For the past six months, Monroe County has been handling some administrative work for two quasi-governmental local development corporations it created: Upstate Telecommunications Corporation and Monroe Safety and Security Systems. The county took over the duties from a subcontractor after four key players in the LDC’s were hit with criminal charges related to alleged bid-rigging. The […]
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Anti-casino group second in lobbying spending
In the first half of 2014, the No More Casinos Coalition was second only to New York State United Teachers in what it spent on lobbying. The coalition, which was formed by Western Regional Off-Track Betting and Finger Lakes Gaming and Racing, spent $24,000 on compensation for lobbyists and approximately $1.4 million on lobbying expenses, […]
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O’Brien has earned a second term
Even before Democratic State Senator Ted O’Brien had a challenger, New York politicos knew his re-election battle would be tough; he’s a freshman legislator in a competitive district, and Republicans were clear that they’d be gunning for the seat. Then Republican Rich Funke entered the race, and it virtually guaranteed that the 55th Senate District […]
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Group ranks state legislators’ environmental records
Environmental Advocates of New York has released its annual scorecard for state legislators, and Democrats in the Rochester delegation outscored their Republican counterparts. Environmental Advocates bases the scores around legislation it has identified as priorities. Legislators get points for the “correct” vote, whether it’s in favor of legislation the organization supports or against legislation it […]
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Wiesner case to head back to grand jury
Robert Wiesner faces one less felony criminal charge, but one more is up in the air for now. Wiesner is one of four defendants accused of participating in a bid-rigging scheme that involved county-connected local development corporations. He faced two felony charges as part of the case, which is being handled by the State Attorney […]
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Irondequoit releases draft comprehensive plan
Irondequoit officials will take public comments on a draft comprehensive plan for the town during a public forum at 7 p.m. on Thursday, August 7. A public hearing will take place at 7:35 p.m. on Thursday, August 21. Both meetings will be held at Town Hall, 1280 Titus Avenue. The town government hasn’t adopted a […]
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County’s algae solution: suck it up
Ontario Beach Park has had odor problems for a long time. The culprit: the algae that forms rotting, stinky piles where the beach meets the Charlotte pier. The muck and its odor have been a stubborn nuisance for years, despite periodic efforts to haul some of the accumulation away. Often, the hotter the day, the […]
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Council seeks input on economic development projects
The Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council has published its draft list of priority projects for 2014, and is looking for public input on the document. But it wants the comments before Friday since the members plan to approve the final document at their August 6 meeting; details for commenting are available here. The priority projects […]
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Brockport task force to tackle housing
The Village of Brockport has a long, complicated history with its rental properties. The issue heats up during the periodic clashes between village officials and landlords over property maintenance and occupancy issues. Brockport officials have taken steps to rein in some of the village’s most problematic properties and landlords over the last few years, however. […]
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An atheist in the Town of Greece
Religion can alienate as well as unite. When government officials have prayer at public meetings, they can estrange some of the very people they’ve been elected to serve, says Hamlin resident Dan Courtney. The Town of Greece began opening its monthly Town Board meetings with a prayer given by an invited member of the local […]
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UR gets START-UP NY approval for Eastman Business Park buildings, tech incubator
Three buildings with links to the University of Rochester are now part of a state program, START-UP NY, that will essentially turn the buildings into tax-free zones. The UR’s application for inclusion was approved by the program’s board yesterday. One of the buildings is High Tech Rochester’s Lennox Tech Enterprise Center in Henrietta, which is a […]
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[UPDATED] Medical pot, schools project, judges, and sparklers mark end of Legislature session
Soon, it could be legal to sell and use sparklers in New York, but not to light up medical marijuana. As the State Assembly and Senate wound down its session last night (and this morning), they acted on a slew of bills dealing with big statewide issues and matters that were specific to single communities. […]
