Month: March 2020

A lesser-known Buffalo-based attorney who feeds on local government work provided to him by Erie County and his political patron, County Executive Mark Poloncarz, is smearing the billionaire founder of Paychex and former owner of the Buffalo Sabres as a ‘ratfucker’. 

Cuomo is also considering the suspension of sales taxes on nicotine patches and lozenges and plans to ask executives at Altria to significantly reduce prices on those products for the same six week period. 

BY NORBERT RUG Donna, my wife, and I have gone into self-imposed quarantine. It’s not that we have the coronavirus or any of the symptoms, it’s just that we are trying to avoid any possibility of us contracting this virus.

Governor Andrew Cuomo is considering a temporary six-week ban on the sale of combustible cigarettes in order to reduce the State’s Coronavirus death count, a source familiar with his thinking tells The Chronicle.  The ban could come as soon as Monday

BY ANNA SCHERBINA We investigate the optimal duration of the COVID-19 suppression policy. We find that absent extensive suppression measures, the economic cost of the virus will total over $9 trillion, which represents 43% of annual GDP. The optimal duration

SYRACUSE, NY — To address New York’s critical shortage of personal protective equipment, ventilators, and other medical supplies, today U.S. Rep. John Katko (NY-24)introduced the bipartisan Medical Supply Chain Emergency Act.  With Governor Cuomo calling for 30,000 additional ventilators for New York State, Rep. Katko’s legislation would require

Schumer: +$40B Billion Dollars Of Additional Help Is On The Way, New York U.S. Senator Charles Schumer formally announced today the expected passage of the latest COVID-19 emergency package he directly negotiated, delivering +$40 billion dollars to the state, city,

As Nation Responds to Coronavirus Outbreak, Bipartisan Coalition Urges HHS to Ensure States Adhere to Existing Disability Anti-Discrimination Laws U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, alongside U.S. Senator James Lankford, led a bipartisan, bicameral call on the Department of Health and Human

Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) is responding to multiple reports confirmed by the Canadian government that the White House is making plans to send 1,000 U.S. troops to the border between the U.S. and Canada.  Higgins, who serves as Co-Chair of the House of

BY ASSEMBLYMAN ROBERT CARROL New York State is now reporting that we have 37,258 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 385 deaths statewide.  There are 21,873 cases in New York City alone. This is a 21% increase from yesterday. The case

BY SENATOR ANDREW GOUNARDES Dear Neighbor, As many of us approach week two of staying home, I wanted to remind you all that we are in this together as a community. By staying indoors when possible and practicing social distancing,

SYRACUSE, NY — Senator Rachel May (D – Onondaga, Madison, Oneida) has delivered a letter to Senator Charles Schumer, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, and Representatives John Katko and Anthony Brindisi urging them to continue the H-2A guest worker visa program during

BY BRIAN KOLB The coronavirus isn’t just an unprecedented public health emergency. It’s turned life as we know it upside down.  Tens of thousands of afflicted New Yorkers are fighting the virus, and selfless healthcare professionals are working around the

Assemblyman Angelo Morinello (R – Lewiston) is calling on Governor Andrew Cuomo to exercise fiscal constraint in next year’s budget, which is constructed in negotiations between the Governor and Legislature during April and May. The call comes amid the coronavirus outbreak,

John Flanagan, the leader of the Republicans in the New York State Senate, has announced this afternoon that he will not seek reelection to his Senate seat.  The announcement comes after filing deadlines to run in the Republican Party primary

Duane Whitmer, the Libertarian nominee for Congress in New York’s 27th district, will be on the ballot in the special election scheduled for April 21, attorney James Ostrowski announced late last evening.  The winner of that contest will fill the

Hamburg-based developer Gerry Buchheit has put his Queen City Landing proposal on hold, citing opposition from environmentalists who have been rabidly obstructing the project — including all of the usual suspects: Tim Teilman, Deb Williams, and Sam Magavern. While the

The Democratic Party’s establishment has never liked Tulsi Gabbard — certainly not since she resigned her Vice Chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee to endorse Bernard Sanders‘ insurgent 2016 campaign. At the time, the DNC was being roundly criticized for