The U.S. Senate & the House of Representatives have passed a new 5-year farm bill that has made several changes that will be important to New York agriculture, according to Chenango County Farm Bureau director Bradd Vickers:
(Bradd Vickers 2-6-14)
Vickers also said that the movement to separate the food stamp programs from the farm bill was defeated, it could have had disastrous affects on agriculture as both were targeted for massive cuts, which did not wind up in the final farm bill. The president is expected to sign it shortly.
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The State Senate passed the “Public Assistance Integrity Act,” this week, which cracks down on welfare fraud and complies with federal mandates & insures that the state would receive crucial federal dollars. State Senator Tom Libous of Binghamton co-sponsored the bill, and discussed it on the floor of the senate:
(Libous 2-6-14)
Libous said that parts of the Public Assistance Integrity Act were already added to Governor Cuomo’s Executive Budget Proposal, indicating his intent to sign it should it reach his desk upon passage by the Assembly.
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Delaware County Deputies investigated a one-car property damage auto accident Tuesday in the Town of Delhi. 21-year-old Arron Anderson of Walton was driving on Scotch Mountain Road when he left the roadway to the right, over corrected and struck the embankment on the left side of the road. Anderson is accused of leaving the scene of the accident, he was later apprehended and was ticketed for Failure to keep right, moving from lane unsafely, leaving the scene of a property damage auto accident, open alcohol container in a motor vehicle, parked on pavement, and speed not reasonable. Anderson faces court action in the Town of Delhi Court on February 18th.
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State police from Norwich arrested 47-year-old John Gesslein of Norwich, for 3rd degree Grand Larceny, following a Department of Labor investigation into stolen unemployment benefits in 2010. Gesslein is accused of collecting about $3,900, he was issued a ticket returnable to the Town of Norwich Court on February 20th.
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State Troopers arrested 46-year-old Altamiro Oliveira & 35-year-old Otaires Da Silva both of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for unlawfully remaining in the United States. This arrest occurred after Police conducted a vehicle and traffic law stop on Interstate 81 in the town of Chenango, Both subjects were turned over to the custody of the Border Patrol agents.
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Delaware County Sheriff Tom Mills announced his plans to run for a fifth term in office after his current term ends this November. Mills said that the Sheriff’s Office was responsible for 53% of the arrests made for felony drug crimes in Delaware County in 2013, as felony drug arrests had increased by 223% percent during the 2011-2012 time frame. Mills will run as a Republican, so far, no one else has announced plans to run against the incumbent sheriff.
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Oxford Academy High School Senior Lorrin Parks has chosen to partner with the American Red Cross to hoist a blood drive on Saturday, February 15th in Oxford. The event will be from 7:30 AM to 12:30 PM at the Fort Hill American Legion Post 376 at 17 South Washington Avenue in Oxford. Walk-ins will be welcome but appointments are encouraged at lorrinparks@yahoo.com; redcrossblood.org or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS.
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