Governor Cuomo signed a bill designed to provide support for women facing maternal depression during pregnancy and following childbirth. The new law provides information and guidelines on maternal depression screening; information on follow-up support and referrals; and public education to promote awareness of and de-stigmatize maternal depression.  The legislation is also intended to ensure that New Yorkers are informed of the public health services that will help them understand, identify and treat maternal depression.
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33-year-old Michael Buck is attempting to withdraw his guilty plea fro first-degree manslaughter in Otsego county court. Buck pleaded guilty earlier this year in a plea bargain deal, for the shooting death of his father Joseph Buck last September in the town of Middlefield. Buck was due to be sentenced in Otsego county court Monday when his attorney requested to withdraw the guilty plea.
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A Wall Street Journal/ Marist College/ NBC News poll released Monday showed that Governor Cuomo’s favorability rating decreased by 5% points compared to last month, down to 53%. Republican Rob Astorino’s ratings were down by 1% to 22%. Cuomo’s drop in numbers is attributed to a controversy that Cuomo’s aids may have interfered with the 2012 Moreland Commission on ethics reforms, Astorino’s numbers remained low as 53% of those polled, had never heard of him.
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Southern Tier residents are advised to sign up soon to be a disaster volunteers with Southern Tier Volunteers until August 31, 2014, and receive a free personal disaster preparedness kit. The Offer is limited to the first 300 new signups. Volunteers must reside in the 8-county Southern Tier Region more information is available at southerntiervolunteers.org.
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The Chenango county sheriffs department arrested 45-year-old Michael Ruland of Guilford for Endangering the Welfare of a Child. Ruland was charged following an investigation into a Domestic Disturbance, he is accused of subjecting a 10-year-old child to unwanted physical contact. Ruland was arraigned in the Town of Guilford Court and was remanded to the Chenango County Correctional Facility on $5000 cash bail pending future court action.
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Governor Cuomo has hired an attorney, to be paid for out of his campaign chest, top refute allegations of possible interference with the Moreland commission. Cuomo set up the Moreland Commission in 2012 after the legislature refused to act on ethics reforms, they agreed to a reform package in March 2013, and the commission was deactivated as dictated by state law. Cuomo is accused of interfering with the commission’s work, and he is being questioned about using campaign money to pay for an attorney. State law dictates that taxpayer money is used for lawsuits against a sitting governor.
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The Chenango County Sheriff’s Office arrested 38-year-old Kendra Baker of Greene on an active Bench Warrant, issued out of City of Norwich Court, for failure to appear to pay restitution on a Welfare Fraud charge. Baker was arraigned in Town of Norwich Court and sent to the Chenango County Jail on $1,000 bail
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With schools set to open next month, a new report ranks schools in New York state 20th in the nation. The report, released by WalletHub, a personal finance social network, conducted an analysis of schools in all 50 states. It used a dozen metrics — from student-teacher ratios and drop-out rates, to test scores and bullying incident rates, along with data from the Census Bureau, the National Center for Educational Statistics and other sources, to compile its list. New York did not appear in the top five in any of those categories
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1of the nation’s biggest credit-rating firms warned New York officials the state’s improved rating is at risk as the federal government tries to get back nearly $1.3 billion in Medicaid payments. Moody’s Investors Service said the potential Medicaid repayment is a “credit negative” for the state. Officials with Medicare and Medicaid accuse New York of wrongfully paying out money in 2010 for about 1,300 developmentally disabled people in 9 state facilities. Medicaid officials also said they might demand further repayments once reviews of the state’s 2011 and 2012 fiscal years are finished. State officials said the state is in good financial shape and windfalls from civil settlements from banks and financial firms will cover any future bill owed to the federal government.
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