A guest column by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand Just a few months ago, many of us were horrified to learn that a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio was forced to delay medical attention and travel to Indiana to get the reproductive health care that she needed.
Three significant developments worthy of comment occurred in Yates County recently. First, is the sale of The Chronicle-Express to CherryRoad Media, breathing new life into this 198-year-old newspaper. The community response is encouraging, and hopefully an indication of the kind of support that can be expected in the future.
It took far too long – far too long – before Governor Kathy Hochul finally decided to not extend a COVID-19 emergency declaration that has been in place for more than two years in New York State. Remember that this emergency declaration has authorized broad and unprecedented executive authority, first for former Governor Andrew Cuomo and, following Cuomo’s resignation, for Governor Hochul.
With Juneteeth now a national holiday to commemorate freedom for America’s enslaved people, and race relations still a potent force in American politics, New York’s Conservative Party has staked out its ground on the far right of the political spectrum. Detailed in its 2022 National Affairs platform, the Conservatives declare systemic racism is a lie. Racial discrimination in New York is rare. And the state’s most vocal critics of racial discrimination are portrayed as money-grubbing loudmouths undeserving of respect.
The state’s Farm Laborers Wage Board approved its final recommendation to roll back the current 60hour-per-week overtime threshold for farm workers to 40 hours in a move strongly criticized by State Senator Tom O’Mara (R,C-Big Flats).
Our conversations were varied and wide-ranging, but a few common threads emerged. One was the importance of good governance and transparency in local government. Another key topic was the need to reinforce mutual aid practices, filling the needs left by gaps in services that we experience as a small, underserved county.
The single biggest threat to the health care delivery system in N.Y. State is the ability to attract and retain staff, according to a new report by Common Ground Health.
I grew up reading The Chronicle-Express, so I probably started in the mid 1950s. My mother referred to it as ' Sidney’s Effort,' a nod to Sidney E. Ayres, editor from 1928 to 1960. When I went off to college, my parents saved the paper every week so I could read it when I got home. When I went abroad for a number of years, my dad gave me a subscription to the paper, so I could follow the home town issues and news.
Recently, Governor Kathy Hochul once again extended her executive powers, under the guise of an ongoing COVID-19 emergency declaration, which continues to give New York’s chief executive broad and unprecedented authority to take unilateral actions.
I have found the recent news regarding the boxes of Top Secret documents just “hanging around” in an unsecure environment quite disturbing.