Congressman Chris Gibson spoke about the new federal 5-year Farm Bill, at the Cobar Farm in the town of Unadilla this afternoon. Gibson said that the previous “MILC” protection for dairy farmers has been replaced with a new protection formula:
(Gibson 2-17-14)
Gibson said that the new protection would be phased in by this September; farmers can get more information on the new farm bill through Cornell Cooperative Extension.
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Governor Cuomo today launched “The State of New York,” a weekly video series that will recap the week’s news stories from across the state. The videos will be released on Fridays and will feature footage from events that took place over the course of the week, as well as information on recent state initiatives. The video can be accessed at governor.ny.gov.
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Governor Cuomo announced a new statewide initiative to give incarcerated individuals the opportunity to earn a college degree through funding college classes in prisons across New York. Studies have shown that Those who earn a college degree while in prison are less likely to end up behind bars again, therefore decreasing the number of inmates in New York state prisons. The state will be issuing a Request for Proposal starting March 3, 2014 that will solicit responses from educational associations that provide college professors and classes in an accredited program in order for inmates to earn their degrees.
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Commerce Chenango and NBT Bank will present the Annual Economic Forecast Breakfast at the Canasawacta Country Club in Norwich on February 25th at 7:30 AM. Ken Entenmann, the Senior Vice President & Chief Investment Officer at NBT Bank will speak at the annual event.
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The Chenango County Sheriff’s Office arrested 42-year-old Christopher Turner of Preston for 2nd degree Criminal Contempt for violating an order of protection in the Town of Preston. Turner is accused of entering the property of a person who had an active order of protection against him; he was arraigned in the Town of Preston Court and was remanded to the custody of the Chenango County Sheriff’s Office in lieu of $5,000 cash bail. Turner is to appear in the Town of Preston Court at a later date.
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A statewide program will start to expand opportunities for prisoners to get college degrees. Governor Cuomo said New York’s recidivism rate for incarceration is 40 percent, and the state spends $60,000 a year to house each prisoner. He said the program would help keep prisoners from returning to jail and will start by partnering local colleges with 10 prisons, mainly upstate. The program will provide college courses at the 10 prisons through a selection process and offer associates and bachelor’s degrees. The state will begin accepting proposals March 3.
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New York lawmakers get a break this week after about a month of work. The state Legislature is not scheduled to go into session until next week. Lawmakers have been in a session at the Capitol in Albany for two or three days a week since Jan. 13th. They also convened on Jan. 8 to hear Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s State of the State address. Legislative sessions in Albany typically begin slow then pick up steam as the deadline for adopting a new budget approaches on April 1. Lawmakers are due back Tuesday, Feb. 25
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A section of I-88 west was down to one lane early this morning after a crash involving three vehicles. The accident happened at 5:45 a.m. between Exit 1 Binghamton and Exit 2 Chenango Bridge. There were 3 people involved in the crash, one in each vehicle, 2 were sent to the hospital for minor injuries. The lane reopened after crews cleaned up the area.
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