June 22, 2022 Daily Headlines

Construction finished yesterday on a new affordable and supportive housing building in Ithaca. According to the Governor’s website, the building — West End Heights — is part of her plan to "make housing more affordable, equitable, and stable.” The project includes 60 new units, 38 of which are reserved for those who need supportive care. Most of the apartments are for households earning at or below 50% of the area median income, and the rest of the units are for those making 60% or below. 

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A federal judge has dismissed a challenge to New York’s solitary confinement cap law. The HALT Act establishes the maximum time a prisoner in New York State can spend in solitary as 15 days, or 20 days over a two-month period. According to Spectrum News, the state correction officers' union filed the challenge last year over fears that leniency in prisons will lead to an increase in prison violence. The union plans to continue pursuing the repeal. 

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As a part of new abortion protection laws signed by Governor Hochul, New York State health officials will begin reviewing pregnancy health centers that do not provide abortions or contraception. According to Spectrum News, advocates for abortion rights say that, given the expected overturn of Roe V. Wade, gaps in prenatal care need to be studied and understood. Opponents of the new laws worry that the scrutiny these facilities face, might impede their ability to deliver services such as ultrasounds.