ECONOMY IN CRISIS SECTION

WEEKDAYS AT 5:30 P.M. ON NEWSCHANNEL 2

Top Hitting Home Story

100 workers to be impacted as Mohawk Valley Psychiatric Center loses three wards

UTICA, N.Y. (WKTV) - Two wards will be closed at the Mohawk Valley Psychiatric Center in Utica and an additional ward moved to another facility, according to the state's Office of Mental Health. It is a move that will impact roughly 100 employees there. Read more »

More Hitting Home Stories

State snowmobiling officials: Mild winter having a big economic impact

ROME, N.Y. (WKTV) - The annual New York State Snowmobile Association's winter meeting was held on Saturday in Rome. Read More »

Bassett Healthcare Network: passage of Payroll Tax Bill will cost us millions

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. (WKTV) - Local and state officials, along with Bassett Medical Center are all urging congress not to pass a bill that would cost the hospital close to $77 million over the next decade. Read More »

Kodak wants name off LA home of Oscars broadcast

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) - Eastman Kodak Co. wants to end its contract for naming rights to the glamorous Los Angeles theater that hosts the Academy Awards as it tries to improve its financial position enough to move out of bankruptcy. Read More »

Fate of administrative funds from Medicaid a concern for some officials

HERKIMER, N.Y. (WKTV) - Herkimer County lawmakers learned more Wednesday about how Governor Andrew Cuomo's budget affects them. Read More »

Mohawk Valley Water Authority proposing 2 percent hike

MOHAWK VALLEY, N.Y. (WKTV) - The Mohawk Valley Water Authority is proposing a 2 percent hike in water rates that will take effect April 1, if approved. The rate increase would bring about a $9 annual increase to the average household's bill. Read More »

City of Utica taking owner of former HSBC building to court deteriorating conditions

UTICA, N.Y. (WKTV) - The City of Utica is going to court to force an absentee landlord to bring a landmark local building he owns up to code. Read More »

North Utica Friendly's closing its doors for good January 22

UTICA, N.Y. (WKTV) - A longtime ice cream shop in North Utica will be closing its doors at the end of the month. Read More »

Congressman Hanna: focus on quality of jobs, not quantity of them

NEW HARTFORD, N.Y. (WKTV) - Congressman Richard Hanna had a lot to say about jobs while speaking at the Utica Rotary Club Meeting at the Holiday Inn in New Hartford on Friday. Read More »

School officials: Regardless of how residents vote on school merger, take time to get informed

ILION, N.Y. (WKTV) - Residents can ask questions and find out more information about the proposed Herkimer County School Merger at the final informational meeting on Thursday night. Read More »

NYS closes seventh prison, moves inmates and staff

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - The state has closed the Arthur Kill Correctional Facility on Staten Island, the seventh prison, camp or work release facility shuttered in 2011 as New York transferred several thousand inmates and staff to its 60 remaining sites to try to save millions of dollars. Read More »

Village of Ilion proposing to override state-mandated 2 percent property tax cap

ILION, N.Y. (WKTV) - The Village of Ilion Board is one of the first in the area to propose an override to the state-mandated 2 percent property tax cap. Read More »

Reducing number of legislators, meetings, and eliminating health insurance proposed to cut county costs

ONEIDA COUNTY, N.Y. (WKTV) - After listening to the public's requests and comments, the Oneida County Board of Legislators chairman Gerald Fiorini and members of the Republican caucus say they have come up with a set of reforms that will reduce county government spending and increase efficiency. Read More »

Yorkville residents fear loss of identity in police department vote, Mayor fears increase in taxes, cuts to services if voted down

YORKVILLE, N.Y. (WKTV) - The line of voters wanting to make their voices heard on the dissolution of the Yorkville Police Department formed outside the village offices before the polls opened at noon on Tuesday. Read More »

Senator Gillibrand announces agreement to delay postal facility closures for five months

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and 14 Senators from around the country announced Tuesday that, at their request, the U.S. Postal Service has voluntarily agreed to put in place a five-month moratorium on closing postal facilities, which would give Congress more time to enact postal reform legislation. Read More »

Voters hit the polls to decide fate of Yorkville Police Department

YORKVILLE, N.Y. (WKTV) - It's "D-Day" in the Village of Yorkville for the local police department. The polls opened at Noon to decide if the police department should stay as is, or if it should be dissolved into the Oneida County Sheriff's Department. Read More »

Voting underway on St. Johnsville-Oppenheim-Ephratah merger

ST. JOHNSVILLE and OPPENHEIM, N.Y. (WKTV) - Residents in St. Johnsville and Oppenheim-Ephratah school districts are voting on a final referendum to merge the schools Wednesday. Read More »

Officials: Declining population to blame for discrepancy in gas prices

UTICA, N.Y. (WKTV) - Take a drive through Upstate New York and you'll notice quite a discrepancy in gas prices at pumps from Syracuse, to Utica, to Albany. Read More »

Cuts to postal service means longer delivery times

UTICA, N.Y. (WKTV) - We now live in the digital age where we can send mail through cyberspace with a click of a mouse in a matter of seconds. It is this high-tech correspondence that has put quite a dent in business for the U.S. Postal Service. Read More »

Postal Service cuts to include 13 centers in NY

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - The Postal Service is set to announce an estimated $3 billion in reductions that would close roughly 250 of the nearly 500 mail processing centers across the country as early as next March, including 13 in New York. Read More »