Schumer calls Friendly’s closures ‘outrageous,’ promises to amend law to protect workers

Published: 04/22/2019 @ 06:11 pm | Updated: 04/22/2019 @ 06:16 pm

Sen. Chuck Schumer says he will push to close a loophole in a federal law that allowed Friendly’s to lay off more than 300 New Yorkers with no notice. “They came in on a Monday and they said, ‘Clean up the place, close-up shop. You’re not gonna work anymore.’ That’s outrageous,” Sen. Schumer said during a news conference at the... more

DOT selects Community Grid as ‘preferred’ choice for I-81 replacement

Published: 04/22/2019 @ 06:11 pm | Updated: 04/22/2019 @ 06:16 pm

In a draft of an environmental impact study, the New York State Department of Transportation has selected the “Community Grid” as the preferred choice to replace the aging portion of Interstate-81 through Syracuse. The document, posted on NYSDOT’s website, lays out all the options to replace 81 and says a community grid would likely best meet all the goals of... more

New York could become a ‘sanctuary state’

Published: 04/22/2019 @ 06:11 pm | Updated: 04/22/2019 @ 06:17 pm

A bill in the state Legislature would let immigrants in the country illegally avoid detainment by federal authorities in most cases, making New York a so-called sanctuary state. The legislation has been considered at the state Capitol for several years in various iterations, but has gained new prominence amid the federal debate over immigration and Democrats taking control of state... more

McDonald challenges Seneca County elections board decisions

Published: 04/22/2019 @ 06:11 pm | Updated: 04/22/2019 @ 06:23 pm

Casey McDonald has asked a state Supreme Court judge to reverse three recent rulings made by Seneca County Election Commissioners Tiffany Folk and Carl Same on objections he filed to candidate petitions earlier this month. One decision the Romulus resident is seeking to reverse is the board’s ruling that he doesn’t have standing to object to Conservative Party Committee petitions... more

SF Heritage Preservation Commission considers six applications

Published: 04/22/2019 @ 06:11 pm | Updated: 04/22/2019 @ 06:24 pm

With the future of the Huntington Building still unresolved, the Seneca Falls Heritage Preservation Commission will move on to less controversial issues when it meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Municipal Building, 130 Ovid St. On the agenda is: • An application from Andrew Morgan to remove the rear deck and install a new deck at 10 Clinton St.... more

‘Traffic Ticket Relief Act’ aims to help low-income drivers

Published: 04/22/2019 @ 05:24 am | Updated: 04/22/2019 @ 05:30 am

A bill is making its way through the state legislature that would give some drivers a break on their traffic tickets. The ‘Traffic Ticket Relief Act” is designed to help low-income individuals pay their fines. In Rochester, around 34,000 tickets are handed out annually, according to the RTVA. The average speeding ticket in New York State costs between $45 and... more

Dana Balter thinks Katko is beatable in 2020

Published: 04/22/2019 @ 05:24 am | Updated: 04/22/2019 @ 05:27 am

Democrat Dana Balter was a political newcomer with little name recognition who faced a daunting task in 2018: Defeat John Katko, a Republican congressman who had vanquished two previous Democratic opponents by wide margins. It didn’t happen, but Balter lost by only five percentage points in the race for the 24th House of Representatives seat. She also garnered more votes... more

SUNDAY CONVERSATION: Peter Mantius discusses groundwater testing, Hakes Landfill, Greenidge, and Cayuga Regional Digester

Published: 04/21/2019 @ 04:05 am | Updated: 04/21/2019 @ 08:19 am

Throughout the winter, Peter Mantius spent his days reporting on some of the most-important environmental issues facing the Finger Lakes region. Doing so with more than 20 years of experience – Mantius broke the story about the DEC’s investigation into the Cayuga Regional Digester, and had an exclusive with the former facility manager who quit in January after he says... more

THE DEBRIEF: Jim Meaney of The Geneva Believer discusses future of City Council, and more (podcast)

Published: 04/20/2019 @ 11:00 am | Updated: 04/20/2019 @ 05:23 pm

When Jim Meaney, founder of The Geneva Believer announced that he would be seeking the nomination to run for Geneva City Council’s Ward 6 seat – there was very little surprise. However, weeks later he ended that campaign, returning to the work that led him to the decision that would be to run for City Council. Reporting on the City... more

Tax receipts decline $3.7B, per year-end Comptroller’s report

Published: 04/20/2019 @ 07:08 am | Updated: 04/20/2019 @ 07:12 am

The state’s tax receipts in the most recently ended fiscal year declined $3.7 billion, a 4.7 percent reduction to $75.6 billion, according to an end-of-year cash report released Friday by Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. It’s another example of the state’s slackening tax revenue amid concerns the broader economy is softening. “After months of concern over lower-than-expected tax collections, the state ended... more

Charter agrees to expand rural broadband under deal with NY

Published: 04/20/2019 @ 07:08 am | Updated: 04/20/2019 @ 07:12 am

Charter Communications will expand broadband internet access upstate under a tentative deal with New York regulators. Under the proposed agreement, Charter will roll out broadband service to 145,000 upstate customers before October 2021 and pay $12 million to expand service in especially underserved rural areas. The state's Department of Public Service announced the deal Friday. If formally approved by regulators... more

Waterloo Village Board meets in special session on PRV funding

Published: 04/21/2019 @ 06:27 pm | Updated: 04/21/2019 @ 06:30 pm

Mayor Jack O’Connor has called a special meeting of the Village Board for 4:30 p.m. Monday. The topic: how the village will pay for a pressure-reducing valve, and a building to house it, on Woodworth Road. The PRV would help control water pressure from the village storage tank on Kime Road in Fayette and the village distribution system. Finger Lakes... more

Hazardous waste probed at old Palmyra Landfill

Published: 04/19/2019 @ 05:43 am | Updated: 04/19/2019 @ 05:48 am

The old Palmyra Landfill, a 6.8-acre site along Garnsey Road west of Route 31 in Palmyra, closed in the late 1970s. Water testing in late 2017 and last summer detected chemical pollutants — perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) — in groundwater and leachate samples, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation. The DEC is now coordinating with... more

Army Corps of Engineers to start $100K temporary fix for Fair Haven break wall this summer

Published: 04/19/2019 @ 05:43 am | Updated: 04/19/2019 @ 05:52 am

A $100,000 construction project will temporarily fix the broken break wall in Fair Haven. It’s a step forward for the tourism-dependent village that is fighting its way back to normalcy after disastrous flooding in 2017. The break wall in Fair Haven remains in shambles following the high water levels of Lake Ontario. On Thursday, the village learned of a $100,000... more

Audit faults Cayuga Co. for purchasing arrangement, process

Published: 04/19/2019 @ 05:43 am | Updated: 04/19/2019 @ 05:51 am

The Office of the State Comptroller this week finalized an audit of Cayuga County’s procurement and claims processes, finding, among other things, that the county did not properly seek competition for contracts or equipment purchases. Examiners from the comptroller’s audit reviewed whether county officials followed proper procedure in procuring goods and services and whether claims were adequately supported and audited... more

INSIDE THE FLX: Michael Kracker of Unshackle Upstate discusses $175.5B NYS budget

Published: 04/18/2019 @ 06:00 am | Updated: 04/18/2019 @ 05:54 am

New York State has adopted a $175.5 billion budget. What does that mean for Upstate New York? Well, it has serious implications – as noted by Unshackle Upstate. Unshackle Upstate advocates on behalf of businesses and trade organizations in Upstate New York who are working to create a better, more-favorable environment for development. Michael Kracker, Director of Unshackle Upstate was... more

Voters to decide if former SMS property in Seneca Falls can be sold

Published: 04/19/2019 @ 05:43 am | Updated: 04/19/2019 @ 05:53 am

The former SMS property at 109 Ovid St. could be up for sale. The property was purchased by the Bridgeport Fire District as a possible site for a new firehouse. Now the Board of Commissioners of the fire district has declared that it is seeking voter approval to sell it. The commissioners approved a motion April 9 authorizing the sale... more

Auburn City Council wants to see state act, assist with Arterial change

Published: 04/19/2019 @ 05:43 am | Updated: 04/19/2019 @ 05:53 am

In two separate resolutions, the Auburn City Council called on the state Legislature for city assistance. The council passed a resolution Thursday requesting Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state Legislature to consider bills that would adjust the reimbursement rate for maintenance on the Arterial roadway. Currently, the maintenance reimbursement rates for Auburn sit at 85 cents per square yard and... more

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