The State Labor Department today released local area unemployment rates for December 2012; the state’s unemployment rate was 8.2% in December 2012. Locally, the news was not good, as all area county’s saw large increases in unemployment in December, Chenango up 6/10’s to 8.5%, Delaware up 4/10’s to 9.2%, Otsego county up 1% to 8.2%
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Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the launch of OpenBudget.ny.gov to give New Yorkers access to New York’s budget. Openbudget.ny.gov contains Access to current and historical budget information, some of the documents dating back to the administration of Thomas Dewey & Nelson Rockefeller.
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Local lawmakers are responding to yesterday’s executive budget proposal from Governor Cuomo. State Senator Jim Seward comments:
(Seward 1-23-13)
Area assemblyman Cliff Crouch comments:
(Crouch 1-23-13)
Area assemblyman Pete Lopez comments:
(Lopez 1-23-13)
Lawmakers have until Aprils 1st to get a budget passed; federal money for Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts could be added to the budget shortly.
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State police have arrested 2 area teenagers on drug charges. State police reported that a teenager from Nineveh was charged with 4th degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, an Afton teen was charged with 5th degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, and another Afton teen was charged with 7th degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. State police reported that the names of the teens are being withheld due to their ages.
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Area congressman Richard Hanna has been named chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials. Hanna was recently appointed to head the Small Business subcommittee involved with federal contracting policy and workforce issues. Hanna represents the newly redrawn 22nd Congressional District covers part of Chenango & Broome and features the cities of Binghamton and Utica.
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Chenango county sheriff’s department, State Police and Norwich police arrested 35 year old Robert Martin of Norwich on a charge of 4th degree Criminal Mischief following an investigation into a reported physical domestic dispute, where Martin allegedly damaged property inside the residence. Martin was arraigned in the Town of Plymouth court and remanded to the Chenango County Correctional Facility on $5,000 cash bail and is to re-appear in the Town of Plymouth at a later date.