Archive: News

Williamsville, N.Y. - Tops Friendly Markets, a leading full-service grocery retailer in upstate New York and northern Pennsylvania, along with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration offers trick-or-treating safety tips in order to keep little ghouls and goblins out of harms way this Halloween season.

With an increased variety of snacks and treats available, parents and children are encouraged, even more so this year to take extra precautionary measures to ensure a safe and enjoyable evening. Parents are encouraged to use the following food safety tips to ensure children are protected from any potential food safety hazard.

Nearly six weeks into the 2011 budget process, Legislators acting as an Expanded Budget Committee took the first steps toward recommended changes to the County’s 2011 tentative budget. The package totals $74.4 million in locally controlled spending (an increase of 0.6% over 2010 despite substantial increases in mandated spending) and meets the Legislature’s goal of a tax levy increase of no more than 5%. Tonight’s session followed eight presentation meetings and was the first in as many as five more committee meetings which may be necessary to consider modifications to the proposed budget.  Fourteen legislators were present for tonight’s meeting.

Congressman Michael ArcuriWashington, DC—U.S. Rep. Michael A. Arcuri (NY-24) called on President Obama to take immediate action to resolve an ongoing trade dispute that has resulted in retaliatory tariffs of between 20 percent to 25 percent being imposed on U.S. cheese and apple exports to Mexico.

“It is vital for the U.S. to resolve this transportation dispute with Mexico to prevent further hardship for New York’s dairy farmers and apple growers,” said Arcuri.  “We must ensure free and clear export markets for our agricultural products, just like other countries have access to ours.  I am confident that a resolution can be met that will lift these tariffs while simultaneously ensuring we maintain strong highway safety standards that protect the driving public.”

Revenues must grow nearly 12 percent in the second half of the year to meet budget projections, according to the September Cash Report issued by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. DiNapoli said that although overall General Fund tax collections were up 4.1 percent compared to this time last year, revenues would have to grow nearly three times faster to meet year-end projections.

“Last year was a fiscal train wreck,” DiNapoli said. “And now, half way through the state fiscal year, we’re heading down the same track.  The budget was four months late and based on too much risk.  The economy is getting better, but the state’s fiscal condition isn’t.  September was supposed to be a strong month, and it wasn’t strong enough. 

The Tompkins County Legislature voiced official opposition to gas drilling on State forest lands, but delayed action on a similar measure that would prohibit any County-owned land from being leased for natural gas drilling using hydraulic fracturing.  Commenting on the State Department of Environmental Conservation draft Strategic Plan for State Forest Management, the Legislature urged the agency to modify the plan to prohibit drilling altogether on the State’s 780,000 acres of forest land.

The resolution predicts hydraulic-fracturing would fragment forest lands, be incompatible with purposes and values for such land, damage roads and other infrastructure, and threaten water resources and habitat.

Public Hearing on 2011 Budget Rescheduled to November 8

The Legislature has adjusted the schedule for deliberations toward a 2011 Tompkins County budget, delaying the Public Hearing on the budget, which had been scheduled for November 3, until Monday, November 8.  The hearing will be held on November 8, beginning at 7:00 p.m. at Legislature Chambers in the County Courthouse, 320 N. Tioga Street, Ithaca.

The revised schedule also changes the date of the final Expanded Budget Committee review from October 28 to Monday, November 1, beginning at 5:30 p.m.  A vote on the amended tentative budget is now scheduled for the Legislature’s November 3 meeting, with final budget adoption still scheduled for November 16.

The Village of Lansing amended two laws Monday that will impact residents' lawns in very different ways.  Local Law 5 of 2010 sets standards for maintaining ground cover on properties in the Village, and Local Law 6 revises a law that pertains to bow hunting.

"It arose as a result of a question (Trustee Lynn Leopold) raised six weeks ago as to our local law that was amended a number of years ago to broaden and clarify some of the restrictions, one of which was that bow hunting is prohibited within 500 feet of a dwelling house," explains Village Attorney David Dubow.  "It didn't have any exceptions.  The State regulations have that same 500 foot setback requirement, but do provide for certain exceptions."

The Lansing Town Board voted unanimously Wednesday to support an application by Lansing Market, LLC to receive tax consideration over a seven year period.  Lansing Market is building a $3.25 million supermarket in the Town of Lansing on the corner of North Triphammer and Town Barn Roads.  If granted by the Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency (IDA), the Payment In Lieu Of Taxes (PILOT) agreement will help the market get on a firm financial footing while gradually adding to the property tax pool.

"I've talked to a lot of people in the community," said Lansing Supervisor Scott Pinney.  "There is overwhelming support for the project."

The Lansing Town Board approved a roadway swap with Tompkins County Wednesday that will impact about 5.17 miles of roadway within the Town of Lansing. The agreement, which was signed by the Town and County Highway Superintendents on September 1, has been under consideration for the past several months, and becomes official when both the Town Board and  County Legislature pass resolutions to accept it.

Washington, DC— Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, along with Congressmen Michael Arcuri, Maurice Hinchey, Christopher Lee, Daniel Maffei, Scott Murphy, Bill Owens and Paul Tonko sent a letter to Administrator Lisa Jackson of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Wednesday expressing strong concerns over the requirements that would be placed on New York by the draft Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) that EPA recently released.

With low turnout at a 'town hall meeting' with State Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton last Saturday, the meeting resembled more of a Thanksgiving dinner where everyone in the family has to be aggressive to get a word into the conversation.  But that just made the meeting more interesting.  While Lifton was preaching to the choir in that most or all the participants were also Democrats, the conversation was substantive on a number of key issues in ways it couldn't be in a larger, more formal gathering.

In fact, with County Legislator Pat Pryor and Lansing Town Councilwoman Kathy Miller among the group, the free form discussion lent insight into three layers of government representatives, along with ideas and questions from Valerie White and Marcy Rosenkrantz.  Lifton started the discussion by saying that New York is not unique in it's budget and deficit woes, blaming the problems on a national recession and New York Republicans.

Democrat Ed O'Shea is challenging incumbent Republican Mike Nozzolio for his New York State Senate seat.  O'Shea, a SUNY Oswego English professor, got into the race about six months ago after returning from India, where he was a Fulbright-Nehru Lecturer.  Originally from Chicago, O'Shea and his wife Kathy have lived in Marion, Wayne County since 1988.  He has been vice chairman of the Wayne County Democratic Committee since 2005

He was in Tompkins County last month at the county Democrats' 'Meet the Candidates' event at Stewart Park.  Although the 54th Senate district only includes Lansing among all the Tompkins County municipalities, O'Shea asked all Tompkins County Democrats for support.  We talked to him earlier when he attended Lansing Harbor Festival, where he spent much of the day meeting people and talking about his campaign.