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Politics
Matchup Set: GOP Picks Candidate In NY Special Election For Seat Held By Santos, Report Says Matchup Set: GOP Picks Candidate In NY Special Election For Seat Held By Santos, Report Says
Matchup Set: GOP Picks Candidate In NY Special Election For Seat Held By Santos, Report Says New York Republicans have nominated Nassau County Legislator Mazi Melesa Pilip as their candidate for the state’s special election to fill George Santos’ vacant House seat, NBC News reports. A spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee told the outlet that party officials in Nassau County and Queens had picked Pilip for the 3rd District race. A formal announcement was expected on Friday, Dec. 15. Pilip immigrated from Ethiopia to Israel as a refugee when she was 12 years old. She later served as a paratrooper in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). She earned her maste…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
'Angelica's Law' Honoring Late NY Teen Doles Stiffer Penalties For Repeat Reckless Drivers 'Angelica's Law' Honoring Late NY Teen Doles Stiffer Penalties For Repeat Reckless Drivers
'Angelica's Law' Honoring Late NY Teen Doles Stiffer Penalties For Repeat Reckless Drivers Angelica Nappi’s death won’t be in vain. The Long Island 14-year-old – who grew up in Holbrook and died at the hands of a reckless driver in February 2008 – was the inspiration behind “Angelica’s Law,” signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul this week. It decreases the number of prior license suspensions needed to qualify for first-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, a felony. The law will apply a felony to recidivist drivers who drive without a valid license after having committed five or more moving violations resulting in prior suspensions of revocations. “Public safety is m…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Minimum Wage To Go Up In Westchester: Here's When, How Much Minimum Wage To Go Up In Westchester: Here's When, How Much
Minimum Wage To Go Up In Westchester: Here's When, How Much To help those struggling with rising costs, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has announced that the state's minimum wage will be increasing when the new year begins.  Effective on Monday, Jan. 1, the minimum wage in Westchester County, Long Island, and New York City will increase to $16 per hour, and $15 per hour in the rest of the state, Hochul announced on Monday, Dec. 11.  The current minimum wage in Westchester, Long Island, and New York City is $15 per hour, while it is $14.20 in the rest of the state.  According to Hochul, the increases come thanks to an agreement between he…

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by Ben Crnic
Politics
Special Election: Democrats Pick Nominee For NY Congressional District Held By George Santos Special Election: Democrats Pick Nominee For NY Congressional District Held By George Santos
Special Election: Democrats Pick Nominee For NY Congressional District Held By George Santos Democrats have nominated former Rep. Tom Suozzi as their candidate for New York’s special election to fill George Santos’ vacant House seat. Party officials in Nassau County and Queens formally announced that Suozzi – who previously held the 3rd District seat – was their pick on Thursday, Dec. 7. In a statement on X following the announcement, Suozzi said the district’s constituents “deserve better.” Earlier Report: Election Date Set To Fill George Santos' Vacant House Seat “I will work day and night with both parties to deliver for the people, to make living here more affordable, …

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by Michael Mashburn
Real Estate
Construction Begins On 60-Unit Affordable Housing Development In Capital Region Construction Begins On 60-Unit Affordable Housing Development In Capital Region
Construction Begins On 60-Unit Affordable Housing Development In Capital Region Some relief is on the way for vulnerable residents looking for more budget-friendly housing in the region. Construction crews broke ground on a new 60-unit affordable housing development in Schenectady’s Mont Pleasant neighborhood, at 918 Crane Street, on Wednesday, Nov. 29. Once completed, the Mosaic Apartments will feature one four-story building with 46 apartments and one three-story building with 14 apartments, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office announced. The all-electric, energy-efficient development will include 30 apartments with onsite support services for seniors and those with disabilit…

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by Michael Mashburn
Traffic
New Update: Capital Region Highway Partially Reopens Following Tractor-Trailer Crash New Update: Capital Region Highway Partially Reopens Following Tractor-Trailer Crash
New Update: Capital Region Highway Partially Reopens Following Tractor-Trailer Crash This story has been updated. A major interstate in the region was shut down in both directions following a tractor-trailer crash that left a person seriously injured.  The Schenectady County wreck happened just before 3 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5, on I-88 in the town Duanesburg. According to New York State Police, a box truck drove off the roadway near exit 24 and went down a steep ravine. The driver was taken to Albany Medical Center with serious injuries. No other vehicles were involved in the crash and nobody else was injured. Both directions of I-88 were closed for most of the day be…

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by Michael Mashburn
Politics
Election Date Set To Fill George Santos' Vacant House Seat Election Date Set To Fill George Santos' Vacant House Seat
Election Date Set To Fill George Santos' Vacant House Seat Nearly three-quarters of a million New Yorkers will go unrepresented in Congress for months following former Rep. George Santos’ expulsion from office. A special election to fill the 3rd District seat – representing parts of Nassau County and Queens – won't be held until Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, according to a proclamation from Gov. Kathy Hochul. “As Governor, I have the solemn responsibility to call a special election to ensure the voters of Long Island and Queens once again have representation in Congress,” Hochul said. Earlier Report: US House Expels Nassau Rep. George Santos In …

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Power Outage Measure: New Law Forces NY Companies To Prioritize Fixing Downed Wires Power Outage Measure: New Law Forces NY Companies To Prioritize Fixing Downed Wires
Power Outage Measure: New Law Forces NY Companies To Prioritize Fixing Downed Wires A new law signed by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul will force utility companies in the state to quickly respond to downed wires reported by members of the public.  The legislation, which was announced on Wednesday, Nov. 22, will protect residents during storms by requiring utility companies to respond to reports of downed wires no later than 72 hours after the response to the emergency event ends, according to Hochul.  Before the new law was signed, power companies were only required to have a plan to secure a wire on a schedule if it was reported by a municipal emergency official.&nb…

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by Ben Crnic
Politics
And Just Like That: Lock Changed, Website Scrubbed Following George Santos’ Historic Ouster And Just Like That: Lock Changed, Website Scrubbed Following George Santos’ Historic Ouster
And Just Like That: Lock Changed, Website Scrubbed Following George Santos’ Historic Ouster Well, that didn’t take long. Now-former New York Rep. George Santos has been all but erased from the halls of Congress following his historic expulsion from office on Friday, Dec. 1. The disgraced Long Island Republican – whose former 3rd District includes parts of Nassau County and Queens – made a hasty exit from the House chamber once it was clear that the required two-thirds majority had been secured to seal his ouster. Earlier Report: US House Expels NY Rep. George Santos In Historic Vote He did not address the throng of reporters who followed him to a waiting car, though CNN …

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by Michael Mashburn
Politics
US House Expels NY Rep. George Santos In Historic Vote US House Expels NY Rep. George Santos In Historic Vote
US House Expels NY Rep. George Santos In Historic Vote In an incredibly rare move, the US House voted to expel New York Rep. George Santos amid mounting accusations of criminality, ending his tumultuous Congressional stint and closing one of the most controversial chapters in American politics. An expulsion resolution brought by California Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia overwhelmingly passed with 311 "yes" votes to 114 "no" votes on Friday, Dec. 1.  The resolution required a two-thirds majority vote in order to pass. Santos – a Long Island Republican whose 3rd District includes parts of Nassau County and Queens – becomes only the sixth fed…

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by Michael Mashburn
Traffic
State's $8.7M Will Cover Repaving Of Capital Region Highways Impacted By Extreme Weather State's $8.7M Will Cover Repaving Of Capital Region Highways Impacted By Extreme Weather
State's $8.7M Will Cover Repaving Of Capital Region Highways Impacted By Extreme Weather Several highways in the region are set to undergo major facelifts thanks to millions of dollars in new state funding. Eight state highways in Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer, Saratoga, and Greene counties will be repaved at a cost of $8.7 million, Gov. Kathy Hochul said. The money is part of a $100 million funding package allocated to repave nearly 568 lane miles of roads across New York that have been impacted by severe weather. “From a devastating blizzard to historic flooding, we are living in a time of record-breaking weather events which have left many roads across New York State in n…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
'Momentous Step': First Turbine Completed For Offshore Wind Farm To Power NY Homes 'Momentous Step': First Turbine Completed For Offshore Wind Farm To Power NY Homes
'Momentous Step': First Turbine Completed For Offshore Wind Farm To Power NY Homes Efforts to power tens of thousands of New York homes with the state’s first offshore wind farm have marked another major milestone. Crews working on the South Fork Wind farm, located approximately 35 miles off the coast of Long Island, have finished installing the first of 12 wind turbines, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office announced Monday, Nov. 20. It comes months after crews wrapped up work on the project’s first monopile foundation in June 2023. Earlier Report: Offshore Wind Farm To Power Long Island Homes Marks Major Construction Milestone Once completed, the wind farm will connect to t…

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by Michael Mashburn