Government, Law and Legal Services
Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s staff fudged the numbers, according to a story in the Albany Times-Union (they have taken some of it from original reporting in the NY Times). The story says that staffers, alarmed by the number of people dying from COVID in the nursing homes, changed the figures in reports to hide the real values. The revelations throw Cuomo’s argument, that he withheld figures to avoid a politically-motivated investigation by the Trump Administration, into question.
Democrat John Strough’s push to eliminate a new personnel structure of the Warren County Board of Supervisors died in committee, the Post-Star is reporting. The new positions, created by board chair Rachel Seeber, a Republican, were filled based on a person’s political party. The changes were made, the story says, because the previous committee structure was illegal.
Foundations, Nonprofits and NGOs
A tech startup is making in-kind giving easier, the Albany Business Journal reports. Built like a wedding registry, on the GyvLink system, nonprofits list what they need and where it is needed, and donors can buy and drop off items that the nonprofit can actually use, the story says. The nonprofit pays on a sliding scale to build the online account and list, the story says.
Environment, Energy and Sustainability
A law that tries to lessen the strain on landfills and reduce methane gas emissions, the Food Donation and Food Scraps Recycling Act, begins in 2022, but a question remains if “food scrap generators” in the Adirondacks would even have to worry about it, a story in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise says. First, a company must generate a ton--literally 2,000 pounds--of scraps per week, and then they must deliver those scraps to a company that can decompose them if the company is within 25 miles, and that combination of factors in the north country might not exist, the story says.
Architecture, Engineering and Development
Also in the ADE, planned development of “mid-level workforce housing” got the go-ahead in Lake Placid. The plan calls for a combination of rental apartments and condominiums for purchase. About 14% of the rentals will be aimed at people who make 120% of the Area Median Income or lower, the story says. [We have coverage of the Adirondacks housing issue here.]