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Assem. Lopez says he's stepping down Monday

Embattled Assemblyman Vito Lopez is stepping down on Monday amid sexual harassment allegations. The move comes before expulsion procedures against him were to begin.

Vito Lopez's resignation came in the form of a letter to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver early Saturday morning. He simply said he was stepping down effective 9:00am Monday.

Hours earlier the Brooklyn Assemblyman released a statement saying he would leave at the end of session on June 20th.

Lopez had been under mounting pressure from both sides of the aisle to take a hike after two of his female staffers accused him of sexual harassment. Then two reports, one from a downstate special prosecutor - the other from the Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) - revealed the allegations in detail.

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Fatal accident in Warren County

One person has died after a crash late Friday night in Lake Luzerne.

Cuomo projects $90M for State Parks construction

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - The Cuomo administration says about $90 million will be spent this year on construction projects at 50 of the state's parks and historic sites.
    
It says that will cover almost 90 projects to upgrade infrastructure or fix potential health and safety problems.
    
Planning will also begin on 60 more projects to be undertaken in coming years. There are 179 state parks and 35 historic sites in New York.
    
The funding includes $7.4 million in New York City, $11.3 million in the Capital Region and $7.9 million in the Finger Lakes. It also includes $13.2 million in the Hudson Valley; $10 million on Long Island, $4.8 million in the Mohawk Valley, $4.7 million in the North Country, $5.8 million in the Southern Tier and $16 million in western New York.

Vermont woman answers to fatal crash charges

FORT EDWARD, N.Y. (AP) - A 31-year-old Vermont woman arrested after a fatal crash in upstate New York has been convicted of drunken and reckless driving. But a jury acquitted her of manslaughter and homicide.
    
The Glens Falls Post Star (http://bit.ly/11L61oo) reports Cassie Earley of Arlington, Vt., cried when she heard the Washington County jury's verdict Friday.
    
Prosecutors said her blood alcohol level was 0.18 percent when she crashed into an oncoming car at 7 a.m. on July 29 in the town of Hebron. That's more than twice the legal limit. The crash killed 83-year-old Vincent Muro Sr., of West Rutland, Vt. A passenger in Muro's car was injured.
    
She was tried on charges including drunken driving, manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide.
    
Earley faces up to a year in prison when she's sentenced June 14.

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Canadian quake felt across parts of upstate NY

OGDENSBURG, N.Y. (AP) - A 5.1-magnitude earthquake in Ontario, Canada has been felt across upstate New York from Buffalo to the Vermont border.

Small demonstration outside Boy Scouts HQ supports gay ban

ALBANY - Three adults stood along Washington Avenue Extension Friday afternoon, outside the scout headquarters for 13 upstate counties.

"Each parent should have the opportunity to discuss those sensitive topics with their own children at the times and place of their choosing," said Jim Ault, as assistant scoutmaster with a troop in Colonie.

This was part of a coordinated demonstration effort by the group OnMyHonor.net in 40 cities to oppose changing the membership policy.

The organization's advance media material said "the policy change would foster open homosexuality among boys in the organization."

"If this resolution passes, there are many, many parents who will remove their children from the program," Ault said. "Many troops across the nation and many funding organizations may choose to pull away."

Silver will go ahead with effort to expel Lopez

Assemblyman Vito Lopez, D-Brooklyn. - NYS Assembly

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver says he'll go ahead with a planned vote to expel Assemblyman Vito Lopez from office despite Lopez's announcement that he's resigning at the end of the legislative session.
    
Lopez says Friday he'll resign June 20 not because of a sexual harassment scandal, but to run for New York City Council. Lopez says he's gratified two investigations of his behavior found no basis to charge him with a crime.
    
But Silver says the scathing reports by a special prosecutor and the state's ethics board revealed enough to force Lopez from office immediately.
    
Gov. Andrew Cuomo also said Lopez, a fellow Democrat, should resign or be expelled.
    
Silver hopes to have an expulsion resolution before the Assembly on Monday.