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One week after the racist shooting in Buffalo, here’s what we know
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Last week’s racist mass shooting in a Buffalo supermarket left ten people dead and three wounded. Here’s what WSKG has learned in the days since the attack.
WSKG (https://wskg.org/tag/broome-county/)
Last week’s racist mass shooting in a Buffalo supermarket left ten people dead and three wounded. Here’s what WSKG has learned in the days since the attack.
The district attorney insisted that law enforcement had followed proper procedure, and that nothing else could have been done to intervene, under current law.
A month ago, the county was reporting 20 to 40 daily positive cases. Now, county officials say they’re seeing around 100 cases a day.
“There is no transparency here, with this contract.”
Under the proposed contract, Centers for Care would be first in line to buy the Willow Point Nursing Home, if Broome County decides to sell it.
The school board at Chenango Forks Central School District voted unanimously to end the district’s mask requirements as soon as the statewide mandate is lifted.
“As we continue to come out of this pandemic, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to not just get back to normal, but truly transform our county.”
The proposed agreement between Broome County and Centers for Care, a large health care company, has some legislators concerned.
Protestors gathered in front of Binghamton’s state office building, calling for an end to mask mandates in schools.
There have been nearly 50 overdoses since this year began, more than half in the past two weeks.
Just over a year ago, a judge ordered county elections officials to certify Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-22) as the winner in New York’s 22nd Congressional District race. Elections officials say many of the administrative failures have since been resolved.
Drug overdoses have increased in Broome County this week, with seven reported overdoses in one day.
Broome County is still reporting hundreds of positive COVID-19 cases each week, but numbers have continued to fall.
Broome County legislators voted along party lines Tuesday night to adopt a new legislative district map, favored by Republicans. Last week, many residents voiced their concerns about the map in a public hearing.
The Broome County Legislature postponed adopting a new map of the county’s 15 legislative districts, Thursday night, following a public hearing. The map would allow many Republican incumbents to keep their current seats.
Residents can use their county’s online portal to report at-home COVID-19 test results, and access isolation order paperwork to provide to their employer.
There’s been a high demand for snow plow drivers this season, and the New York State Department of Transportation has had challenges finding enough of them.
Broome County continues to see record numbers of COVID-19 cases, with 3,250 new cases in the past week. But County Executive Jason Garnar says for now, hospitalizations don’t seem to be increasing at the same rate.
“The next month will likely be the most difficult month that we’ve ever seen in the pandemic.”
Given the spike in COVID-19 cases, county officials are advising residents to make sure they stay safe during holiday gatherings.
The governor gave updates on the current mask mandate, hospital capacity and testing, in the midst of a surge in COVID-19 cases across the state.
“We are racing against the clock now. It’s important that when people want to get vaccinated or they want to get boosted, that they can do that immediately.”
Since the statewide mask mandate was announced last week, New York’s counties have grappled with how to implement it. Certain counties have embraced the mandate. Others have refused to carry it out.
A total of 12 cases have been detected in New York state so far. Nineteen states across the U.S. have reported cases of Omicron.
Across the state about one in every seven positive COVID-19 tests is sent to a lab to be screened for variants. But some counties, like Tompkins, are able to screen nearly all of their tests.
Despite an increase in COVID-19 cases, fairly low vaccination rates and widespread booster rollout, the Southern Tier still has no state-run mass vaccination site.
Staffing shortages at Broome County’s Willow Point Nursing Home have forced officials to declare a state of emergency.
County officials attributed the rise in cases to residents socializing over Halloween weekend.
“You could probably assume that we have the same type of vaccination rate that the rest of Broome county does. So about a third of our sixteen to seventeen hundred employees are probably not vaccinated.”
“I would suspect that this is an example of the people who scheduled those initiatives choosing the wrong election to put those initiatives on the ballot.”
Republicans appear poised to maintain control of the mayor’s office for another four years.
“If you’re disabled, and you don’t get to speak for yourself, then you lose your voice.”
“Your community, your neighbors, are working in those ERs around the clock, and they are tired, and they are getting really taxed.”
“It’s important, again, that we use these funds to provide lifesaving drugs, and lifesaving treatment.”
“People are tired, and we’ve seen a significant resurgence here. There’s a significant demand in our emergency rooms, in our COVID unit, in our ICU, and so, we need all hands on deck.”
“More than 820,000 Americans are on the waitlist to receive care. Families may have to wait as long as five years, to get home care services that they need for their loved ones who are aging or disabled.”
“Our numbers had gotten so low that we did not need to continue the rapid testing site. But the numbers are going up.”
“A lot of our staff is out doing their regulatory jobs, that need to happen, and it leaves us less infrastructure for doing the case investigation.”
“It’s going to be very, very difficult to provide the same level of healthcare if we are, all of a sudden, starting to see people walk off the job and leave the healthcare industry.”
“At the current rate, things have the potential to get out of control. And the last thing anybody wants to see is another shutdown.”
“We’re talking about one to two new cases, daily, sometimes zero cases daily, to about 30 new cases per day.”
“Our impression is that probably, you can find five percent, maybe even up to ten percent in areas, it definitely seems to be increasing.”
Harder’s press conference came a day after Governor Andrew Cuomo instituted a statewide disaster emergency declaration on gun violence.
“It’s important that these companies pay up, it’s also important that the money go to where it was intended.”
“Our goal this year is to complete as much of the project as we can before the winter hits.”
The New Jersey Devils announced last month they did not plan to continue their affiliation in Binghamton.
“At no time did any state official ask for my support for the governor in exchange for help with the pandemic.”
Jason Garnar said on Facebook he is feeling fine and does not have any symptoms
“It’s not a stimulus bill. It’s an emergency survival bill and we’re going to fight for more dollars later,.”
“We can’t let down our guard now, though.”
The suspension of in-person classes and extracurricular activities begins Wednesday, Nov. 17 and will last through the end of the semester.
Health officials are now reporting up to 35 new cases per day. That is up from about 10 per day in April.
Many of the protesters who spoke during the hearing criticized the budget proposal for adding two new sheriff positions and keeping the budget for the Broome County jail at more than $29 million.
According to Garnar, the rapid test machines employed at the site can produce results in 15 minutes.
“Those properties, to be honest, should really be condemned, but people have to live there because it’s the only place that they’re able to afford.”
Teachers have been given the choice of returning to in-person teaching or teaching virtually. Teaching aides have not been given the same option.
“It is really, really going to hurt this community if we don’t get some type of assistance.”
“What we want to avoid is providing data in a manner that would cause people to jump to potentially false conclusions about the disease or about any individual in our community.”
Earlier this year, Governor Andrew Cuomo expanded absentee voting to include all New Yorkers.
“You always want to make sure that these are built in areas that have amenities in walking distance—bus transportation, but also stores and doctors offices, things like that.”
“I don’t want that to be what people remember out of yesterday’s demonstration.”
“I’m a mother of two black sons and this is enough. So, we came to make some noise.”
“The twice per week is not based in any scientific recommendation and counters what the CDC is asking for.”
Broome County’s Executive Jason Garnar said if the region continues to fulfill the reopening criteria set by the state, it could see Phase 2 on May 29th.
County Executive Jason Garnar’s office said the Willow Point resident was moved to a negative pressure room in the facility.
“This is not about government. Government can offer suggestions, advice and guidance.”
The Southern Tier region includes Broome, Delaware, Chemung, Tioga, Tompkins, Chenango, Schuyler and Steuben counties.
The Governor said more details will be available on Monday.
“I’m trying to look at the positive side of things with everything going on.”
Broome health officials said non-fatal overdoses have increased, advocates said fatal overdoses did, too.
As need has increased, donations have decreased.
The guidelines run until at least April 29th
The Republican said New York’s budget deficit was around $6 billion even before the pandemic started
Meanwhile, Schuyler County reports first positive case.
Closure is effective at midnight on Friday.
There’s also home-delivery where food pantries have closed.
The woman, who was in her 90’s, died at Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton
The county is asking for unused personal protective equipment like N-95 and surgical masks, medical gowns, gloves, shoe covers, and plastic face shields. No other items will be accepted.
“This confirmed case was not unexpected: With more frequent testing and the rise of this virus, we knew sooner or later that a case would appear within our campus community.”
The Department of Social Services will soon start monitoring open day care spots in Broome County.
The announcement comes as Broome County gets its first positive case of COVID-19.
Number of positive cases across New York jumps, as testing ramps up.
Reed also said that Congress is keeping an eye on the needs of families while schools are closed.
Restaurants, bars, gyms, movie theaters and casinos are closing in New York beginning Monday night.
On Friday, Governor Andrew Cuomo said he would waive the 180-day school year requirement for districts to receive state aid.
“While this is the first case of COVID-19 in Tompkins County, we are prepared to respond to limit future exposures and community spread of the virus”
“Being there in the flesh, being able to see a face looking bored or looking confused or looking intrigued or looking fascinated, is part of teaching,” Law said.
Jason Garnar called the miscommunication “frustrating”.
Crouch has served in the New York Assembly since 1995.
Starting in February, Broome County residents will be able to dispose of their unwanted medications safely in their own homes using warm water and a special pouch.
The department will dissolve by March 1st. After that, Sheriff’s departments from Broome and Delaware Counties will service the area.
It allows police to arrest anyone who harasses emergency first responders. Violators could face up to a year in prison, a $5,000 fine or both.
“Guess what? Protesting is about being annoying”
The company will save $1.7 million dollars over 15 years.
Judge Richard Rich said Republican Paul Battisti’s request “lacked merit”.
The industrial hemp company would save $1.7 million over the next 15 years.
New York Health Commissioner Howard Zucker declared the flu “prevalent” on Thursday.
The hearing was postponed due to this week’s winter storm.
The alternative is having sheriff departments from Broome and Delaware cover the area.
The funds will pay for improvements to the airport’s taxiways.
After 41,005 ballots were tallied election night, Libertarian Mike Korchak holds a 122 vote lead over Republican Paul Battisti.
Cameras will be equipped on stop signs on the outside of buses.
Over the last three months, a report from District Attorney Steve Cornwell finds there were nine overdose deaths in Broome County.
The shop now offers over 100 flavors, but with the new ban it will only be able to sell eight.
Elmira, Broome County and Canisteo were all on the list.
State says Trump Administration is overstepping.
Overdose deaths led to State of Emergency in Broome earlier this year.
Republican voters in Broome County head to the polls today to select a candidate for District Attorney.
Last week, a story broke that 52nd District State Senator Fred Akshar had an intimate relationship with the mother of a murder victim. It’s a case Akshar supervised while with the Broome County Sheriff’s office. This week, the story hasn’t gone away. It’s become part of the Broome County District Attorney race.
Republican leaders in Broome and Chenango Counties are supporting Ed Cox for re-election as the head of the statewide party.
Crispin Hernandez used to work on a North Country dairy farm. He and others workers tried to organize and were fired. Now he works for a workers’ rights group.
“When we have residents coming back from treatment and ending up in the same housing they left we’re not assisting them in staying in recovery,” said Rebecca Kaufman, Director of the Broome County Department of Health.
“Basically, if you overdose on fentanyl, you’re probably not gonna get revived even if someone tries to. It’s a death sentence. It’s very concerning.”
Government leaders around Broome County stood with state representatives today in Binghamton. They’re pushing back against the Governor’s proposal that ends state aid to municipalities.
Broome County District Attorney Steve Cornwell says he won’t serve another full term so it would be dishonest to seek re-election in 2019.
Even with a primary loss, the son of long-time Binghamton-area State Senator Tom Libous plans to be on the ballot in November.
VESTAL, NY (WSKG)— Recent heavy rains have led to flash flooding in parts of the Southern Tier and Northern Pennsylvania including in Seneca and Bradford counties.
We visit Water Street Brewing Co. in downtown Binghamton, New York. There we talk with them about operating a brewery in the heart of the city.
We meet the Interim Director of the Broome County Arts Council, Arthur Garrison. He introduces himself and explains what an arts council does. https://wskg.org/audio/garrison.mp3
Photo credit: Broome County Arts Council
Consultants have recommended closing Willow Point Nursing Home in Vestal, New York, but now it’s close to having another permanent director. Broome County Executive Jason Garner appointed Ryan LaClair on Tuesday. LaClair was most recently at the Country Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Carthage. In his time at that facility, he improved the quality to a five-star rating based on the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services Quality Measures. Willow Point has been without a permanent leader for four months now. The county-run nursing home had a budget in the red for years.
Sarah Harding has a police radio and a bullet proof vest. She checks in with 911 dispatch as she starts her day. But she’s not a police officer. Harding is a clinical social worker with the Mental Health Association of the Southern Tier. Meeting People In A Crisis Harding goes on police calls when a person might be having a mental health crisis. Sometimes, people are a bit wary of speaking with her. “They see you coming and [they say] ‘who’s that? what’s that for?'” she said.
Broome County is launching a program to get treatment for people at risk of an opioid overdose. It’s called the Peer Response Team. It works with law enforcement, hospitals and social services around Broome County. The idea is to better connect people at risk of an overdose to the services they need. “It is my hope that this initiative will give us the opportunity to be out in the community,” said Jill Lloyd, of the Addiction Center of Broome County, “[It can help us] reach out to populations who may not feel comfortable stepping forward and stepping up to treatment services themselves.”
The ACBC will have certified peer advocates meet with the at-risk person, establish contact and conduct wellness checks. County Executive Jason Garnar said there were 76 overdose deaths in Broome last year.
Kevin Carey is resigning from his position as administrator for Willow Point Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, a public service that’s become a source of tension in Broome County. When Carey came to lead Willow Point in 2014, the nursing home was projected to be a few million dollars in the red. Consultants have recommended selling or closing Willow Point. But, Carey has said, no matter what the county decided, he’d run the place efficiently. “Kevin has worked hard to help Willow Point through some difficult years,” said Broome County Executive Jason Garnar in a statement.
BINGHAMTON (AP) — More than 40,000 utility customers are without power after powerful thunderstorms packing high winds rolled across upstate New York. NYSEG reports half of its 34,000 outages Tuesday morning are located in the Binghamton area, where Broome County officials have declared a state of emergency after trees and utility poles were toppled by high winds during Monday night’s storms. Some 40 roads in the area are closed because of fallen trees or poles. A few thousand other homes and businesses in the Southern Tier and eastern New York remain without power. The National Weather Service says it will investigate whether a tornado touched down in neighboring Chenango and Otsego counties Monday evening. More than 6,700 utility customers in Chenango County are waiting to have power restored.
At the Binghamton City Court Monday morning, former Broome County Executive Debbie Preston pleaded guilty to charges of “official misconduct.” Preston was accused of getting credit card in her name and in the Town of Conklin’s name back when she was town supervisor. Then, she bought stuff for herself and continued to do so even after she was told not to, racking up a balance of over $20,000. She could’ve gotten jail time. Instead, she paid a $1,000 fine. The prosecutor, Joseph Fazzary, district attorney in Schuyler County, said he couldn’t find evidence she’d tried to steal anything or falsify documents.
At about 8:15 Monday morning, former Broome County Executive Debbie Preston turned herself in to the New York State police barracks in Kirkwood, NY. She’s charged with misusing a credit card back when she was supervisor for the Town of Conklin. Preston served as supervisor from 2003 to 2011. She became county executive in 2012 and lost a bid for re-election last November. She’s accused of getting a credit card in the town’s name and her name and buying things for herself.
In this episode of Chords of Memory we highlight the photography of Joseph K. Noyes, an amateur photographer from Binghamton, New York. Robert Perez provides the musical arrangement, playing his song “My Life”. Photographs courtesy of the Broome County Historical Society. https://youtu.be/nf-KxwjouyQ
Chords of Memory is a web series from WSKG that combines historic photographs with local musical talent. In each episode, a local artist provides the musical backdrop to a showcase of hand-selected images from various photographic archives.
The photographs in this episode of Chords of Memory were taken in Binghamton, New York between 1937 and 1947. Phil Westcott provides the musical arrangement on his saxophone. Photographs courtesy of the Broome County Historical Society. https://youtu.be/C_EQh9kgLoc
Chords of Memory is a web series from WSKG that combines historic photographs with local musical talent. In each episode, a local artist provides the musical backdrop to a showcase of hand-selected images from various photographic archives.
Nicknamed the Magic City, the Village of Endicott started as a planned village by the Endicott Land Company in 1900. Within 6 years, the new community was incorporated and included major factories built and operated by the Endicott Johnson Shoe Company. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIAXCl6LzYo
Funding provided by a grant from Empire State Development.
In 1890, the Lester Brothers Boot and Shoe Company purchased farmland in the Town of Union to build the Pioneer Factory in their planned community of Lestershire. In 1892, while the company faced financial ruin, Lestershire became a village. The company was sold to Henry B. Endicott of Massachusetts, who kept on foreman George F. Johnson – making him a partner in renamed Endicott Johnson Shoe Company. In 1916, Lestershire was renamed Johnson City in honor of George F. Johnson. https://youtu.be/aYrobfQ4h8I
Funding provided by a grant from Empire State Development. Links:
Path Through History: https://paththroughhistory.iloveny.com/
WSKG’s Path Through History: https://www.wskg.org/pth
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – A longtime New York state senator who helped lead its Republican majority before his conviction last year for lying to the FBI has died. Tom Libous, who was 63, died Tuesday after a prolonged battle with cancer. His death was announced in a statement from his family. Libous lost his seat as the Senate’s deputy majority leader after being convicted in July. Prosecutors say he lied to agents asking how his son Matthew got a $150,000-a-year law firm job.
Republican Stephen Cornwell will soon be Broome County’s new District Attorney. He emerged victorious in the tight race after absentee ballots were counted on Tuesday. The DA contest ended too close to call on November 3, with Democratic incumbent Gerald Mollen trailing Cornwell by fewer than 600 votes. With absentee ballots in, unofficial totals are 20,121 for Mollen and 20,630 for Cornwell. That count does not include about 15 votes that are to be hand-counted.
A Broome County judge has dismissed a lawsuit Harpursville parents brought against their school. The parents sued their district for violation of open meetings laws and financial irresponsibility earlier this summer. The judge told parents to take their case to the ballot box. He said court isn’t the right forum for their complaints, and he also more or less rejected every one of the claims. On violation of open meetings, he said communities don’t have the right to debate all board decisions. They can observe, not necessarily discuss.
Parents in Harpursville, New York, are taking their school district to court. A group sued the school earlier this year over what they say is a lack of transparency. The case went before a Broome County judge Tuesday. The group is called STOP, or School Transparency Organization for Parents. They say their school used a secretive process to get rid of two administrators last year and hire replacements.
Child poverty rates in four upstate New York cities are more than double state averages. The issue spurred an anti-poverty campaign in Rochester earlier this year, and now Binghamton is getting on board, too. Johnson City School District Superintendent Mary Kay Frys spoke at a public meeting two state legislators held in Binghamton this week. She says there’s a poverty crisis in the district. “We have had elementary students dumpster dive in restaurant receptacles in the village in order to get food that has been thrown out,” she says.
Binghamton’s DoubleTree hotel turned into a rappelling wall today in a first-of-its-kind fundraiser for Catholic Charities of Broome County. Lisa Beach of Binghamton’s Indulgence salon was one of 30 people who each raised $1,000 for the chance to rappel. The crowd craned their heads back to watch as she stepped off the ten-story hotel. Her son Dominick cheered his mom on as she neared the ground without holding on to the ropes. “She was fearless, with her arms out like this,” he gestured, throwing his arms wide.
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The warehouse where Broome County stores its electronic voting machines has experienced several flooding incidents within the last two years. County Executive Debbie Preston announced plans to move the voting machines from sites in Vestal to the former Ramp Industries building on Floral Avenue in Binghamton in 2012. The decision was presented as a cost-saving measure. The minority leader of the Broome County legislature, Jason Garnar, says he found out about flooding that has occurred at the site since then from county workers.