Governor Andrew Cuomo has tapped President David Skorton to chair the New York Racing Association Reorganization Board. Skorton and the board’s 16 other members will be charged with reshaping the management of thoroughbred racing in the state.

Recent delays may signal that Gov. Andrew Cuomo will not approve hydraulic fracturing because of pressure from environmentalists, only a few months after he was set to sign off on the practice.

After a four-year-long regulatory review, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation announced on Thursday that it would delay its decision on whether to permit hydraulic fracturing until New York’s health commissioner and “qualified outside experts” assess the practice’s health impacts.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) on Monday said that there are no immediate plans for a decision on whether to allow hydraulic fracturing in New York State, adding that he expects lawsuits from groups on both sides of the issue no matter what the decision.

Opponents of hydraulic fracturing in New York State won two small, but important victories this week. On Wednesday, the Obama administration announced new regulations for controlling emissions from “fracking,” while the state on Thursday delayed its report on the environmental impact of the practice.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) awarded the Southern Tier region up to $49.4 million of a total $785 million in December in state aid designated to promote economic growth. The Southern Tier received the smallest amount of aid of the 10 regional councils vying for a portion of the funds.

The Southern Tier Regional Economic Development Council, co-chaired by President David Skorton, presented the final version of its strategic plan to stimulate job creation and economic growth to New York State officials in Albany on Tuesday.

Ithaca's Common Council held a special meeting Monday to discuss the implication of a property tax cap passed by the New York Senate.

In its first game since saying goodbye to four starters from last season's Sweet Sixteen squad, the Cornell men's basketball team came back from 12 points down to beat the University of Albany, 65-61.

After splitting another two games this week, the women’s basketball team is holding an even 3-3 record. On Tuesday night in Newman Arena, Cornell notched a 73-57 victory against IUPUI, but then fell, 80-55, to Albany yesterday on the road.