Headlines

New York state is struggling to find a new chief judge for the Court of Appeals. After Senate Democrats rejected Governor Hochul’s nomination of appellate Justice Hector LaSalle last month, the number of new submissions has been fewer than expected. According to the Times Union, the Commission on Judicial Nomination is mostly reconsidering 41 initial…

The New York State Attorney’s Office is proposing a set of rules aimed at preventing price gouging. The rules define gouging as “any price increase over 10% during an abnormal disruption in the market.” According to the Times Union, New Jersey, California, and 8 other states already follow the 10 percent threshold definition. The office…

Ithaca Has a New Fire Chief Robert Covert II is the new Chief of the Ithaca Fire Department. The Common Council voted unanimously to approve his promotion during their meeting on Tuesday. Covert had been the Acting Chief since former chief Thomas Basher retired last August. He’s been a member of the department for 30…

State Awards Downtown Revitalization Grants The Village of Montour Falls in Schuyler County and Waverly in Tioga County will each get $4.5 million in state grants to help revitalize their downtown areas. The funding will be used for local infrastructure projects, to boost economic development, and to create jobs. The funding comes from NY Forward,…

Democratic PAC to Spend Big in NY’s 2024 Midterms A Democratic PAC will be spending big in New York next congressional races—including here in the 19th district. According to the Ithaca Voice, the House Majority PAC will spend some $45 million on races throughout the state. While the predicted “red wave” didn’t come to pass…

Republicans Decry Increased Migration Into NY Migrants have been crossing into New York from Canada in increasing numbers, and the issue has become a rallying cry among some Republican lawmakers. They argue that the surge necessitates increased federal attention. Led by Representative Elise Stefanik, Republicans are launching a congressional caucus to focus exclusively on security…

Thousands of NY Nurses Credentials Under Scrutiny Over 900 New York nurses are being asked by the state Education Department to provide proof of their credentials. The nurses studied at Florida-based nursing schools accused of selling fake diplomas. Seven nursing programs were shut down following a multi-state federal investigation. The Albany Times Union reports that…

Report Says Tax Abatements Hurt School Budgets A new report from a national research group says that tax abatement programs are hurting New York’s public school budgets. According to the Ithaca Voice, the group, Good Jobs First, estimates that in 2021 the state’s schools lost as much as $1.8 billion in revenue to tax abatements.…