Morning News Brief
Written by Michael Baldwin on July 8, 2021
Congressman Chris Jacobs is announcing $9,050,000 in United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) rural water funding for the Town of Pembroke. Town of Pembroke Supervisor Thomas Schneider Jr. says “It is important to bring municipal water to every resident in the Town of Pembroke and to do it at a reasonable cost. This funding helps the town in accomplishing that.” Jacobs said “With this funding, Pembroke will not only be able to provide more residents with safe drinking water, but also attract new small businesses and residents.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James is co-leading a bipartisan coalition of 37 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against Google LLC for what she calls its illegal and anticompetitive conduct that has sought to maintain the company’s monopoly power in the mobile app distribution and in-app payment processing markets. Through a series of exclusionary contracts and other anticompetitive conduct in the Google Play Store, Google has deprived Android device users of competition that could lead to greater choice and innovation, as well as significantly lower prices for mobile apps.
Assemblyman Steve Hawley of Batavia is demanding the immediate passage of a bill known as Paula’s Law, which aims to ensure that persons who sexually assault and then murder a child under the age of 18 will never be released from prison. This push to pass the bill comes in response to the granting of parole to Robert McCain, one of two men who brutally raped and murdered a 16-year-old New York girl. Hawley is also calling for the resignation of every member of the New York State Parole Board under Gov. Cuomo’s administration, following their decision to grant McCain his release. Hawley adds that his release is just one of many instances of releasing offenders known to be highly violent into the public by the parole board.
Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed legislation that will allow restaurants to utilize municipal spaces like sidewalks and streets for outdoor dining. First granted under an executive order by the Governor, this law allows restaurants to continue using these public spaces for another year as they recover from the economic devastation brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. Restaurants were especially impacted by the pandemic, with many continuing to struggle as New York recovers.
Lyme disease season is here again. While you can get bit by a tick year-round, there is typically a surge in the spring and summer months. In 2019, New York State had 2,847 confirmed cases of Lyme. It is likely that these numbers were even higher, as many cases remain undiagnosed. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks, also known as deer ticks. There is a wide range of early signs and symptoms, which include: fever, chills, headache, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, swollen lymph nodes, and/or a bull’s-eye rash. Serious health complications can occur if Lyme is left untreated. If you find a tick on you, remove it as soon as possible.
Amid a rise in violence in the Rochester area, federal and local law enforcement will be working together to push back against gun-related crime. Speaking Wednesday – near the site where a woman was fatally shot in front of two young children – officials pledged new efforts, including the formation of a new task force, to curb that violence. U.S. Attorney James Kennedy and members of the FBI, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service, DEA and Homeland Security joined leaders from the Rochester Police Department, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office to discuss the formation of the Federal Violence Prevention and Elimination Response Task Force. Kennedy also announced a 60-day “surge” from law enforcement to “target the worst of the worst” offenders in the community.
The statewide shortage of referees at youth and high school levels is a problem that has only grown worse since the pandemic started. Both the state and Section V are making pushes this summer to hire -as well as keep – more officials. The New York State Public High School Athletic Association says all school sports, regardless of level, are impacted.
