Spin Cycle: The Cuomo Watch

With lawmakers intent on adopting a state budget by March 21, it's quite possible they will remove some of the most contentious items from the discussion. Such as casinos and the minimum wage.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has proposed raising the state's minimum wage to $8.75 per hour. Republicans seemed open to compromise but now want to await possible action on the federal level.

Cuomo also proposed limiting new, non-Indian-run casinos to three upstate sites -- even though last year he and lawmakers signaled support for up to seven around the state. This too could be postponed for a few weeks.

"Casinos we could certainly do in the budget or later in the session," the governor said last week at the Capitol.-- Yancey Roy