$11B improper COVID-related payments
New York State paid about $11 billion COVID-related unemployment insurance payments that were improper or fraudulent, the state’s comptroller says in a report covered by the Albany Business Journal. The report contends that the payments were part of a system too out of date to track payments properly, leading to poor choices by administrators or to fraud and abuse. Unemployment insurance is paid by businesses, currently at the highest rate allowed by law, the story says. The state owes $7.7 billion to the federal government. 30 states have used the federal CARES Act funding to pay down the debt, but New York has not, the story says.
Mobile home parks sell for $3.1M
The 56-lot Mobile Home Park of Colonie and the 31-lot Sunset Mobile Home Park sold for a total of $3.1 million, the Albany Business Journal is reporting. An LLC from Brooklyn bought each. Sellers say the demand is there for companies with a positive cash flow, the story says.
Saratoga County forms peer support team for first responders
As a reaction to two recent deaths of EMS workers in Saratoga County, officials have set up the Saratoga County Peer Support Team with the county’s mental health department and the Saratoga County EMS Council, a story in the Daily Gazette says. The group will work with first responders after critical incidents occur. Although peers would reach out to one another in the past, this team, which can rely on published research and best practices nationally, hopes to bring some structure and clear avenues for help.
ICE moves to Malta
Offices for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has moved to Malta after their lease ran out in another location, the Times Union is reporting. The Enforcement Removal Operations office moved into an industrial complex, but officials did not tell the paper where they came from or how many people work in the facility. The one-floor building is not a detention center, the story says.
Amtrak expands NYC/Albany service
Amtrak will add two weekday trains running from New York City and Albany, the Times Union says. Starting Dec. 5, 12 round-trip trains will run between the cities. The line saw 13 trips before the pandemic, the story says.
Johnsburg Supervisor takes job in Maine
Johnsburg Supervisor Andrea Hogan is now the executive director of the Vinalhaven Land Trust, a group on an island off the coast of Maine, the Adirondack Explorer is reporting. She plans to work remotely and remain a county supervisor and a Adirondack Park Agency commissioner until her term expires, the story says. The North Country Gazette broke the story and wondered if her residency requirements were now an issue for her roles in the Adirondacks. [Editor's note: we looked for the link to the NCG but could not find it.