Crouch Happy with NYS Budget — and the Rest of Your Local News and Sports

Crouch Happy with Budget

Assemblyman Cliff Crouch says the state budget has many of the priorities he has strongly advocated.

In his weekly column, Crouch was particular pleased with the restoration of $152.5 million to the elderly pharmaceutical insurance coverage program known as Epic.

Epic is a free NYS program that helps more than 280 thousand income eligible seniors supplement their out-of-pocket Medicare Part D drug plan costs. Starting January 1st, 2013, co-pay for seniors on medicine to treat life threatening health conditions will not pay more than $20 for medications. Crouch said he was proud to have supported the measure for New York’s seniors.

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Canestrari to Retire at Year's End

New York State’s Assembly Majority Leader has decided to call it quits.

Hudson Valley Assemblyman Ron Canestrari announced that he is going to retire after this year. He’s been the majority leader for the Democratic-dominated assembly for five years. He’s ranked No. 2 behind assembly speaker Sheldon Silver, and has the responsibility of day-to-day management of assembly sessions.

Canestrari has served in the legislature for 24 years. Traditionally, an upstate lawmaker is chosen for the position of Majority Leader. A number of assembly members have been proposed but no successor has been named.

Cuomo Announces New School Awards Program

Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced the launch of the School District Management Efficiency awards program. It rewards school districts that have implemented long-term efficiency or cost-saving measures in school district operations. Districts are required to apply for the award and prove cost savings to be eligible. Up to $75 million in grants will be distributed over the next three years with additional awards in future years.

Schneidermann Creates Bureau to Help Wrongfully Convicted

NYS Attorney General Eric Schneidermann has created a new bureau to investigate criminal cases that may have ended in a wrongful conviction.

The Conviction Review Bureau will have one attorney general as its leader and will have investigators, assistants and lawyers to review cases where there is significant doubt or controversy.

The bureau will also handle awards when a person who has been sent to jail is found to be innocent.

The bureau will be the first of its kind in the state.

Governor Issues State of Emergency in Suffolk County

There’s a state of emergency in Suffolk County. Wild fires across Long Island have local governments and fire departments very busy during the dry, windy, spring weather.

The governor’s declaration allows state resources to be used to fight the widespread fires.

In our area, there are no brush fire warnings because rain has moved in across the region, but there have been red-flag warnings and advisories against open burning in the region over the past few days.

Dry conditions as well as a lack of emerging vegetation so far this spring have left fields and woods very dry and a virtual tinder box when cigarettes are tossed out car doors or intentionally-set fires are started. Gusty winds can fan a spark in the dry grass into a hard-to-put-out fire that endangers property and life.

March Scorches Record Books

The nation recorded its warmest March in history, according to the National Climatic Data Center. The nationwide average temperature of 51.1 degrees was more than eight degrees above the 20th century average for the month. It broke a record set in March, 1910. The data center said that every state in the nation had at least one record-warm daily temperature during March.

Milfrod Central Celebrates Earth Day

Milford Central School is celebrating Earth Day this weekend with its Earth Festival, which will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday.

Organizers says the event will have several new attractions as well as old favorites.

The master gardeners of the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schoharie and Otsego Counties will be presenting, and this year there’s a spring swap table where participants can donate one item in the morning and select an item in return that afternoon.

There’s also a presentation on heirloom seeds and numerous of exhibitors.

More information is available at occainfo.org.

Sports

HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL

Sidney fell, 6-5, against Class B defending champs Chenango Valley in a nonleague game. CV hosts Oneonta in a STAC Eastern Division game on Monday.

Unatego topped Chenango Forks, 4-3, on Tuesday. Unatego faces Oneonta at 1 p.m. on Thursday.

COLLEGE LACROSSE

SUNY Oneonta women beat SUNY New Paltz, 23-14, Tuesday. The Red Dragons travels to SUNY Geneseo for a 1 p.m. game on Saturday.