ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York can continue to enforce laws banning firearms in certain “sensitive” locations and require that handgun owners be of “good moral character,” a federal appeals court ruled Friday in its first broad review of a host of new gun rules passed in the state after a landmark Supreme Court ruling last year. But in a 261-page decision, a three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of appeals also blocked some aspects of New York's new gun rules, including a ban on people bringing firearms into houses of worship. The court also rejected a requirement that applicants for a ..read more

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A man who fired a shotgun into the air outside a synagogue in New York's capital city is an Iraqi-born U.S. citizen who told investigators he felt affected by events in the Middle East, a federal agent said in a court filing. No one was injured by the gunfire Thursday afternoon outside Albany’s Temple Israel, but children attending preschool had to shelter in place while police searched the area. Mufid Fawaz Alkhader, 28, was arrested a short distance away from the temple after laying down the shotgun, police said. He said “Free Palestine” when officers arrested him, accord ..read more

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A man fired a shotgun twice outside a Jewish temple in upstate New York, hours before the start of Hanukkah on Thursday, then said “Free Palestine” as he was taken into custody, police said. No one was injured. The episode in the state capital of Albany took place amid rising fears of antisemitism worldwide and fallout from Israel’s intensifying war in Gaza, which faces heightened criticism for the mounting Palestinian death toll. The gunfire outside Temple Israel happened at around 2 p.m. and a 28-year-old man was in custody, according to officials. Police did not identify ..read more

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Former U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi will be the Democratic nominee in next year's special election to replace ousted congressman George Santos, New York Democrats announced Thursday. Party leaders were tasked with choosing nominees for the Feb. 13 election, triggered when Santos’ fellow lawmakers voted to remove him from the U.S. House last week. In Suozzi, who previously held the congressional seat for six years, Democrats picked an experienced candidate with name recognition and an existing campaign footprint in the district. “I will work day and night with both parties to delive ..read more

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A special election to pick a successor to George Santos, the New York Republican who was expelled from the U.S. House last week, will be held on Feb. 13, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday. The race for a seat representing some Long Island suburbs and a small part of the New York City borough of Queens is expected to be a high-profile contest that will mark the start of a year of consequential congressional elections in the state. For Democrats, the election will be a test of the party's ability to flip districts around New York City that are seen as vital to their plans t ..read more

NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Scottie Scheffler has made great gains in his putting. Add that to the rest of top-ranked game, and he made it look easy Sunday. He closed with a 4-under 68 for a three-shot victory in the Hero World Challenge. Scheffler, a runner-up in the Bahamas the last two years, played bogey-free at Albany and didn't let anyone get closer than two shots on the back nine as he ended the year with his fifth victory worldwide. The Hero World Challenge is an unofficial event, though its 20-man field receives world ranking points and Scheffler only solidified his spot at No. 1. The wee ..read more

NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Scottie Scheffler made two eagles on Saturday in his round of 7-under 65 that gave the No. 1 player in the world another chance to win the Hero World Challenge. Tiger Woods will be around at the end, but only to hand out the trophy. Scheffler was never seriously out of position until the end of his round. He saved par on the 16th hole but dropped his lone shot on the 18th at Albany, giving him a three-shot lead over Matt Fitzpatrick, who also had a 65. Scheffler contending at Woods' tournament in the Bahamas is nothing new — he has been runner-up to Viktor Hovland each o ..read more

NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Tiger Woods opened with four birdies in seven holes. The closing stretch was another struggle Friday in the Hero World Challenge, which included a putt that went off the green and into the bunker. It added to a 2-under 70 that left Woods 10 shots behind Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth, but still getting around just fine at Albany and slowly getting back into the groove. But the back nine isn't helping. Woods shot 39 on the back in the opening round, and he shot 38 on Friday with a 30-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th. For Woods, there wasn't a great mystery why he w ..read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House voted on Friday to expel Republican Rep. George Santos of New York after a blistering ethics report on his conduct heightened lawmakers' concerns about the scandal-plagued freshman. Santos became just the sixth member in the chamber's history to be ousted by colleagues, and the third since the Civil War. The vote to expel was 311-114, easily clearing the two-thirds majority required. House Republican leaders opposed removing Santos, whose departure leaves them with a razor-thin majority, but in the end 105 GOP lawmakers sided with nearly all Democrats to expel him ..read more

NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Tiger Woods held up just fine Thursday in his first time competing in eight months, except for limping at the end. That was more about his golf than his fused right ankle. Woods was holding his own at the Hero World Challenge until a double bogey from a bush on the par-5 15th, followed by two more bogeys. The result was a 3-over 75, eight shots out of the lead and a score better than only two players in the 20-man field at Albany. Asked what he got out of his round, Woods laughed and said, “Hit a lot of shots.” British Open champion Brian Harman and Tony Finau led the w ..read more