Archive: News

The Lansing Board of Education approved higher meal rates Monday to comply a with federal mandate that would eventually require Lansing to charge $2.78 for paid lunches.  Food Service Supervisor Sandra Swearingen explained that the mandate is intended to insure that federal dollars intended for students who qualify for free meals are not used to subsidize paid meals.  Swearingen told the board that gradually increasing prices each year until the mandate is met rather than imposing the mandated price all at once respects difficult economic times for families.  But she said that the federal government keeps raising the mandated meal price.

"We've been raising it as little as possible so we don't put a lot of burden on our students' families," she said.  "We want to communicate the changes to the families before the start of the school year and prepare them for the annual meal price increases until we meet the Federal Lunch Equity.  As usual the mandates keep increasing, so we never seem to get there."

Albany - Floyd Rayburn turned in 1491 signatures Thursday in his bid to be New York's next Senator for the 54th district, well north of the number he needs to appear on the ballot.  The signatures came from each of the six counties in the district.

"It was great to get out and meet with voters, find out what was on their minds.  I'm thankful so many signed my petition to get on the ballot.  People deserve a choice and by being on the ballot, I believe over the next few months we can win the votes of the majority of the Republicans in the 54th district," said Floyd Rayburn.

The Lansing Volunteer Fire Department is planning a party -- a big party.  Hundreds of past and present members have been invited to celebrate the department's centennial on August 6th.  If they put a candle on the cake for every year, they'll need a fire department to put it out!

Today the department has four fire stations, nine large fire trucks and a host of support vehicles, and about 60 members.  Originally there were five fire companies in Ludlowville, Lansingville, North Lansing, South Lansing, and what is now the Village of Lansing.  The five companies merged in the '70s.  But 100 years ago things were very different.

"Now we have a lot fewer people and more emergencies popping up," says Fire Department President and Fire Commissioner Robert Wagner.  "We're running about 1,000 a year between EMS and fire calls."

Legislature Supports 'Banning the Box' for County Employment Applications
Following a year of study on the issue, the Legislature, without dissent, passed a resolution of support for the Commissioner of Personnel to implement procedures to eliminate the criminal conviction disclosure from the Tompkins County employment application ("banning the box"), except in cases where certain convictions preclude employment in specified job titles.  (Legislator Glenn Morey was excused.)  For most positions, criminal conviction disclosures and subsequent inquiries now will be delayed until later in the application process.  The practice applies for all public entities under Tompkins County's Civil Service authority that use the Tompkins County employment application.

While an affirmative response to the criminal conviction disclosure has never been an automatic bar from consideration for employment, the concern is that asking the question at the beginning of the process could deter an individual from applying for jobs for which he or she might be eligible and qualified.   Procedures have been developed to ensure that, for most job titles, the Personnel Department receives attestations from applicants at the end of the hiring process and will then establish whether any such past convictions have relevance to the position in question.

Tom Reed announced his support for a bill which will help keep Americans safe and supply our troops with the resources they need here and around the world. "We care about keeping the U.S. homeland, and every American, safe," said Reed. "It's only right that we stand with our men and women in uniform and ensure access to the resources they need to complete their missions and keep America safe."

The House and Senate are expected to vote to begin work on a final compromise on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) later this week. The bill authorizes funding for the Department of Defense, which includes our armed services.

The Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport (ITH) runway closes today for repaving, which means there will be no commercial flights coming in or out for two weeks.  The $4.3 million project will involve shaving between two and three inches of the existing surface, then repaving the 6,977 by 150 foot wide runway.  But the airport is far from closed.  Airport Manager Mike Hall says that while fixed wing operations will be halted, the airport staff will remain busy overseeing the project, accommodating helicopter flights, and catching up on airport maintenance.

"The airport will remain open, but obviously airplanes that need runways won't be able to operate," Hall says.  "Our helicopters will.  That's important because we do a fair amount of Medivac flights.  Our airport staff will be busy supervising the construction activity and making sure the airfield remains safe for rotary operations.  The aircraft control tower is going to continue to operate because of rotary operations and the possibility that there might be an emergency that would pop up where we might need to clear the taxiway and let them land on a taxiway -- it would have to be a very serious emergency.  But those happen from time to time when people fly overhead."

Canandaigua - Republican candidate for 54th New York State Senate District Pam Helming blasted the SAFE Act Wednesday and called for its total repeal.  Helming pledged to lead the fight against radical anti-gun legislation currently pending in Albany.

"The SAFE Act is deeply flawed and an assault on our constitutional rights. Law-abiding gun owners across our region and state were made into criminals overnight by Governor Cuomo and the liberals that support his anti-gun agenda. As State Senator, I will work with my Upstate colleagues, sportsmen and women across the 54th District, law-abiding gun owners, and pro-gun rights advocates such as SCOPE and the NRA to protect our Second Amendment rights," said Helming.

Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton (D/WFP-125 AD) announced Thursday that she has sent a legislative sign-on letter to Governor Cuomo which requests a moratorium on state approvals for new pipelines, compressor stations, power plants, gas storage facilities and all other infrastructure projects that could perpetuate New York's reliance on highly polluting natural gas, oil, coal, refined petroleum products and other fossil fuels that contribute to global climate change.

The moratorium would allow for an investigation of the many serious problems, even fatalities, cited in a March 2016 report by Comptroller DiNapoli and allow time for much more aggressive action on energy efficiency.

July 4th brings out the patriotism in us.  The stars and stripes appear on bathing suits, folding lawn chairs, towels, and, of course, all those flag poles that seem to sprout along Route 34B at this time of year.  But a recent analysis puts New York State at the bottom of all states when ranked by patriotism.  The Wallethub analysis shows New York as the 3rd least patriotic state, with only Connecticut and New Jersey less patriotic.

"A good patriot would be someone who not only embraces American core values but also is comfortable with the idea that these values can in practice remain in conflict and subject to disagreement," says Kevin M. Esterling, Professor of Political Science and Associate Dean of the Graduate Division at University of California, Riverside.  "At the same time, people can very reasonably disagree in specific instances about the weight to place on different American values, where some might reasonably place greater priority on liberty and property rights, others on dissent, others on justice and equality. Thus what appear to be patriotic expressions and beliefs vary across individuals and communities."

New York State Common Retirement Fund Reviewing Investments for Companies Engaged in Anti-Israel BDS Movement New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced Wednesday that he has directed the New York State Common Retirement Fund (Fund) to review its portfolio for any companies involved in the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. DiNapoli and the Fund will take appropriate steps to protect investments from any risk posed by companies that are engaged in BDS activities, including restricting or exiting investments.

"Attempts to harm Israel's economy can put our investments there at risk," DiNapoli said.  "Israel remains an attractive place to invest and we look forward to finding new opportunities there. We're putting companies engaged in BDS activities on notice that there will be consequences if their anti-Israel activities expose our investments to financial harm."

Albany – New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli and Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced that Renee Kanas, 63, a resident of Tamarac, Florida, pleaded guilty today to Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a Class D felony, for stealing over $148,000 in pension payments from the New York State and Local Employees Retirement System paid to her father, Jacob Yudenfreund, a New York State pensioner who died in March 2010.

"For years, Ms. Kanas spent thousands, living off a pension to which she was not entitled, even cruising the Caribbean," State Comptroller DiNapoli said. "Thankfully, through my Operation Integrity partnership with Attorney General Schneiderman, she has pleaded guilty and must make repayment in the thousands."

Canandaigua, NY - Town of Canandaigua Supervisor Pam Helming pledged to fight for a constitutional amendment forfeiting government pensions for state legislators and other elected officials convicted of corruption.  Helming announced her campaign last Friday for the 54th Senate District.  As State Senator, Helming will sponsor and support a second passage of the pension forfeiture resolution in the state legislature next year which would enable the measure to be voted upon by New York State voters in November 2017.

"It is a disgrace that any public official, who has stolen from the very individuals they were elected to represent, would still be able to collect taxpayer funded pensions. The State legislature must take decisive action to adopt legislation to close this loophole. As State Senator, I will be a tireless fighter for ethics reform. We need to clean up Albany and that starts with making sure corrupt politicians cannot continue to cash in on the backs of hardworking taxpayers," said Helming.