The State Senate Task Force on the rise of the use of heroin across the state has issued a package of 25 bills for the legislature to consider.  State Senator Jim Seward was on the task force, he submitted a bill to tighten up laws regarding insurance and those trying to break their addiction:

(Seward 5-29-14)

The legislature has only a few weeks left before the end of their 2014 session.

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Convicted murderer David Dart of Portlandville had his application for parole release rejected for the 2^nd time. Dart has served more than 24½ years in prison for the September 1989 murder of 18 year old Gillian Gibbons, who was found fatally stabbed by her sister, in her car parked ion the lower level of the Oneonta Municipal Parking Garage.  A campaign to keep Dart from being released was launched on Facebook by Gibbon’s relatives.

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The Delaware County Board of Supervisors approved establishing a 2% occupancy tax at their recent meeting in Delhi.  58 of the 62 counties in the state have a similar tax.  The tax is expected to bring in an additional $197,000 in revenue. The plan now goes to Albany for approval by the state Legislature. The board also authorized the purchase of a 12-passenger van for the Veterans Service

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State senators are pushing considering a new bicycle safety bill, which would add a bicycle and pedestrian safety component to the required driver’s education manual and exam. The new material will cover safely passing a cyclist on the road, special considerations while driving in urban areas, the definition and designation of bike lanes and navigating an intersection with pedestrians and bicycle riders.  The surge in cycling popularity has resulted in more than 200,000 riders sharing state roadways.

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The Otsego County Chamber of Commerce announced their 28^th Annual Golf Classic will be held on Thursday, August 7^th.   The event will be held at the Oneonta Country Club; with 11:30am Lunch and registration & a 1:00pm shot gun start. More information is available at 432-4500.

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Governor Cuomo announced that New York and 7 other states have agreed on a plan to dramatically increase the number of clean vehicles being driven by consumers. Under the Multi-State Zero-Emission Vehicles Action Plan, the states set a goal to have 3.3 million zero-emission vehicles on U.S. roads by 2025.   The Multi-State ZEV Action Plan can be accessed at  nescaum.org.

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