Hank Gross

  There was a rally on Long Island, and then the bus departed for the Hudson Valley for a stop in Kingston before calling it a day in Albany.

The message was clear. New York State's schools are hurting and a lack of funding is making it difficult to educate our children.

“We are maintaining. We should be in good shape for the next couple of years,” said Maureen Bowers, a Kingston school board member, as she spoke in front the Educate NY Now Express bus that was making the run to Albany. 

  Westchester County legislators blasted elected officials in Albany for their continued imposition of mandates without financial relief. Hand in hand with that is the state imposed two percent tax cap.

Legislator Michael Kaplowitz (D-4) said Albany is “a mess.”

Fellow Democrat lawmaker William Ryan (D-5) was highly critical of state legislators.

  A total of 126 Westchester County employees who were slated to be laid off in County Executive Robert Astorino’s proposed $1.7 billion, 2013 budget will be saved.

The Budget and Appropriations Committee of the Board of Legislators voted on Monday to restore the jobs with money from the county’s fund balance. Legislature Chairman Kenneth Jenkins said there will be no borrowing to retain the positions.

The chairman of the State Assembly Energy Committee has asked both Dynegy executives and the leadership of IBEW Local 320 to resume negotiations and enter into at least a temporary agreement to return workers to the job at the Danskammer and Roseton electric generating plants in the Town of Newburgh.

  There is a trend to on-shoring of jobs in manufacturing industry, but while it may not be overwhelming, it is signally somewhat of a reversal of the off-shoring of jobs. That assessment comes from Harold King, director of the Council of Industry, which represents manufacturers in the Hudson Valley.

King said while companies have gone out of business because of foreign competition and jobs have gone overseas, it has paved the way for high-tech manufacturing in the Hudson Valley.

  The planned gun buyback program in the City of Newburgh has been pushed back from the original December timeframe because participation is being expanded.

City Councilman Curlie Dillard said Orange County is becoming involved so the program will be held in January.

“We invited the county to partner with us and they have so graciously accepted, so we are working out details presently and the Greater Newburgh Partnership will also partner with us,” Dillard said.

Credit Hank GrossBernie Klaus, an engineer with the transportation consulting firm HDR/WSP SELLS, explains the HOV conceptEdit | Remove

  The State Department of Transportation announced their ideas for improving Route17, the future I-86, which include a possible general purpose third lane or a high occupancy lane. The addition would begin at exit 120 in Middletown and end at exit 131 in the Monroe area.

  Only 18 percent of leadership positions in business are held by women. That statistic and other gender gap issues were explored Wednesday when the Rockland Business Association Women’s Forum hosted a special presentation by National Council for Research on Women Chairwoman Lucie Lapovsky.

Saying he “feels great,” Orange County Executive Edward Diana spent Wednesday morning telling his staff, the county legislature, and then reporters, that he is in need of a new liver.  He is on a transplant waitlist, with no clear indication when a suitable donor will be available.

Seven residents of the Town of Goshen and 14 residents of the Town of Chester have filed verified complaints in State Supreme Court alleging their properties were flooded during Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee in August of last year because of their inaction.

The Goshen residents, who all live in the New Hampton area, have filed against the town, Orange County and the State Department of Environmental Conservation claiming they did not clear tree growth and other obstructions from the Wallkill River, which resulted in the flooding of their homes.