The way that House Representative Tom Reed sees it, the state’s decision to ban fracking has deprived some Southern Tier property owners from realizing the full potential of their land. And he’s said that the state should compensate those landowners for the money they could have made by leasing their land to drilling companies. Now, […]
Congress
Posted inNews & Opinion
Congress members take second shot at renewing Great Lakes program
In December, the House of Representatives passed legislation that would have reauthorized funding for a crucial Great Lakes environmental program. But the Senate never voted on the bill. Now, similar legislation is back in front of the House. The bill provides for another five years of funding – from 2016 through 2020 – for the […]
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Slaughter tops Assini
Democrat Louise Slaughter has won her House of Representative re-election bid, but by a very narrow margin. This afternoon, the Monroe County Board of Elections counted approximately 2,800 remaining absentee and affidavit ballots cast in the 25th Congressional District race. After the tallies, Slaughter held an 869 vote lead over her Republican opponent, Gates Supervisor […]
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Untangling the 2014 election results
The election was influenced by a mishmash of national and state issues, the appeal
of individual candidates, and low turnout — all of which resulted in a
Republican wave.
Posted inNews & Opinion
WEDNESDAY EVENING UPDATE: Slaughter holding on to slight lead
UPDATE: The next batch of absentee ballots has been counted and Slaughter is, so far, holding on to her lead. As of 5:20 p.m. on Wednesday, November 3, Slaughter leads Assini 95,289 to 94,638. That’s a difference of 651 votes, which means that Slaughter has extended her ever-so-slight lead. Another batch of absentees won’t be […]
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Care costs
Two-parent families in New York spend, on average, 16.5 percent of their annual income on child care, according to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s office. Single mothers, on average, spend more than 57 percent of their income on child care, the office says. Parents in the Rochester-Finger Lakes area face estimated full-time day care costs of up […]
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On climate, Obama’s in a difficult spot
President Barack Obama is in a tough spot. He has his agenda, his list of issues he wants to address and laws he wants passed, but he faces an uncooperative Congress. His State of the Union address last night reflected that reality; he laid out a few areas where he said he plans to take […]
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Slaughter’s foes
It looks like House Representative Louise Slaughter, who represents the 25th Congressional District, could face at least two opponents in her bid for re-election this year. Gates Supervisor Mark Assini, a Republican, and Marine Corps veteran Tim Dean, who plans to run as an independent, both say they plan to take on the well-known and […]
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Food benefits decreasing
In Monroe County, food stamp cuts come at a time of growing need. In January 2011, 108,078 people in 55,220 Monroe County households received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, according to the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance. In August 2013, the number had risen to 120,332 recipients in 63,973 households. The current decrease, […]
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[UPDATED] House passes important Great Lakes legislation
The House of Representatives has passed legislation that, according to its proponents, will put Great Lakes ports in a better position to compete for certain federal funding.
Posted inNews & Opinion
And we’re shut down…
In the wee hours this morning, it happened; the U.S. government entered a partial shutdown. It’s a statement that just doesn’t look right. We’re all painfully familiar with why we’re in this position. In simple terms, Congress couldn’t come to agreement on legislation that would fund the government. Being Congress and all, the situation really […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Food stamp fight
House Republicans have passed legislation that would cut food stamp funding by $40 billion over the next four years. If there’s any upside, it’s this: the Senate won’t agree to such severe cuts. The Republican legislation passed by a mere seven votes, since even some GOP legislators thought the cuts too draconian. The cuts would […]
