P.M. NEWS MONDAY 3-3-14

by wcdonews Posted on March 3, 2014

State lawmakers should receive the annual state revenue estimates, and get ready to get down to work on the state budget plan.  Local assemblyman Cliff crouch explains:

 

(Cliff Crouch 3-3-14)

 

The deadline to get the state budget passed in April 1st.

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The new 5-year federal farm bill has provisions to tackle Lyme Disease, with important research already being accomplished in New York.  Congressman Chris Gibson explains:

 

(Gibson 3-3-14)

 

Farmers who need assistance with learning all of the changes in the new farm bill can contact Cornell Cooperative Extension.

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Governor Cuomo announced that the State DMV is making additional information available to prosecutors about a driver’s ticket history so that the prosecutors can make more informed judgments when considering a plea for a current driving charge. The information will be available for tickets issued during the past 10 years when the original charge was a point bearing violation, a drug or alcohol related offense, or was for aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. Currently, only data on convictions is available to prosecutors.  Access to this information is restricted to District Attorneys, paralegals and investigators working under the supervision and control of the DA’s and other prosecutors authorized by a DA’s office.

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US Senator Charles Schumer is calling on federal regulators to set guidelines to protect consumers as car companies collect personal information through “smart car” technology and sell it to third parties.  Schumer announced Sunday that he’s asking the Federal Trade Commission and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to establish guidelines requiring carmakers to notify drivers when they are being tracked and allow drivers to opt out completely from sharing information.

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Governor Cuomo will hit the airwaves to promote his property-tax freeze.  The governor will appear in a TV ad to push lawmakers to support his proposal to freeze property taxes for two years, if local governments and schools stay under the tax cap and move to streamline services. Cuomo said New York couldn’t thrive by having among the highest property taxes in the nation. He started a website to promote the tax freeze at cutpropertytaxes.ny.gov.

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Maple producers in New York are planning open houses the last two weekends in March, but so far the season is off to a slow start because of frigid weather. The best weather for sap is daytime temperatures in the low 40s and nighttime lows in the 20s. This winter has been so cold that many producers haven’t been able to get any sap yet and they are several weeks behind.

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Public meetings begin this week on proposals for high-speed passenger rail service in New York. The 1st of 6 hearings is tomorrow in Albany. Meetings are also planned in Syracuse, Buffalo, Rochester, Utica and Poughkeepsie. The state Department of Transportation said 5 options are proposed in an environmental review required for federal funding. Under the options, trains would have top operating speeds of 79, 90, 110 and 125 mph. The costs of the plans range from $1.7 billion to $6.2 billion.

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Governor Cuomo announced regulations that will better protect New York consumers who hire a tax preparer. The rules will reduce errors and omissions on tax returns, reduce fraud and increase the level of competence and ethics among preparers. The governor said that unethical preparers will advertise low fees & then increase them after the fact, they also seek to have refunds placed into their own accounts and then redistribute the money later, while stealing a portion of the refunds, more information is available at 518-530-HELP.

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A.M. NEWS MONDAY 3-3-14

by wcdonews Posted on March 3, 2014

Governor Cuomo announced that state officials have launched a series of inspections to safeguard New York’s residents, communities, waterways and lands from potential serious incidents involving the shipment of volatile crude oil by rail throughout the state.  The State DOT participated in a series of inspections at the Port of Albany and its adjacent rail yard, as well as inspections in Albany and Buffalo along rail tracks and in rail cars.  The inspections stem from the volatility of crude oil from North Dakota and its significantly increased shipment by rail through the State. Governor Cuomo issued an executive order directing several State agencies to do a top-to-bottom review of safety procedures and emergency response preparedness.

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Tickets are on sale today for the 2014 Hall of Fame Classic.  6 Hall of Famers will be joined by a roster of more than two dozen former major league players for a seven-inning legends game on Saturday, May 24th at Cooperstown’s Doubleday Field.   Hall of Famers Phil Niekro and Ozzie Smith return as team captains and managers. Tickets are available by  phone at 1-877-726-9028 or at www.baseballhall.org.

 

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P.M. NEWS FRIDAY 2-28-14

by wcdonews Posted on March 3, 2014

The Otsego County Sheriff’s Department arrested 25-year-old Charles Hall of Edmeston for criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal possession of a weapon & criminally using drug paraphernalia. Police seized cocaine, Psychedelic mushrooms, Suboxone films, liquid steroids, prescription painkillers, heroin, amphetamines and marijuana, as well as scales and bag. 31-year-old Misty Mojica of South New Berlin was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana.  The state DEC police issued Hall a ticket for having an untagged deer.  Hall was arraigned & was remanded to the Otsego county jail on $25,000 bail.

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Commerce Chenango announced that the “Lunch with Senator Tom Libous” in Greene has been rescheduled.  .  The lunch will be held at the Sherwood Hotel at 25 Genesee Street, in Greene on march 14th at 11:30 AM.  Senator Libous will talk with members on legislative action in Albany, RSVP’s are requested by March 7th at 334-1402.

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The State Department of Transportation will auction 5 parcels of land in Broome, Delaware and Otsego counties next month as part of the state’s Surplus Property Program aimed at returning properties to the citizens.   Each parcel was acquired by the state for highway improvements.  The land is no longer needed for transportation purposes and will be available for purchase by public auction, on Thursday, March 20th at 10:30 AM in the DOT Regional Office, at the State Office Building at 44 Hawley Street in Binghamton, in room 1005.  Registration will begin at 9:30 a.m.  The auction is open to the public.  The 5 properties to be sold are listed at  dot.ny.gov/r9surplus.

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Local sales tax collections, of $14.9 billion, grew by $739 million in 2013, an increase of 5.2 percent from 2012, according to a report by State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. The increase outpaced annual growth rates of 3.3 percent in 2012 and 5 percent in 2011, as well as the 15-year annual average growth of 4.5 percent. During this same period, sales tax collections also grew in 43 of New York’s 57 counties

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US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand told federal officials the Empire State needs its bees to pollinate crops. Gillibrand wrote Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to ask him to expand the department’s efforts to revive bee populations in New York and the Northeast. Gillibrand said beekeepers in New York last year lost an average of 30 percent of their hives to Colony Collapse Disorder, in which honeybees suddenly disappear or die. The losses could affect apple and other crops in New York. The state has about 52,000 beehives

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State Police at Sidney arrested 34-year-old Justin Parsons of Afton, for 2nd degree Harassment following a dispute at the Great American store on Main Street in Afton.  Parsons is accused of pushing & punching another person in the store; he was arraigned in town of Afton Court and sent to the Chenango County Jail on $250 bail.

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Governor Cuomo unveiled a revamped department of motor vehicle website, at dmv.ny.gov.  The redesigned website will allow customers to order replacement driver licenses and renew registration on mobile devices, make online reservations for DMV visits, as well as more easily utilize 35 other DMV services online. Additionally, users can sign up for mobile alerts to be reminded when registration and vehicle inspection deadlines approach.

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A.M. NEWS FRIDAY 2-28-14

by wcdonews Posted on March 3, 2014

Residents in the village of Sidney flood plain attended another meeting last night, as plans move forward to get residents out of the flood plain to the Plankenhorn area, or elevate their home, as well as fix up the Main Street Business district, John Redente is co-chairman of the committee assigned to get the plan together based on public input:’

 

(John Redente 2-28-14)

 

Dennis Porter is co-chair of the committee with John Redente, he commented about the aggressive plan to get people to live safer in Sidney:

 

(Dennis Porter 2-28-14)

 

Sidney will know if they will be available for 3 million dollars on top of the 3 million already approved for the Sidney Plan, in early May.  Plans can be found at stormrecovery.ny.gov/nyrcr/community/village-sidney.

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State Police arrested 33-year-old Mary Hubert of Unadilla, for 3rd degree Criminal Trespass, 2nd degree Harassment and Endangering the Welfare of a Child.  Troopers responded to a 911 report of a dispute at a residence on Main Street in Unadilla, the investigation determined that Hubert had been arguing outside the doorway of a neighbor, she refused to leave, & then began a physical dispute in front of the neighbor’s 2 children.  Hubert was arraigned in the Town of Unadilla Court and released to appear on March 17th, a court order of protection was issued against Hubert.

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The Business Advocacy and Public Policy Committee of the Otsego County Chamber of Commerce, invites area business leaders to the Foothills Performing Arts Center this morning, to sign up for Small Business day with representatives from the U.S Chamber of Commerce in Albany.  Today’s event will run from 8:00 to 9:30 this morning, the Small Business Day in the Capitol will be March 12th.

 

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P.M. NEWS THURSDAY 2-27-14

by wcdonews Posted on February 27, 2014

The State Department of Taxation and Finance announced that it has issued $1 billion in refunds and reminded New Yorkers to use free e-filing options for faster refunds. Refunds have been issued to more than 1.1 million taxpayers – a 50% increase over last year’s total by this date, More than 97% of the 3.1 million returns received this year have been e-filed. The average refund for e-filers is issued in 22 days; refunds for paper filers can take 8 to 12 weeks. The average refund to date is $906.

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Governor Cuomo’s controversial plan to have state prisoners get a free college education, as a way to cut down recidivism, has been widely ridiculed over the last week.  Area assemblyman Cliff Crouch said that his constituents don’t like it at all:

 

(Cliff Crouch 2-27-14)

 

State lawmakers went back to work this week, next week they will get revenue projections for the budget, and get ready to break into conference committees, crouch said that he expects another on-time budget this year.

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A safety agreement between U.S. transportation officials and railroads that haul crude oil doesn’t go far enough to protect upstate communities, according to US Senator Charles Schumer.  Schumer said the agreement should be amended to phase out unsafe tanker cars and reduce train speed in populated areas. The agreement between the U.S. Transportation Department and the Association of American Railroads leaves out tens of thousands of tank cars known to split open during derailments. Trains pull hundreds of tankers of crude oil from North Dakota cross New York daily.  Environmental groups have called on the state DEC to do a full environmental impact study of the oil shipments.

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The New York Attorney General’s Charities Bureau said telemarketers kept, on average, 62 cents of every dollar they raised in New York in 2012, leaving 38 cents for the charities themselves. The bureau report shows for-profit telemarketers, operating in the state, kept more than $154 million out of $249 million that was intended to help those in need. Last year, the Attorney General’s Office subpoenaed records and launched investigations & shut down 3 charities and 1 fundraiser. In 459 of the 589 campaigns in the report, the charities retained less than half the money raised.

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Commerce Chenango announced that on March 7th, they would host “Lunch with Senator Tom Libous in Greene.  The lunch will be held at the Sherwood Hotel at 25 Genesee Street, in Green beginning at 11:30 AM.  Senator Libous will talk with members on legislative action in Albany, RSVP’s are requested by tomorrow afternoon at 334-1402

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State Senator Jim Seward announced senate approval of legislation he co-sponsors, extending a 2011 law to ensure the neediest public libraries can access and utilize special construction grants from the state.  Seward’s bill would extend key provisions of the public library construction grant program to March 31st 2020, they were scheduled to sunset in 2015. The bill has a sponsor in the state assembly.

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The Cancer Services Program of Delaware, Otsego and Schoharie counties will offer free health screenings to women 40 and older that are uninsured, in partnership with the Bassett Cancer Institute’s mobile screening coach.  The screenings will be available without charge to those women, 40 or older, who are without health insurance or underinsured on Wednesday, March 26th from 9:00am to 3:00pm at The Sidney Great American.  Appointments can be made toll-free at 1-888-345-0225.

 

 

 

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A.M. NEWS THURSDAY 2-27-14

by wcdonews Posted on February 27, 2014

A public meeting on the progress of the New York Rising Community Reconstruction Program in Sidney will be held tonight from 6:00 to 7:30 PM in the Sidney Civic Center.  Officials encourage those in the floodplain to attend, to get an update on the progress being made to protect property owners and the village as a whole.

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The Chenango County Sheriff’s Office arrested 34-year-old George Ballard of North Norwich on multiple charges after an investigation into a domestic dispute. Ballard was charged with 3rd degree Assault, Reckless Endangerment, Criminal Obstruction of Breathing, and Unlawful Imprisonment, for allegedly physically assaulting a victim and also hitting the victim with a car. Ballard was arraigned in the Town of Norwich Court and was remanded to the Chenango County Correctional Facility on $5,000 cash bail.

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The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation announced that more than 60.1 million people visited New York state parks and historic sites in 2013, and campgrounds had the busiest year on record.  Overnight stays at campgrounds operated by the state were occupied for 583,016 nights in 2013, surpassing 2012’s record.   New York State oversees 179 state parks and 35 historic sites.

 

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P.M. NEWS WEDNESDAY 2-26-14

by wcdonews Posted on February 27, 2014

Recent changes to the food stamp program in the new 5-year farm bill, has caused confusion, with regards to an anti-fraud provision.  Congressman Chris Gibson said that there was abuse found due to a 2008 change in the federal food stamp program, and the loophole had to be tightened:

 

(Gibson 2-26-14)

 

Gibson said that those who received the $1 heating assistance check might still be able to get the highest level of food stamps, if they are found to still qualify due to their overall financial situation.

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Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver is calling on the state senate to pass the “Dream Act” to bolster state aid for higher education to the children of immigrants:

 

(Silver 2-26-14)

 

Silver said that New York is 1 of 17 states that offers tuition assistance to the children of immigrants, the Dream Act would increase the options for those students to receive tuition assistance. The bill is expected to pass in the Democratic Controlled Assembly & the move on to the Senate.

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State Police arrested 29-year-old Amber Joy of Morris for Criminal Possession of Marihuana, Unlawful Possession of Marihuana, and Appearance in Public Under the Influence of Narcotics or Drugs.  The arrest was made subsequent to a 911 call of a woman screaming outside of a Morris residence, Troopers arrived & determined that Joy appeared to be under the influence of a drug or narcotic, they also observed a plastic bag on the kitchen table that contained 2.3 grams of marihuana.   Joy was arraigned at the Town of Morris Court and remanded to the Otsego County Jail in lieu of $1,500 cash bail.

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The state Legislature returned to Albany this week, to continue work on the state budget.  The state Assembly came back yesterday after a week-long winter break. The state Senate began its session today. The Legislature is scheduled to work through March as they work on passing the budget due April 1. Governor Cuomo has proposed a $137.2 billion budget.

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A new Siena College poll shows that 50% of state residents support a 2-year moratorium on the new “Common Core” education standards, 38% said the standards should be implemented as quickly as possible.  63% of Upstate residents backed the moratorium, 36% believe the standards are too demanding, 23% thought the standards are about right, 24% said they weren’t demanding enough.

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State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s office completed an audit of the Village of Oxford Justice Court operations and found financial irregularities. The audit found that Oxford justices didn’t insure that collected moneys were accounted for properly. Village Mayor Terry Stark said discrepancies may have occurred, because justices perform all aspects of their duties without oversight by the village board, and the justice involved with the case couldn’t participate in the audit, due to his ill health and subsequent death last November. The village agreed with the recommendations, but pointed out a corrective action plan would be problematic due to the justice’s death.

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A new poll shows a majority of New Yorkers support giving municipalities authority to raise the minimum wage locally. The Siena College poll showed 85% support among Democrats, 48% among Republicans and 74% among independents for local authority to raise the wage. Last year, the governor and state Legislature raised the statewide minimum to $8 starting this year, it will increase at the end this year to $8.75 an hour and to $9.00 an hour at the end of 2015.

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A.M. NEWS WEDNESDAY 2-26-14

by wcdonews Posted on February 27, 2014

State Police arrested 2 men in connection with the home invasion on February 19th at 941 State Route 79 Windsor. 2 men forcibly entered the residence, beat the lone occupant and stole prescription medication and cash. Charged were 20 year old JESSIE ANGEVINE of Windsor and 17 year old CALEB HARRIS of Windsor for 1st degree Burglary.  Both men were arraigned in the town of Windsor Town court and remanded to the Broome County Jail pending grand jury action. The incident is still under investigation and anyone with information can contact the State Police at 775-1241.

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Governor Cuomo today announced that New York State is taking steps to preserve approximately $457 million a year in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits that would otherwise be cut by the recently enacted federal Farm Bill. The bill was slated to cut SNAP benefits an average of $127 per month for affected households in New York, the State action will save benefits for nearly 300,000 households in New York.   

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NY State of Health reported that 800,333 New Yorkers have completed their applications and 501,205 have enrolled for coverage since the launch of the Marketplace on October 1st.  70% were uninsured at the time of application.  The open enrollment period for individuals runs through March 31st, New York is on track to meet or exceed its enrollment goal of 1.1 million people by the end of 2016.

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Delaware County, and SUNY Delhi, will host the 2nd annual regional energy and sustainability symposium March 8th, to educate residents and business owners on cost saving options to promote alternative energy, efficiency and sustainability within their home or business. The symposium will be held in Farrell Hall on the SUNY Delhi Campus from 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Pre-registration is required by February 28th at 746-8914.

 

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