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Rob Ortt

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Merry Christmas: NY Lawmakers To Become Highest Paid In US After Approving Raise Merry Christmas: NY Lawmakers To Become Highest Paid In US After Approving Raise
Merry Christmas: NY Lawmakers To Become Highest Paid In US After Approving Raise New York State lawmakers have voted to give themselves a significant pay raise days before Christmas, a move that would make them the highest paid in the country. Meeting for a special session in Albany on Thursday, Dec. 22, the legislature approved a bill that raises member pay by $32,000, bringing their total annual compensation to $142,000, beginning in 2023. The final vote in the Senate was 33 to 23 in favor, and 81 to 52 in the Assembly, WRGB reports. Every Republican in the Assembly voted against the pay hike. If the bill becomes law, it would also cap how much legislators can make…

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by Michael Mashburn
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COVID-19: Hochul Reveals Thousands More Deaths Than Cuomo Reported COVID-19: Hochul Reveals Thousands More Deaths Than Cuomo Reported
Covid-19: Hochul Reveals Thousands More Deaths Than Cuomo Reported New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s new administration has acknowledged nearly 12,000 more COVID-19 deaths across the state that had not been counted by her predecessor during the pandemic. Hochul, who vowed to be transparent during her inaugural address to New Yorkers, included a count of 55,395 Covid deaths in New York — the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s tally — in a press release released this week. Related story - COVID-19: Info On Masks Among Students, Vaccines For School Personnel Outlined By Hochul The number includes deaths from the virus throughout New York, and is higher …

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by Zak Failla
Politics
New York State Assembly Suspends Cuomo Impeachment Investigation New York State Assembly Suspends Cuomo Impeachment Investigation
New York State Assembly Suspends Cuomo Impeachment Investigation The New York State Assembly will be suspending its impeachment investigation into Gov. Andrew Cuomo once his resignation takes effect in less than 10 days. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie announced on Friday, Aug. 13 that the inquiry into allegations of sexual harassment made by more than 11 women against the governor “could have likely resulted in articles impeachment had he not resigned." Cuomo announced on Tuesday, Aug. 10 that he would be resigning from office effective 14 days later. “There are two reasons for this decision. First, the purpose of the Assembly Judiciary Committee’s imp…

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by Zak Failla
Politics
'New York Enters A New Day': Reaction Pours In After Cuomo's Resignation 'New York Enters A New Day': Reaction Pours In After Cuomo's Resignation
'New York Enters A New Day': Reaction Pours In After Cuomo's Resignation It didn’t take long for a reaction to pour in after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that he will be resigning amid the sexual harassment scandal surrounding his administration. Cuomo finally acquiesced to calls for his resignation on Tuesday, Aug. 10 following days of furor from New Yorkers and politicians alike after the Attorney General’s investigators released a scathing 165-page report finding him guilty of sexually harassing multiple women. New York Attorney General Letitia James whose investigation led to the governor's resignation, said that Cuomo's announcement "closes a sad ch…

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by Zak Failla
Politics
Calls Grow For Cuomo's Resignation Following Release Of NY AG's Sexual Harassment Report Calls Grow For Cuomo's Resignation Following Release Of NY AG's Sexual Harassment Report
Calls Grow For Cuomo's Resignation Following Release Of NY AG's Sexual Harassment Report New York politicians are calling on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to resign following the release of the results of the scathing independent investigation conducted by the Attorney General's Office that found he was a serial sexual harasser. On Tuesday, Aug. 3, New York AG Letitia James released the findings of a five-month independent investigation that found the governor allegedly fostered a toxic workplace environment while also subjecting state employees to unwanted touching and inappropriate dialogue. Earlier story - Cuomo Sexually Harassed 'Multiple Women,' Including State Trooper, Scathing AG…

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by Zak Failla
News
Sixth Woman Comes Forward With Sexual Harassment Claim Against Cuomo Sixth Woman Comes Forward With Sexual Harassment Claim Against Cuomo
Sixth Woman Comes Forward With Sexual Harassment Claim Against Cuomo Another woman - this time a current staff member - has come forward and accused New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo of inappropriate behavior, according to a new report released on Tuesday. Cuomo has now been accused by six women of inappropriate actions while in office, including several former and now current members of his administration. The sixth accuser told associates that Cuomo touched her inappropriately last year inside the governor’s mansion after she was beckoned there on official business, the Albany Times Union reported on Tuesday, March 9. The woman’s name is currently being withheld…

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by Zak Failla
Politics
New Cuomo Sexual Harassment Allegations Spark Bipartisan Backlash, Some Calls To Resign New Cuomo Sexual Harassment Allegations Spark Bipartisan Backlash, Some Calls To Resign
New Cuomo Sexual Harassment Allegations Spark Bipartisan Backlash, Some Calls To Resign New allegations of sexual harassment by a second former aide to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has sparked an almost immediate backlash, including bipartisan calls for his resignation. Charlotte Bennett, age 25, who was an executive assistant and health policy adviser in the Cuomo administration until she left her post this past November, said the governor asked her during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic if she had ever had sex with older men, and whether she was monogamous. Bennett made her statements in a series of interviews with The New York Times. The new allegations come after former…

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by Joe Lombardi
Politics
Second Aide Accuses Cuomo Of Sexual Harassment Second Aide Accuses Cuomo Of Sexual Harassment
Second Aide Accuses Cuomo Of Sexual Harassment A second former aide to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is accusing him of sexual harassment. Charlotte Bennett, age 25, who was an executive assistant and health policy adviser in the Cuomo administration until she left her post this past November, said the governor asked her during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic if she had ever had sex with older men, and whether she was monogamous. Bennett made her statements in a series of interviews with The New York Times. The new allegations come after former Cuomo aide Lindsey Boylan, In a lengthy blog post released on Wednesda…

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by Joe Lombardi
Politics
COVID-19: Nursing Home Scandal Fallout Increases As More Dems Turn On Cuomo, Feds Launch Probe COVID-19: Nursing Home Scandal Fallout Increases As More Dems Turn On Cuomo, Feds Launch Probe
Covid-19: Nursing Home Scandal Fallout Increases As More Dems Turn On Cuomo, Feds Launch Probe The heat is on New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo as he attempts to counter the fallout from both sides of the aisle over his handling of COVID-19 cases in the state’s nursing homes. Some state Democrats have joined in the cacophony of Republican voices expressing outrage over Cuomo’s administration underreporting and subsequent coverup of COVID-19-related nursing home deaths in New York. The federal government is now planning to launch a probe into the scandal that has turned Cuomo from an Emmy award-winning national figure touted for his daily COVID-19 briefings complete with power-point slides …

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by Zak Failla
Politics
COVID-19: Cuomo Denies Telling Democratic Assemblyman 'You Will Be Destroyed' COVID-19: Cuomo Denies Telling Democratic Assemblyman 'You Will Be Destroyed'
Covid-19: Cuomo Denies Telling Democratic Assemblyman 'You Will Be Destroyed' Gov. Andrew Cuomo has vehemently denied threatening to “destroy” a Queens Assemblyman if he didn’t help contain the damage over the controversy he’s facing for underreporting the number of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes. Democratic Assemblyman Ron Kim alleged that he got a phone call from Cuomo on Thursday, Feb. 11 following the report that one of the governor’s top aides, Secretary to the Governor Melissa DeRosa, admitted to withholding death data from the federal government. Earlier story - COVID-19: NY Supreme Court Rules Against Cuomo, DOH On Nursing Home Data According to Kim, …

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: NY Health Director Denies Undercount On Nursing Home Deaths After Scathing AG Report COVID-19: NY Health Director Denies Undercount On Nursing Home Deaths After Scathing AG Report
Covid-19: NY Health Director Denies Undercount On Nursing Home Deaths After Scathing AG Report New York Health Commissioner Howard Zucker is defending the state following Attorney General Letitia James’ newly released report that alleges COVID-19 deaths in the state's nursing homes were underreported by as much as 50 percent. The report found the state negligible for COVID-19-related deaths inside New York nursing homes that had previously gone unreported, which Zucker has denied in a lengthy statement released late on Thursday, Jan. 28, just hours after the report was released. Earlier story - COVID-19: NY AG Report Says Nursing Home Deaths May Have Been Undercounted By 50 Percent …

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by Zak Failla