P.M. NEWS WEDNESDAY 8-26-20
State Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against the Trump administration aimed at stopping an effort to disrupt operations at the U.S. Postal Service at a time when a pandemic has prompted millions more people than usual to plan to vote by mail. The lawsuit names President Trump, the postal service and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, it asks the court to vacate recent changes made to the U.S. Postal Service and to stop it from implementing additional service reductions. New York was joined in this lawsuit by New Jersey, Hawaii, New York City and San Francisco. 6 states sued the U.S. Postal Service and the new postmaster general on August 21st, citing the same concerns.
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Governor Cuomo announced that the COVID-19 Infection Rate registered at below 1% for the 19th straight day on Tuesday at .79%. There were 566 positive COVID 19 cases out 71,189 tests administered, bringing the state total since March to 431,340. The number of hospitalizations was at 492, the number of ICU patients was at 136, the number of patients on ventilators was 54 and there were 3 COVID-19 Deaths in the State Tuesday, bringing the death toll to 25,305.
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The state of New York dropped its manufacturing grade to an “F” from a “D-“, according to an annual manufacturing survey conducted by Ball State University’s Center for Business and Economic Research. New York maintained a C for logistics, D for worker benefit costs, C for expected fiscal liability, B for sector diversification, C- for human capital, F for tax climate, & D for global reach.
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The Broome County Health Department announced that they have had 1176 total COVID 19 cases since March. They announced 3 more deaths, bring their total to 78, there have been 1028 recoveries, 559 are being monitored by the department, they have conducted over 36,200 tests.
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Chenango County Public Health released today’s COVID 19 numbers. The department reports 223 total cases, with 83 Active Quarantines, 1 Hospitalization, 7 deaths, 200 total Recoveries; they have conducted over 21,500 tests.
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Following a report detailing how federal dollars set aside for farmers during the pandemic in the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program have gone to large corporate farms, while small family farms have received relatively little help, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand demands that the U.S. Department of Agriculture respond to that inequitable distribution. In the meantime Senator Gillbrand has proposed the Relief For America’s Small Farmers Act in the next coronavirus relief package:
(Senator Gillibrand 8-26-20)
Senator Gillibrand is also urging USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue to provide direct relief for New York’s small farmers who have been financially devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic & to get the promised direct payments to farmers of all sizes immediately.
A.M. NEWS WEDNESDAY 8-26-20
Otsego County Department of Health is investigating 2 cases of coronavirus in SUNY Oneonta students that lived off campus. Neither student had visited the college campus during their communicable period, nor college officials announced that they have arranged to make one of their residence halls set up to house COVID positive students only. All contacts with the 2 affected students have been notified and are quarantined for 14 days. Otsego County now has 119 total confirmed cases, 6 active cases, 1 is hospitalized, 107 have recovered, and 24 people are on quarantine for close contact to a case, 167 people are on quarantine for traveling to a high risk state, there have been 6 deaths.
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Delaware County Public Health had no new positive tests for COVID-19 and no additional recoveries to report. The known active cases in the County as of today remains 3, all are isolated at home, to date there have been 101 confirmed positive cases in Delaware County, with 26 people now under mandatory quarantine, 6 people have died and 92 have fully recovered.
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State Police arrested 25 year old Dillon Clapp of Endicott for 3rd degree Burglary, for allegedly breaking into a garage in the town of Otselic about a year ago and stole various automotive parts, which were sold to a scrap yard in Onondaga County. Clapp was processed and arraigned virtually & he was released on his own recognizance pending court action September 14th in the town of Otselic.
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The State Labor Department released preliminary local area unemployment rates for July 2020. The State’s unemployment rate increased was 15.9% in July 2020, locally; Chenango County had 9.9% unemployment, Delaware County 10.3% and Otsego County 10.7%
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