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In firing scandal-tarred lawyer Joseph Savino, Clarkstown leaders acted swiftly in dealing with a potentially explosive situation.

But let's not break out the good government awards just yet.

Savino is the Bronx Republican Party boss whose White Plains-based law firm was hired by Clarkstown last year to handle tax-challenge cases even though he apparently had little expertise in that...

Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino’s name is among those being tossed around for a potential gubernatorial run in 2014 but don’t expect to see his name on the top of any GOP ticket.

He’s not looking to relocate to the executive mansion in Albany. Not next year, anyway, since the governor is even considered by many Republicans to be unbeatable.

The first term Republican is among...

When Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo first proposed his $143 billion budget in January, he said it was “simple and straightforward.” In his quest to deliver a third consecutive on time budget, the governor said putting a plan together ought to be relatively simple exercise – one that was about the numbers adding up. His administration touted their budget was an accounting document rather than a political one....

When Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton uttered the nonsensical excuse during his 1992 run for the presidency that he “didn’t inhale,” many people seemed more put off by his answer than with his partaking in a joint decades earlier.

Since then, the public seems more tolerant of marijuana. Even though it remains illegal, marijuana use nowadays doesn’t raise so much as an eyebrow for many people, unless...

Score one for the Dems.

Democrats on the Westchester County Board of Legislators won one of its many legal challenges against County Executive Rob Astorino.

This latest suit was a dispute over an appointment to the Board of Acquisition and Contracts, a powerful trio historically made up of the county executive, the county board chairman and the public works commissioner, an Astorino...

And then there were three.

A New York State Supreme Court justice on Monday dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Westchester County Board of Legislators against County Executive Rob Astorino, whittling the number of court fights between the two branches down to three.

The dismissal left both sides claiming victory, though it’s more likely to leave taxpayers scratching their heads: They’re...

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo did it.

He uttered those two words that we so often hear from our political leaders when they are afraid of getting ahead of themselves: “Cautiously optimistic.”

The governor was referring to the likelihood that the federal government will come through with a low-interest loan for the replacement of the Tappan Zee Bridge.

The bridge builders like their odds...

Could the next pope be the last of the Roman Catholic Church?

Yes, according to an ancient prophecy written by an Irish saint.

St. Malachy, bishop of Armagh in the 12th Century, predicted that the current pope -- although he was not specifically identified as Pope Benedict XVI -- would be the second-to-last pontiff before the end of the world.

Benedict said Monday that he would...

For anyone keeping score, Democrats on the Westchester Board of Legislators recently dropped one of their lawsuits against Republican County Executive Rob Astorino.

The suit in question involved day care, and Democrats say that after the legislature approved this year’s budget – the $1.7 billion plan signed off by seven Republicans and two Democrats with a new 27 percent parental contribution...

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is showing a few blemishes after the state’s recent passage of new gun control laws.

More than 100,000 people have signed online petitions against New York’s newly enacted gun control laws and some people have publicly vowed to ignore aspects of it like registering assault weapons. Groups such as the New York State Rifle and Pistol Associations plan to sue and want the...