State Senator Tom Libous has spent more than $100,000 in campaign funds on attorneys this year, according to the state Board of Elections. The Thomas Libous’ re-election campaign spent another $53,000 on criminal-defense attorneys from mid-July to late August. That’s on top of the $60,000 it spent on lawyers from mid-January through mid-July, as well as about $75,000 in 2012 and 2013. Libous was indicted in White Plains federal court in July on a charge of lying to the FBI. The use of campaign funds to pay for attorney fees has been the subject of debate in Albany. Gov. Cuomo’s latest filing shows he spent $10,000 on an attorney as an investigation continues into the dismantling of the Moreland Commission
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The Chenango County Sheriff’s Department arrested 63-year-old David Eaton of Norwich felony DWI, Parking on Pavement, No or Improper Signal, Refusal to take a Breath Screen test, Consumption of an alcohol in a motor vehicle. Eaton was pulled over by a deputy, who observed a pickup truck pull over and park in a no parking zone in the Village of Sherburne hitting the curb, as the deputy approached, Eaton pulled away from the curb with no turn signal, and then stopped after driving a block, he was taken into custody without incident, failed to submit to the chemical test, and was arraigned in the Village of Sherburne Court, he was remanded to the Chenango County Jail on $1,000 cash bail pending court action at a later date.
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Governor Cuomo signed a bill that will enhance law enforcement efforts to identify previously unknown deceased persons. The bill will require that the state Division of Criminal Justice Services provide local law enforcement agencies with personal descriptions and other identifying information of unidentified deceased persons. This legislation allows this information to be accessed by all New York law enforcement agencies and also to agencies outside of the State by request. There are currently a total of 681 active cases of unidentified individuals who have died in New York State, with the oldest active record on file dating back to 1969.
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Researchers are looking at whether money, from the Marcellus Shale natural gas boom, helps families in regions where companies are drilling, to compare Pennsylvania communities that have experienced the boom, during the last six years, with nearby ones in New York that haven’t. New York has a moratorium on shale drilling, while Pennsylvania has become the second-largest producer in the nation. Some families in fracking communities get millions of dollars in royalties, many get tens of thousands of dollars, but others get nothing. The research will compare government-collected data that doesn’t identify people. That includes data on crime, schools, economics, childhood obesity, teen pregnancies and state tax records on royalty income
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Governor Cuomo announced 12 Citizen Preparedness Corps training sessions across New York State and also proclaimed September as Preparedness Month. The Citizen Preparedness Corps program, administered by the New York National Guard, aims to provide approximately 100,000 New Yorkers with the tools and resources to prepare for emergencies and disasters, respond accordingly and recover as quickly as possible to pre-disaster conditions. Those interested in attending a Citizen Preparedness Corps training session can visit www.prepare.ny.gov. Local Classes will be held on Wednesday, September 17th from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at the Margaretville Central School & at 6:00 p.m. at SUNY Morrisville in Morrisville
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A New dairy risk management program that was enacted as part of the recently passed Farm Bill is open for signups. U.S. Senator Charles Schumer urged the USDA to implement the program, which replaces the previous Milk Income Loss Contract program, by allowing dairy farmers to recoup some of the cost of low milk prices and high cost of production. There are also web tools to help farmers navigate the new dairy insurance program at fsa.usda.gov. The dairy industry is New York’s leading Agriculture sector.