A new study from Rochester Institute of Technology found a striking difference between political parties on the issue of legalizing recreational marijuana in New York state.

A longtime local businessman and philanthropist has died.

John Riedman, who developed Riedman Insurance into one of the larger insurance companies in the country, died last Saturday at the age of 90.

Riedman Insurance was sold to Florida-based Brown & Brown in 2001.

OLCOTT, N.Y. (AP & WXXI News)  New York officials have declared a state of emergency for the counties along Lake Ontario as water levels continue to rise. 

Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday directed state agencies to assist local governments and residents in responding to potential flooding in the coming days and weeks. Rising lake waters caused extensive damage in 2017, and work crews are fortifying flood-prone areas with barriers to avoid a repeat. 

Voters in suburban school districts go to the polls Tuesday to vote on school budgets and school board members.

Sherry Johnson, executive director of the Monroe County School Boards Association, says this is a very important vote for a number of reasons.

“It’s the only budget, directly, that our citizens get to vote on,” she said. “Every other budget is approved by a board.  And this one, the taxpayers get to go, and I think they would want to know as much as they could, especially when it’s impacting kids.”

(WXXI News & AP) Ed Cox, the longtime chairman of the New York state Republican Party, will step down to raise money for President Donald Trump's re-election campaign. Trump's campaign announced the move Monday.  

Erie County Republican Chairman Nick Langworthy is now poised to take over as New York GOP chairman when Cox steps down in July. 

Langworthy had launched a bid to replace Cox, who some Republicans blamed for the party's recent election losses.