Over $468 million in federal funding including in last week’s Omnibus Spending bill will go for 2 Presidential Helicopter construction projects. Lockheed Martin in Owego will participate in the construction along with Sikorsky Aircraft.
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Governor Cuomo signed a bill to increase protections for pets across New York State. The bill prohibits the piercing or tattooing of all pets, including cats and dogs, to protect the animals from unnecessary harm, yet still allows the use of piercing and tattooing for identification purposes only, or where the piercing provides a medical benefit to the animal & is performed by a licensed veterinarian. The law will take effect in 120 days; Senator Tom Libous of Binghamton sponsored it in the State senate.
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Broome County Special Investigations Unit Task Force arrested 33-year-old Tyrone Middleton & 38-year-old Angela Cooley of Binghamton, on drug charges. The 2 are accused of possessing crack cocaine packaged for sale, they were charged with 2 counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance & 1 one count of Criminally Using Drug Paraphernalia. Both were arraigned in City of Binghamton Court this morning.
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Governor Cuomo said he expects a decision on hydraulic fracturing for natural gas to be made before the end of the year, pending the outcome of the Department of Health’s review on possible health related issues. The state instituted a moratorium on the practice under then-Governor David Patterson in 2008; hydraulic fracturing had been used in Western New York Counties since 1979.
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The state Board of Regents requested a $2 billion increase in state education funding for the next fiscal year. In total, the Regents are asking the state to spend $24.4 billion on its education system next year, a 9 percent increase. The Regents’ proposal includes a request, for $678 million of the roughly $5 billion the state has received from legal settlements with various banks and insurers. The Regents’ request is in line with the $1.9 billion boost sought by the state Educational Conference Board, a wide array of groups, including school boards, superintendents and teachers. But it will ultimately be up to Cuomo and the Legislature to decide how much the state spends
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Governor Cuomo today announced New York State has received $6.2 million in federal funds that will allow 90 community organizations, hospitals, police departments and district attorneys’ offices to enhance services and protections for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. The grants will also support the work of health care professionals who are specially trained in examining sexual assault victims and collecting evidence that can be used by law enforcement, as well as allowing the New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assault to develop protocols and training that better address sexual assaults on college campuses.
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