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State senators voted to require blood-alcohol tests of all drivers following serious accidents. The Senate passed the legislation yesterday. It would mandate police test the alcohol levels of all drivers following accidents in which someone is seriously injured or killed. Currently, police may only test a person’s blood-alcohol level if they suspect they are over the legal limit for alcohol. The bill now moves to the Assembly.
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School district in the poor rural district of upstate received better news in the state budget this year, as the Gap Elimination Adjustment from 6 years ago, has been reversed in favor of local struggling school district. Area Assemblyman Cliff Crouch explains:
(Crouch 5-6-14)
Crouch said that they hope to have the Gap Elimination Adjustment completed reversed in next year’s state budget.
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Frontier Communications announced today that they are hiring 60 full-time facility assigner positions in the Sherburne/Norwich market. Frontier will host a career fair to recruit for the new positions on May 21st & 22nd from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. at 14 Classic Street, Sherburne. Candidates should apply online in advance of the job fair at frontier.com/careers.
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The Otsego County sheriff’s departments has started using an “App” called “Mobil Patrol” where users can access correctional center information, Mug Shot, & charges against accused offenders. The “App” also allows crime victims to be notified about the custody status of an offender & it also include warrants, most wanted criminals, sex offenders & missing children, it can be downloaded for free by Otsego county residents at otsegocounty.com.
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Democrats in the state senate introduced 9 bills to curb government corruption. The measures would strengthen regulations on the use of campaign money, strip pension benefits from corrupt state officials, ban the use of campaign money for criminal defense, require more disclosure of campaign donations as well as a bill to establish a public financing system for state campaigns. The announcement comes after Governor Cuomo’s Moreland Commission ended its work & lawmakers passed an ethics reform package in the new state budget.
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The state’s highest court ruled today that details of the New York Public Pension should NOT be kept private. The Empire Center for Public Policy has been in a legal battle for years with several public pension systems after the lower courts ruled in 2011 that names of pensioners do not need to be made public. The case made it way to the State Court of Appeals in march, and the judges ruled that several new York city pensions, as well as the state Teachers Retirement System, should allow information to be released.
]]>Sidney village police have arrested 27-year-old Jordan O’Neill of Sidney, following the report of a self inflicted gunshot wound to the hand Monday night. O’Neill was charged with 2nd & 3rd degree criminal possession of a weapon & falsely reporting an incident. O’Neill was arraigned in Sidney Village court and was remanded to the Delaware County Jail on $10,000 cash bail pending future court action. State police assisted Sidney police in the investigation.
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The Bainbridge Chamber of Commerce is recruiting for participants in their Christmas parade, to beheld on December 14th at 6:00 PM. Bainbridge Chamber President John Payne explains:
(John Payne 11-26-13)
The parade will end at the village green, where children can meet with Santa; the numbers to call to participate in the parade are 967-8700 or 316-6854.
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Assemblyman Cliff Crouch announced that he would be hosting 3 town hall meetings, in Kirkwood, Windsor and Triangle. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 3rd at the Kirkwood Town Hall at 5:00 PM, at the Windsor Town Hall at 6:00 PM on Wednesday, December 4th and the Triangle Town Hall on Thursday, December 5th at 6:00 PM.
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Chenango County Sheriff’s Office arrested 36-year-old Brian Copeland of Norwich on a charge of 4th degree Criminal Mischief. Copeland was arrested after deputies responded to a domestic dispute in the Town of Norwich; Copeland is accused of destroying property of the victim during an altercation. Copeland was arraigned in the Town Norwich Court and was released and ordered to appear in the Town of Norwich Court at a later date.
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New York lawmakers who pledged to go without salaries during the 16-day partial government shutdown in October never missed a paycheck. All members of Congress were paid on their usual salary schedules because of the timing of their pay periods. Most of New York’s 27 House members and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, made no pledge to forgo their pay during the shutdown.
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New York has given state police 32 tall, unmarked SUVs to better peer down at drivers’ hands, part of an aggressive attack on texting while driving that also includes steeper penalties and dozens of highway “Texting Zones,” where motorists can pull over to use their devices. New York has banned text messaging for all drivers and prohibits using hand-held cell phones. this year The state toughened penalties for motorists caught using hand-held devices, increasing penalty points on the driving record from 3 to 5, along with tickets that carry fines of up to $200.
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U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer is introducing legislation to toughen the penalties against telemarketing companies that violate the “do not call” rules. Schumer says spammers are taking advantage of new technology and legal loopholes, he proposes that the penalties be increased to $20,000 dollars for each violation and jail time for repeat offenders. Since August, the FTC has logged as many as 200,000 robo-call complaints a month.
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A government watchdog group is calling for limits on money individuals and corporations can give candidates in state elections. The New York Public Interest Research Group blames the state’s political scandals on lax limits, poor enforcement and loopholes. They claim that individual limits per candidate should be $2,600 per election with a $1,000 corporate limit to any campaign committee during an election cycle. NYPIRG submitted its proposals to the state’s newly formed Moreland Commission to Investigate Public Corruption, which is scheduled to issue a preliminary report December 1st.
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Broome county Sheriff’s department responded to a 1-car crash early this ringing is dead after a car crash in the town of Chenango. 78-year-old Harold Sunshine of Chenango Forks, drove off the roadway at about 6:00 AM this morning, he drove through a yard & into a tree. Sunshine was found unresponsive in the vehicle, he was pronounced dead at the scene, he might have suffered from a medical emergency while driving. The investigation is continuing.
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State Senator Jim Seward announced plans for his 2ND economic development summit in Otsego County. Seward is sponsoring the summit in conjunction with the Otsego County Development Corporation, the County industrial Development Agency, the Otsego County Chamber, and Citizens’ Voices. The summit is scheduled for November 14th at the Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center in Oneonta.
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Governor Cuomo announced the availability of $1 million in state funding to assist law enforcement agencies in Upstate New York with their efforts to reduce, solve and prevent crime. Operation IMPACT grants are available to law enforcement agencies in 40 Upstate counties that are not otherwise covered by the program, which provides funding in 17 counties that account for 80% of upstate crime. Agencies can cialis for sale apply for up to $50,000 for funding patrols; warrant sweeps, investigations and overtime. Applications for funding must be submitted by November 26th, they will be awarded in early 2014.
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State officials are giving the public another month to weigh in on a proposal to allow new liquefied natural gas facilities in the state for the first time in 40 years. The comment period on the proposed regulations is extended until December 4th, Groups opposed to hydraulic fracturing claim that the new facilities would increase pressure to lift the state’s 5-year-old ban on fracking. Proponents say new liquefied natural gas facilities would allow truck fleets using the fuel to pass through New York. The proposal is available at dec.ny.gov.
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Lieutenant Governor Robert Duffy has withdrawn his name from consideration for a position with the Rochester Business Alliance and has committed to staying on as lieutenant governor through 2014. Duffy interviewed for the job on October 5th, state republican chairman Ed Cox is asking for the Moreland Commission to investigate any possible wrongdoing by Duffy, in not notifying Governor Cuomo of his interview.
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4 State University of New York campuses will get more locally grown vegetables under a pilot project called Farm to College. The project is supported by a $99,000 federal agriculture grant to American Farmland Trust. The 4 SUNY campuses are the University of Albany, SUNY New Paltz, SUNY Oswego and SUNY Oneonta. The grant will help New York farmers get more local produce into the state’s colleges.
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State Police in Binghamton arrested 21-year-old Andrew Pello of Windsor for 3rd degree criminal mischief and 3rd degree criminal trespass following an investigation in which Pello allegedly damaged numerous athletic fields at the Windsor High School by driving a vehicle on the fields and damaging the grass and a pole. Pello was arraigned in Town of Windsor court and released pending a future court appearance.
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State Police arrested 42-Year Old Thomas Ottoson of New Berlin Monday for 2nd degree Harassment. The arrest resulted from a dispute on County Road 29 in New Berlin, Ottoson was arraigned in Norwich town court and released on his own recognizance, he is scheduled to appear in the New Berlin town court on November 13th.
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