Governor Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie today announced an agreement on the 2015-16 State Budget. The Budget agreement includes landmark education reforms and investment, an ethics package with the nation’s strongest disclosure laws for legislators with outside income, and new investments in rebuilding and growing the state’s economy, including $1.5 billion for the Upstate Revitalization Initiative and $500 million to make New York the first in the nation to have statewide broadband. Full details and language to be released later today.
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A Stamford Probationer was arrested on a Probation Violation Warrant after being tracked for miles through the woods by Delaware County Deputies, K-9 “Ozzie”, Probation Officers and a New York State EnCon Officer. 25 year old Jesse Papas of Stamford fled from a window of his residence and ran into the woods, without footwear, as Probation Officers attempted to execute their warrant Friday morning. Papas was tracked by K-9 “Ozzie”, and was taken into custody, in the Schoharie County Town of Gilboa. Papas was transported to A.O. Fox Memorial Hospital, Oneonta, Upon his release from Fox Hospital, Papas was arraigned & was remanded to the Delaware County Jail without bail, pending his next scheduled court appearance on April 14.
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On Thursday afternoon Delaware County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested a woman on drug charges as a result of their investigation of a 911 call reporting a female acting strangely. Deputies arrested and charged 28 year old Jennifer Day of Hobart with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance, Deputies located and seized a liquid substance from the residence, identified as PCP. Day was transported to an area hospital Tuesday evening for medical evaluation and treatment. Day was arraigned and was remanded to the Delaware County Correctional Facility in lieu of $1000 cash bail pending further court action.
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22-year-old Dennis Cutter of Oneonta has been charged by Oneonta Police in connection with a series of thefts from cars around the city last week. Cutter was charged with 3rd & 4th degree grand larceny, plus criminal mischief and petty larceny. Cutter faces arraignment in City of Oneonta court shortly.
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Town Supervisors, Village and City Mayors, Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals Chairmen, Zoning Enforcement Officers in Otsego, Schoharie and Delaware Counties are reminded to register soon for the Land Use Training Workshops for Local Government Officials on April 9th at the Meadows Complex in Cooperstown. The Otsego County Planning Department will host training classes on two separate evenings beginning in April. Both classes will be presented by representative of the New York State Department of State. These classes may meet the state training requirement for local government officials. Both workshops will be held at the Meadows Office Complex, County Highway 33W next to the County Public Safety building. The two workshops are described as follows: Session One is from 4:30 pm—6:30 pm for a Zoning Board of Appeals Overview, Session Two is from 6:45 pm to 8:45 pm regarding Rural Planning. online registrations are accepted at otsegocounty.com or by calling 547-4225 during business hours.
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Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced an agreement with Pennsylvania-based retail giant GNC to implement new standards in authenticating herbal supplements, ensuring their purity, and educating consumers about their chemical content. GNC will perform DNA barcoding on the “active” plant ingredients used in its products; implement testing for contamination with allergens and post prominent signage advising consumers of the processed, chemical nature of extracts. GNC will be required to implement these new procedures in all of its more than 6,000 stores nationwide.
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The New York State Common Retirement Fund has committed an additional $30 million to Primary Venture Partners to invest in state-based companies, State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli announced today. The commitment will be made through the pension fund’s In-State Private Equity Investment Program; the pension fund has invested $786 million in 298 companies and has supported nearly 4,000 jobs across the state through this Program.
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