Rachel Silberstein and David Lombardo report for the Albany Times Union that there has been plenty of drama and dysfunction in the State Senate in Albany this week. In early May Long Island Republican Tom Croci was called away to active military duty, and the Senate has been in a 31-31 deadlock ever since. Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul has been called in to helm the chamber, but the rules about the powers of the Lt. Governor are unclear. "I think it's clear when the lieutenant governor is here, things have gone awry," said Senate Majority Leader John J. Flanagan. So citizens instead get shenanigans such as Senate Republicans canceling all planned floor votes, after Democrats tried to vote for a bill they did not like. "The real issue here is do the Democrats want to make a political point so much that they would avoid having many of their local bills voted on," Republican State Senator John A. DeFrancisco said. "We'll see." Read the full story in the Albany Times Union.