Delhi

The anti-hydrofracking group Elected Officials to Protect New York held a news conference at the capitol on Wednesday arguing that the potential costs of dealing with a natural gas boom could be seen as an unfunded mandate on localities.

A possible merger between American Airlines and U.S. Airways that would create the nation's largest carrier could be in the works and announced as soon as next week. The two airlines have been discussing a potential deal for months and sources say that the board of directors of AMR Corp., American’s parent company, will meet on Monday to consider a possible merger.

The Village of Oxford’s board of trustees has approved the first hydrofracking ban in Chenango County. In a 4-1 vote, a zoning measure was passed that bars gas exploration, extraction and disposal within the Village of Oxford.

The U.S. Postal Service plans to end Saturday delivery as part of a strategy to halt losses at an agency that hemorrhaged $15.9 billion in its most recent fiscal year. The postal service is set to stop Saturday mail delivery to homes and businesses on Aug. 1 but will continue to deliver packages on Saturdays and post-office boxes would continue to receive mail on Saturdays.

The Catskill Regional Teacher Center will be hosting the ninth annual legislative forum to discuss education from 4:30-5:30 p.m. Thursday at the Bugbee School auditorium in Oneonta. U.S. Representative Chris Gibson, assemblymen Bill Magee, Peter Lopez and Cliff Crouch along with aides from State Senator James Seward and U.S Senator Kirsten Gillibrand will be in attendance.

New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli announced Tuesday that Cabot Oil and Gas Corporation has agreed to publicly disclose its policy and procedures for eliminating or minimizing the use of toxic substances in its hydraulic fracturing fluids.

Superstorm Sandy severely damaged the Statue of Liberty national monument, which remains closed more than three months after the storm struck, with no estimated re-opening date.

The U.S. Department of Energy released a statement that concluded U.S. households spent an average of just over $2,900 on gasoline in 2012. That is the highest level in four years. The numbers reached similar levels in 2008, when a red-hot global economy and panic over dwindling supplies sent gas prices through the roof. Before that, it was nearly three decades to see percentages of incomes spent

New Yorkers remain divided on the issue of hydrofracking and southern tier residents are just as split, according to a new Siena College Research Institute poll of New York voters released Tuesday.

New York State has started recruiting insurance companies to provide coverage through the New York Health Benefit Exchange created under national health care reforms.