Jimmy Vielkind reports in the Times Union a state budget is within reach. Top state elected officials held a news conference Wed., Mar. 20, to praise a conceptual budget agreement. However, several key details in the spending plan are still not settled. And issues being simultaneously negotiated — including changes to state gun control and marijuana laws — also are unresolved. For the third year in a row, the budget is on course to be adopted on time. Excluding federal money for Superstorm Sandy recovery, the budget will be roughly $135.1 billion for the fiscal year that begins April 1. Read the full story in the Times Union.