for instance — and at least one new assessment, a so-called obesity tax on non-diet soda to raise $404 million. The governor also is contemplating requiring new license plates to raise cash, reviving sales tax on clothing purchases, removing the...

It is going to cost more to drive in New York State after the Thruway Authority approves a series of toll hikes. Some drivers will begin feeling the effect of this latest toll hike as early as this summer. The Board of Directors says the hikes will help raise 375-million dollars over the next three years. Those who pay tolls with cash will see the smallest increase: five-percent jumps in both January 2009 and 2010. And for those who use E-Z Pass, they could see an even higher hike: as much as 28-percent! NEWS10's John McLoughlin has more on Friday's...