Cuomo Administration 'Actively' Considering Commercial Casinos

(ALBANY, N.Y.) -- Gov. Anthony Cuomo is showing his hand when it comes to his position on gambling, and it's casinos that stand to profit.

Cuomo says it's time to push the chips into the middle of the table and legalize non-Indian-operated casinos in New York State, telling reporters Tuesday, "The gaming issue is an issue that this state has to come to grips with."

State officials say the motivation for such a move is to streamline what the Cuomo administration describes as a "disjointed" gambling system that allows state-run video gaming facilities at race tracks and Indian-operated casinos but prohibits all other forms of commercial gambling.

Cuomo says his administration is "actively" looking into the possibility of legalizing commercial casinos, a move that would pay dividends for state revenue and springboard a new wave of jobs.

“It’s really not an issue anymore of, ‘Well, if we don’t officially sanction it as a government, it’s not going to happen,’” Cuomo said. “It is happening.”

Before such a move can take place, the proposal would have to be approved by the legislature, followed by a public referendum.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Buffalo Schools Get $9.2M Improvement Grant

(BUFFALO, N.Y.) -- The Buffalo City School District will receive over $9 million to help improve operations at six low-achieving schools.

New York State Commissioner of Education John King announced on Tuesday that the district will get a total of $9,279,358 for the upcoming school year to help turn around six schools found to be consistently the lowest-achieving. Officials say the money comes from $308 million made available to New York State by the United States Department of Education through the School Improvement Grant Fund.

The Buffalo schools set to benefit from the grant are: Burgard High School, Riverside Institute of Technology, Bennett High School, Dr. Martin Luther King Institute #39, International School #45 and South Park High School.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

State Comptroller Proposes Gas Drillers Pay into Accident Fund

(NEW YORK) -- New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli proposed Tuesday that state natural gas drillers should contribute to a fund to finance clean-up efforts in case of potential accidents.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is considering plans to open the New York portion of the Marcellus shale formation with its a massive natural gas deposits. A two-month comment period on the controversial drilling will commence on Sept. 1.

It remains unclear how the state will regulate natural gas drilling, or hydrofracking, which critics say threatens to contaminate water supply. Proponents say the gas deposits located in New York State and elsewhere could help wean the country from its dependence on foriegn oil.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Golden Retriever Helps Fetch Rape Conviction

(POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y) -- Dogs have long been considered a man's best friend. Now, prosecutors are looking to groom canines into being a key part of their case.

The New York Times reports according to prosecutors, a golden retriever called Rosie was instrumental during the June rape trial of a 15-year-old girl in New York. The Times says Rosie is the state's first judicially approved courtroom dog. Prosecutors say Rosie helped enable the testimony of a teenager raped and impregnated by her father. According to prosecutors, Rosie specializes in comforting people under stress and, during the teen's trial, she did just that.

Given the particular agony the teen was enduring as she testified against her father, prosecutors say it was the instincts of the dog, which would lean towards the girl during difficult portions of testimony, that helped convict the man of rape.

The defense, while appreciating the sensitivity of the issue, claimed the use of the dog was "prosecutorial misconduct" and "infected the trial with such unfairness" that it compromised the rights of its client.

Rosie, an 11-year-old retriever with a background in assisting troubled youth, is now being considered by the legal community in cases which involve an especially vulnerable or emotional victim.

The defense is appealing the ruling as a result of the dog's involvement.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

NYRA Call Center to Bring 60 Jobs to New York

(ALBANY, N.Y.) -- On Monday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that the betting services vendor for New York Racing Association (NYRA)  will open a call center in Amherst, bringing 60 jobs to the state.

By making the deal with assistance from the Empire State Development (ESD), NYRA prevented jobs being sent out of state to Oregon where vendor Churchill Downs Technology Initiatives Company (CDIC) was going to operate the call center.

"I am pleased that we were able to bring these jobs back to New York," Governor Cuomo said. "The proposal to move these jobs out of state should never have happened and I want to thank NYRA and ESD for their hard work in reaching this agreement and preserving these New York-based jobs."

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio