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And in New York, I'm Molly Messick, Columbia Radio News.
As we just heard from NPR -- the national economy shed fewer jobs than expected in April, but New York officials are telling state residents to prepare for a deep recession. State Budget Director Laura Anglin said yesterday that New York's downturn is just beginning, but high fuel prices are already affecting resident's spending habits.
TAPE: ANGLIN
LAURA ANGLIN: THE TYPICAL NEW YORKER IS TIGHTENING THEIR BELTS. THEY'RE FEELING THE CRUNCH OF HIGHER PRICES. THEY'RE HAVING TO MANAGE THEIR RESOURCES BETTER. AND I THINK THE TYPICAL NEW YORKER SHOULD KNOW THAT WE'RE AWARE OF THAT, AND THAT THE STATE NEEDS TO DO THE SAME THING. (0:14)
News of falling corporate profits and job losses comes as Governor David Patterson calls for dramatic cuts in state spending. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says the city must also tighten its budget. His proposed $59.1 billion dollar plan - made public yesterday -would arrest growth in city spending for the first time since the post-9/11 downturn.
New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine signed a bill today that makes the state the third in the nation to grant workers paid leave to care for a new child or sick relative. Under the new law - which earned broad support from Democrats and organized labor - New Jersey workers will able draw two thirds of their salaries for up to six weeks. The leave will be paid for through a mandatory payroll deduction, with payments capped at $524 per week. The law takes effect next July.
Representative Vito Fossella's blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit when he was arrested in Virginia early yesterday, according to court records. The congressman apologized to family and constitutents at a press conference on Staten Island this afternoon. He called the incident an "error in judgment."
TAPE: VITO FOSSELLA
FOSSELLA: THE ONE THING I LEARNED ABOUT THIS IS I MADE A HUGE MISTAKE. I'M TAKING ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THAT MISTAKE, AND THE CONSEQUENCES OF THAT MISTAKE. (:07)
Fossella is New York City's lone Republican Congressman, representing parts of Brooklyn and Staten Island. He came to office in a 1997 special election, and national Democratic leaders are reportedly eyeing his seat this year. Fossella fought off a strong challenge two years ago.
Fifty-eight women now charge that the financial services and media company founded by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg demoted them or cut their pay after they became pregnant and took maternity leave. Only four women were previously involved in the class-action lawsuit against Bloomberg, L.P, filed in September. A lawyer for the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said yesterday that the number of plaintiffs is still likely to grow. The Commission is reaching out to 478 women at the company who have taken maternity leave since 2002. Mayor Bloomberg is not named in the suit.
It's 55 degrees and overcast in New York City. This weekend we'll have mild temperatures - in the 60s with a chance of showers.
I'm Molly Messick, Columbia Radio News.