Month: February 2021

February 18, 2021

STATEMENT FROM NYS DEM. CHAIRMAN ON REPUBLICAN ASSEMBLY CALL FOR IMPEACHMENT
Republican Assembly’s Call For Impeachment Defies Credulity

LONG ISLAND, NY: New York State Democratic Party Chairman Jay S. Jacobs has released the following statement:

“The NYS Republican Assembly leadership call for Governor Cuomo’s impeachment less than a week after their Party’s failure to support impeachment & conviction for Donald Trump defies credulity. To be clear, Governor Cuomo is accused of failing to timely release data on deaths that occurred in nursing homes. No matter how one looks at it, not one more person lost their life because of any delay in statistical reporting after the fact and not one more person contracted COVID-19. Moreover, there isn’t a shred of criminality and the Republicans know it.

While a Republican President spent months minimizing the pandemic and threatening to short change New York when it came to PPEs, these same Republicans sat silent. While a Republican President spent 11 weeks lying to the nation about a “stolen election,” Minority Leader Will Barclay could not be found. Then, when that Republican President was found to have fomented an insurrection against the government, according to his own Party’s Senate Leader, Mitch McConnell, resulting in the deaths of three police officers with many others wounded, Barclay issued no statement.

Now, while casting a blind eye to the gross malfeasance of the President of his own Party, Barclay and the Assembly Republicans have the gross audacity to attack a Governor who has spent the last year working vigilantly to save lives as New York has been under attack from a worldwide pandemic. Instead of fixating on post-event reporting, had Barclay and the Assembly Republicans been half as attentive to Trump’s handling of the pandemic, which he long referred to as nothing but a “Democrat hoax,” perhaps lives could have actually been saved in real time.”

February 18, 2021

From Assembly GOP Leader Will Barclay:

ASSEMBLY REPUBLICANS MOVE TO FORM IMPEACHMENT COMMISSION TO BEGIN REVIEW OF GOV. CUOMO’S NURSING HOME COVER-UP

The Assembly Republican Conference today announced they will introduce a measure to begin the process of forming an Impeachment Commission to gather facts and evidence surrounding Gov. Cuomo’s handling and subsequent cover-up of the COVID-19 crisis in nursing homes.

The proposed concurrent resolution of the state Assembly and Senate would establish the “Temporary Joint Legislative Committee on Investigating the State’s Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic in Nursing Homes.” The resolution states that the Committee would be tasked with “examining the state’s method of administration and conduct in all matters relating to nursing homes and long-term care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.” A full copy of the resolution is available here.

The resolution sets a 60-day deadline for the Committee to conduct its work and submit findings and recommendations to the Legislature.

“The Cuomo Administration’s nursing home cover-up is one of the most alarming scandals we’ve seen in state government,” said Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay. “Intentionally withholding critical information from the public, underreporting fatality numbers by 50 percent and the recent revelation they hid the truth to avoid a federal Department of Justice investigation are among the factors that raise the serious possibility of criminality. It is incumbent upon the Legislature to undertake a comprehensive, bipartisan review of the Cuomo Administration’s policies, decisions and actions on this matter and render a decision on what steps must be taken to hold the governor accountable.”

The bipartisan panel would consist of eight members, with two appointees from each legislative leader. Of those eight members, the Assembly Speaker and Senate Majority Leader would jointly appoint one co-chair, while another co-chair would be named by the minority leaders in each house. The impeachment panel would have the same powers of a legislative committee, including the ability to subpoena witnesses and compel records, correspondence and documents related to the matter be produced.

After the Cuomo Administration spent months refusing to provide information on the state’s true nursing home death toll, Attorney General Letitia James issued a scathing report on January 28 which revealed state officials underreported the number of deaths by 50 percent. In addition, the attorney general’s report indicated that March 25 guidance from the state Department of Health, requiring facilities to accept COVID-positive patients, contributed to the spread of the disease.

On February 1, 2021, Assembly Republicans wrote to their colleagues on the Committees on Health, Aging and Oversight, Analysis & Investigations, urging them to take a procedural step and sign a petition to initiate legislative hearings and use full subpoena powers. The Democrat members of those committees have not responded or pursued legislative hearings.

“The Legislature has a responsibility to hold this administration accountable. Rolling back the governor’s emergency powers is important, but doesn’t begin to scratch the surface of what’s needed,” said Leader Barclay. “We now know the federal government is investigating Gov. Cuomo, as Assembly Republicans have been calling for. But in no way should the federal response prevent state legislators from pursuing the truth, gathering facts and determining the proper course of action.”

Historically, the New York State Legislature has always checked executive abuse and power. In May 1913, a joint legislative committee was established by a concurrent resolution to investigate Governor Sulzer’s use of patronage. It was named the Frawley Commission after Sen. James J. Frawley who chaired the committee. The Commission’s scope was later expanded to investigate Sulzer’s campaign finances. The ultimate impeachment of Gov. Sulzer was based on the Commission’s findings.

The Steuben County Public Health Department received notification that 12 Steuben County residents tested positive for COVID-19. This brings the total to 5,428 confirmed cases, 113 of which are currently active.

The individuals are residents of the:

· City of Hornell (2)

· Town of Avoca

· Town of Bath

· Town of Greenwood

· Town of Hornellsville

· Town of Jasper

· Town of Woodhull

· Village of Bath (3)

· Village of Canisteo

The individuals are isolated and being monitored by the County Health Department. Public Health staff investigated and identified close contacts of the confirmed cases and exposure risks. All those known to have direct contact with the individuals have been notified.

Per CDC and New York State Department of Health guidance, information is collected beginning 48 hours prior to symptom onset or date of test if asymptomatic through the day of the positive test result to identify any potential exposure risks.

The investigations indicate:

· Five individuals had contact with previously reported Steuben positives

· One individual is associated with a local home health agency

· One individual is associated with Campbell Savona Elementary School

In addition, the individuals reported visiting the following locations that could pose an exposure risk within their investigation timeframes:

· 2/10 – Dancing on Edge in Bath

· 2/13 – Siemens Energy in Olean

· 2/15 – Body by Brian in Hornell

Today’s age groups for the positives are as follows:

· 0 – 9 years: 2

· 20 – 29 years: 1

· 30 – 39 years: 3

· 40 – 49 years: 1

· 50 – 59 years: 2

· 60 – 69 years: 2

· 70 – 79 years: 1

“The COVID-19 vaccine is an important component towards ending the pandemic,” said Public Health Director, Darlene Smith. “However, even those who have been fully vaccinated must continue to wear masks, social distance and was their hands at this time. The vaccine is proven effective at preventing serious illness, but to protect others from potential COVID-19 spread, masks must be continued to be worn by all.”

All residents should continue to monitor themselves for COVID-19 symptoms of fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills or repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and new loss of taste or smell and contact their healthcare provider for instructions if feeling ill.

For the latest Steuben County updates, visit Steuben County’s website at www.steubencony.org or social media pages: www.facebook.com/SCNYPublicHealth and www.instagram.com/SteubenPublicHealth.

February 18, 2021

From Assemblyman Phil Palmesano:

Assemblyman Phil Palmesano (R,C,I-Corning) participated in the Legislature’s Public Protection Budget hearing last week and once again expressed his strong opposition to Gov. Cuomo’s proposed prison closures and utilization of a 90-day fast-track closure notification. This 90-day fast-track closure has been used during the past two budget cycles to announce the closure of 5 additional facilities. The 2021-22 budget proposal submitted by the governor asks the Legislature for the authority to utilize this insulting process once again, allowing the governor to close ANY correctional facility he chooses with a 90-day notification within the next two years by March 31, 2023. The governor has already closed 17 prisons statewide and proudly announced to employees and their respective local communities, just 4 days before Christmas, three more for closure by March 31. The governor announced plans to close the Clinton Annex, Gowanda and Watertown Correctional Facility.

“The Legislature should outright reject the governor’s request for this 90-day closure authority,” said Palmesano.

Under current state law, the governor must provide employees and communities at least 12 months’ notice before any closure can take place. Palmesano says the 90-day fast-track prison closure process just adds insult to injury to the employees, families and local communities impacted by these closures.

“Prison closures are already devastating to the employees, families and local communities, but fast-tracking these closures in 90 days is simply cruel and shows a complete lack of respect for the brave men and women who have dedicated their lives to work a very dangerous job to keep us safe,” said Palmesano. “Although the administration always likes to claim employees will not lose their jobs, 90 days is clearly not enough time for families to uproot their lives, travel hours away for work and find new homes and new schools for their kids. These personal hardships are just compounded many times over by the destructive impact these closures have on the economic well-being of local communities.”

Palmesano also questioned the logic of placing more inmates into fewer facilities, especially during the COVID pandemic.

“Jamming more and more inmates into fewer facilities has already proven to be a dangerous practice with the dramatic rise in assaults we’ve seen over the past five years. In addition, how does forcing more inmates into less space support social distancing and protect staff and inmates during COVID-19?” said Palmesano.

“The governor continues to boast about the number of correctional facilities he has closed, but he fails to take responsibility for the dangerous, “powder-keg” environment his closures, policies and actions, or lack thereof, has created. The fact of the matter is violence, drug use and gang activity continues to escalate in our prisons,” said Palmesano. “He has failed to provide the necessary tools and resources to curtail the violence and stop drugs from getting into our correctional facilities. He continues to limit and eliminate important disciplinary tools, like restricting the use of special housing units to separate violent and dangerous inmates from other inmates, to help keep other inmates safe, while also helping to keep our correction officers a little bit safer while performing their already-dangerous jobs, ” Palmesano continued. ” It’s common knowledge that drugs in our prisons is a major problem which leads to more violence. It’s also common knowledge that the drugs get into our prisons through the mail and packages or inmate visitation from the outside. Even knowing these facts, the administration canceled a secure vendor package program several years ago to screen mailed packages and has refused to deploy K-9 drug dogs at each facility to better screen inmate visitors.”

“Alarmingly, but not surprisingly, Gov. Cuomo’s closures, policies and lack of action have led to a dangerous rise in violence inside our state’s correctional facilities, creating this pressure-cooker, powder-keg environment,” said Palmesano. “The numbers don’t lie. Inmate-on-staff assaults are up 38% (from 759 to 1047) over the past five years. Inmate-on-inmate assaults have reached more than 1,000 per year, every year, over the past 5 years, while up 31.6% (from 915 to 1204) since 2015. Unfortunately, time and time again, the governor’s criminal justice policies favor criminals and inmates at the expense of law enforcement officials, crime victims and public safety. This is not just a terrible idea. It’s a dangerous idea. I will continue to stand with and advocate for the brave men and women in law enforcement who protect us on a daily basis, and I urge my legislative colleagues to do the same.”

February 17, 2021

HORNELL, NY – The Hornell Common Council has voted to send a resolution to the governor, about cutting funding to Hornell. It was a unanimous vote, however, 4th Ward Alderman Rich Argentieri, stated during the vote, that he believed that if the Hornell Common Council was going to make a resolution about the governor, that the council should also send a resolution to Congressman Tom Reed. “We should also have a second resolution, to push our Congressman Tom Reed to pass that Covid-Relief bill, which is $350 billion, and I believe, if anyone’s paying attention, and I think there is a hundred fifty (billion) earmarked, for small communities like us, and counties,” said Argentieri. “So I am ‘yes’ all the way, but I also think, we’ve got to hit it from all directions guys, this isn’t a team game, this is Hornell, New York. My answer is yes, but I also think, we should have a resolution for Mr. Reed to do the right thing for us, help us to push that Covid relief fund.”

At that point, Mayor Buckley answered that he did not know what Alderman Argentieri was talking about. “Congressman Reed and Senator Schumer have been on the same page, pushing stimulus for New York State.”

Click below to hear the full back and forth, between Buckley and Argentieri.

February 17, 2021

The Allegany County Department of Health will NOT be holding a first dose COVID-19 Vaccine Point-of- Distribution (POD) clinic this week due to inclement weather and a delayed shipment of the Moderna vaccine. We plan to hold a larger P.O.D. (clinic) next week if the vaccine is available.

Second dose COVID-19 vaccines will still be offered this Friday, February 19, 2021 at the County Building at 7 Court Street, Belmont, NY 14813. You must be pre-registered to attend the second dose clinic.

The link to register for future COVID-19 vaccine PODs will be posted on the County web page located at www.alleganyco.com and clicking on ‘vaccine information.’ Vaccine is still very limited so please be patient.

Future clinics are only open for individuals that are in phase 1-B. To see if you are eligible for the next COVID-19 vaccination clinic, please click on the following link: https://covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/phased-distribution-vaccine#phase-1a—phase-1b

Please remain patient as we are only able to vaccinate as many individuals as we have doses. If you need assistance with registration due to lack of internet access, please contact our office at 585-268-9250.

The Steuben County Public Health Department received notification that eight Steuben County residents tested positive for COVID-19. This brings the total to 5,416 confirmed cases, 107 of which are currently active.

The individuals are residents of the:

· City of Hornell (2)

· Town of Caton

· Town of Erwin (2)

· Town of Wayland

· Town of Wheeler

· Village of Canisteo

The individuals are isolated and being monitored by the County Health Department. Public Health staff investigated and identified close contacts of the confirmed cases and exposure risks. All those known to have direct contact with the individuals have been notified.

Per CDC and New York State Department of Health guidance, information is collected beginning 48 hours prior to symptom onset or date of test if asymptomatic through the day of the positive test result to identify any potential exposure risks.

The investigations indicate:

· Five individuals had contact with previously reported Steuben positives

· One individual is associated with Finger Lakes DDSO

· Two individuals are associated with the following schools: Haverling High School and VEW Primary School

In addition, the individuals reported visiting the following locations that could pose an exposure risk within their investigation timeframes:

· 2/12 – Corning Credit Union Erwin branch

· 2/14 – Canisteo Wesleyan Church

· 2/14 – Mulheisen’s Restaurant in Almond

· 2/16 – Corning Credit Union main branch

Today’s age groups for the positives are as follows:

· 10 – 19 years: 1

· 20 – 29 years: 2

· 30 – 39 years: 1

· 50 – 59 years: 2

· 60 – 69 years: 2

“Cases in Steuben County have drastically decreased over the last month,” said Public Health Director, Darlene Smith. “To keep the spread this low, please continue to be vigilant about COVID-19 prevention measures, especially when gathering with others indoors.”

All residents should continue to monitor themselves for COVID-19 symptoms of fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills or repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and new loss of taste or smell and contact their healthcare provider for instructions if feeling ill.

For the latest Steuben County updates, visit Steuben County’s website at www.steubencony.org or social media pages: www.facebook.com/SCNYPublicHealth and www.instagram.com/SteubenPublicHealth.

February 17, 2021

New York, NY – From Rush Limbaugh’s Staff:

It is with great sadness to inform you that Rush Limbaugh passed away today, February 17 after a long and brave battle with lung cancer. In this time of sorrow, Rush’s voice will continue to be heard, providing comfort and continued insight to his legions of loyal fans.

All of Rush’s audio has been extensively archived and cataloged by subject, topic and opinion. Given how timeless and insightful Rush’s commentary is his producers will be able to pull segments that are relevant for each day’s news cycle and allow us to feature the best of Rush for the full three hours of the program.

The familiar voices of the programs’ guest hosts will be used in the show when needed to guide Rush’s audio from one topic to another, but Rush will be the predominant voice heard for the three-hour Monday-Friday show, the AM Daily Update and The Week in Review three-hour show.

Please note that we will continue with this transitional programming until the audience is prepared to say good-bye. The long-term plan will be shared with you in the upcoming weeks.

We will mourn together in a respectful way and celebrate the incredible life of Rush with his millions of loyal listeners. Today, a three hour tribute will air in Rush’s regular time slot.
Regards,

Peter Tripi

From Sean Hannity:

Today, The Sean Hannity Show will pay special tribute to our dear departed friend, the legendary broadcasting icon, Rush Hudson Limbaugh III…who passed away this morning after a brave fight with lung cancer.

Join Sean for today’s special edition…as he fondly remembers his friend Rush… with your calls, highlights, President Trump’s tribute from earlier today, and The Great One: Mark Levin, at 4PMET.

From Congressman Tom Reed:

We were saddened to hear of the passing of Rush Limbaugh today. Rush revolutionized talk radio and got people interested in politics and public policy in a way no one else had before. He will be greatly missed, and our thoughts are with his loved ones at this time.