Jon Campbell and Tiffany Cusaac-Smith report in the Democrat and Chronicle that New York now has its first female governor. Kathy Hochul went from Lt. Governor to the state's leader at midnight Aug. 24, after Andrew Cuomo resigned in the wake of 11 allegations of sexual harassment and an assortment of ethical failures. New York's 57th governor was sworn in during a private ceremony at the state Capitol, with Janet DiFiore, the state's chief judge, administering the oath of office. Hochul served in Congress for 18 months from 2011 to 2013, and was Erie County clerk from 2007 to 2011 after serving on the Hamburg town board and as a congressional aide. Hochul named Karen Persichilli Keogh, a former aide to then-Sen. Hillary Clinton, as secretary to the governor, a post regarded by some as the most powerful nonelected position in state government. The new governor also appointed Elizabeth Fine as counsel to the governor. Fine most recently served as executive vice president and general counsel at Empire State Development, which runs the state's economic-development plan. Cuomo, meanwhile, released a final video as governor to the public on Aug. 23, and instead of an apology continued to attack political opponents. But he did release a statement saying running for office again was not in his future. But Carl Heastie, the Speaker of the New York State Assembly, unilaterally ended the impeachment efforts recently, so Cuomo can legally run for the same office again next year. Read more about this story in the Democrat and Chronicle.