Government, Law and Legal Services
Two top Democrats in the statehouse have called on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to resign, the Washington Post reported yesterday. Five women have accused the governor of improper behavior at this point, and the governor is also under investigation for the way his office reported COVID deaths among the elderly in assisted living facilities, the story says, and State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and House Speaker Carl E. Heastie have had enough of the daily distractions. They called for him to consider stepping down. Cuomo, and aides speaking anonymously, says he has no plans to step down.
New York’s Minority and Women's Business Development has named Jerome DuVal as its executive direction. The division, part of the Empire State Development, runs the Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprise program with a budget in the billions, the Albany Business Journal says. A graduate of SUNY Oswego, the western New York native, has worked in the private sector and most recently in the government of Warrensville Heights, Ohio. The MWBE has run into problems, especially in the difficulty of applying for and tracking aid, which DuVal, who was appointed at the end of last year, is looking into, the story says.
If approved by local government, the Saranac Lake Police Department will get an embedded therapist to deal with mental health and substance abuse calls in the village, the Adirondack Daily Enterprise is reporting. This would shift some work from the police to social workers. About 60% of the SLPD’s calls deal with social issues, not criminal ones, the story says.
Cars, Trucks and Boats
Boats by George, on Route 149 in Queensbury, has pulled back from plans to move to the Forum in Lake George. Redeveloping the building to fit the needs of a showroom and main office has become too expensive, the ABJ reported last week. Also, the story says, the pandemic has made delivery of new boats harder, and Pensel worries some that he would not have the inventory to fill a huge space. [See our original story, here.]
Architecture, Engineering and Development
Eminent Domain is still on the table regarding the undeveloped green space in the heart of downtown Glens Falls, the Post-Star is reporting this morning. Common council members are a bit cagey in the story, taking an attitude of, wait-and-see what the Planning Board decides before taking on the discussion of Eminent Domain. [See our full coverage here.]
Restaurants and Food Service
On March 19, restaurants can open at 75% capacity, Governor Andrew Cuomo said. The story in the Saratogian this morning reports this will be pulled back if COVID rates rise too high.