April 21st, 2022 Daily Headlines
On Tuesday, the Tompkins County Legislature voted to make Juneteenth a paid holiday for county employees. Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation slaves in the United States. The measure passed unanimously by a vote of 14-0. Legislator Anne Korman celebrated the vote saying Juneteenth is an “observance of the hardships and losses suffered by African Americans.” Legislator Mike Lane said the measure will also allow more rest for county employees saying “Holidays are important to have for our employees, it gives them a break from the toils of their jobs…” Juneteenth this year will be observed by the county on Monday June 20th.
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Masks are still required on TCAT buses after a Florida judge struck down the federal mask mandate for public transit. According to WENY, the State Health Commissioner determined masks would still be mandated on public transit back in March. That ruling remains in effect in New York state. On Monday Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, a Trump appointee, ruled that the CDC had overstepped its authority when extending the mask mandate on public transit into May.
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The FEC has released their quarterly financial report as the 2022 midterms begin to take shape. According to the Ithaca Voice, Josh Riley leads the Democratic field taking in over $777,000 in donations followed by Francis Conole who took in over $663,000. Vanessa Fajans-Turner is in a distant third place with over $250,000. Republican candidate Mike Sigler took in over $192,000, ahead of the only other republican hopeful Brandon Williams who took in over $116,000. Today WRFI will begin its interview series with candidates for New York’s 22nd Congressional District and 53rd State Senate District. Tune in at 6:00 today for our interview with Democratic candidate for Congress, Sarah Klee Hood. You can see the complete schedule of candidate interviews at wrfi.org
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Attorney General Letitia James is warning landlords who’ve received state aid to not raise rents. According to WGRZ, the AG’s office is reporting that some landlords who received aid through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) have raised rents within a 12 month grace period, which is illegal. The ERAP was created to support low and middle income tenants struggling to pay rent during the pandemic. The program has provided emergency relief to hundreds of thousands of New York tenants and landlords.