Government, Law and Legal Services
Bud York is challenging Town of Warrensburg Supervisor Kevin Geraghty in the GOP primary, a story in the Post-Star says. York, a former sheriff, says it is nothing personal. He believes in term limits and thinks Geraghty has had enough time in the position.
State Sen. Dan Stec and other Republican leaders are asking the federal government to step in and take over the New York State vaccination distribution program after reports that the state’s “vaccination czar” and top aide to Gov. Andrew Cuomo called county leaders to gauge support for the governor who is under suspicion of manipulating statistics regarding COVID deaths and sexually assaulting women, the Post-Star says. The original story in national news said county leaders felt threatened by the calls, while the aide, Larry Schwartz, said he was just making friendly phone calls on his own time.
Travel, Tourism and Recreation
More parking for hikers near the Adirondack Loj, the basecamp for High Peaks hiking, may be on the way, if the Town of North Elba and the state Department of Environmental Conservation can agree to terms, the Adirondack Daily Enterprise is reporting. The town would build and maintain the lot on state property, and the DEC would pay them, the story says. The lot on Adirondack Loj road would be off the Adirondack Mountain Club property, and therefore a short hike to the trailheads themselves, the story says.
Education and Training
New York Sen. Chuck Schumer is calling on President Joe Biden to cancel the first $50,000 in student loan debt, the Times-Union is reporting. According to the story, current law says that forgiven debt is taxable as income both federally and sometimes by state. The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan signed last week by Biden forgives that tax. Schumer and other senators are asking for debt relief as well.
Union College professors and two students are creating a clear sheet of silica aerogel that can be used as the internal third pane of a triple-pane window, the Albany Business Journal is reporting. Their company SunThru was born of the work of engineering professor Ann Anderson and chemistry professor Mary Carroll, who developed the method to create the pane.