Wednesday Headlines: Lets All Have A Bad Time Edition

A great way to tell if spring is coming is to gauge how testy the governor and state lawmakers get with each other. I’d say it’s nearly time to start planting daffodils. Gov. Hochul told reporters yesterday that Deputy state Senate Majority Leader Mike Gianaris was misstating the facts when he implied the second floor wasn’t interested in negotiating as state budget deliberations drag on. “I was responding to the criticism that this is trying to infer we are the roadblocks,” Hochul said. “That was false, it’s been called out as false.” Hochul’s comments come after her office argued Gianaris was being swayed by the New York State Trial Lawyers Association when he should be galvanizing his fellow senators to see the light on her car insurance scam. The state Senate canceled a scheduled conference of members ahead of their return today, seemingly not seeing any point. Perhaps there is limited value in discussing the budget and contentious debates over car insurance and climate if they don’t feel heard. More news:

– Hochul told reporters that the selection process for Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes was above board. (The Buffalo News) – Hochul is continuing to blame her attempts to change the climate law on activists who have sued her administration for not following the climate law. (City & State) – The governor hasn’t shown much interest in taxing the rich, but now she’s saying taxes on second homes are fair game. (The New York Times) – Republicans are turning to a Hempstead tax official to challenge Rep. Laura Gillen after their first choice pulled out. (Newsday) – Albany County, home to the state’s capital city, is trying to find its way out of nearly $7,000 in school zone tickets from employees. (The Times Union) – However, county officials say that enforcement cameras in the stop signs of school buses have been a success. (WAMC) – Federal lawmakers in the Mid-Hudson Valley want to know why a crucial grant for the Rhinecliff Amtrak station is in “administrative review.” (Red Hook Daily Catch) Streetsblog recently traveled through the station, and it could use the cash. – Cyclists in Henrietta, outside of Rochester, are already enjoying the benefits of a new bike boulevard. (WXXI) – Rep. Elise Stefanik’s (R-Schuylerville) new book is a bit of a head scratcher, writes Chris Curchill. (The Times Union) – Bike lanes are for bikes, folks. A moped driver was issued five tickets by the time he made it to the hospital after he hit a car while traveling in a Kingston bike lane. (NEWS10) – Construction on a controversial natural gas pipeline off the coast of New York will begin soon. (NY1) – Assembly Member Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas (D-Queens) wants the MTA to install more elevators at Queens 7 train stations. (amNY) – New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani wants free buses, but New York City Council Members Shaun Abreu and Crystal Hudson want free subways and buses for one million of the lowest-income New Yorkers. (amNY)