links for 2011-02-21

Cato native Regan Smith finished seventh and led the race in the final 10 laps before being spun out. He was at or near the front for much of Sunday's NASCAR season-opener.

New York State Thruway employee invents a new method for the stripes on the edge of the highway.

The federal government rejected a proposal on Friday to build an Indian casino in the Catskills, nullifying a deal reached in the waning days of the Paterson administration to settle a land claim by a tribe based in Wisconsin.

Maghabe over at Politico hears some changes could be in store for the NYS GOP: She writes: "New York Republican officials are seriously considering changing the state's winner-take-all primary system to one with proportionality, meaning candidates could compete for the delegates doled out

A month after Attorney General Eric Schneiderman declared war on government cheats, today he announced a multimillion settlement today with one of them – a pharmaceutical giant that inflated the price of drugs sold to the state.

To lessen the pain of deep cuts in school districts statewide, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has created two new pots of money — $500 million total — to reward districts for innovations and efficiencies.