March 30th, 2022 Daily Headlines
The Trumansburg Central School District has seen a surge in COVID cases. According to the Ithaca Voice, the school district went from 21 cases last Tuesday to 53 on Thursday. The cases have spread across the elementary, middle and high schools in students, staff, and teachers. The school pinned the recent case surge on the high school’s performance of the musical “Emma” two weekends ago. The wider Tompkins community has also seen a rise in COVID cases as fears of the new BA.2 variant rise. However, the county health department says the number of hospitalizations for severe illness has continued to fall.
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Yesterday, State Senate candidate Leslie Danks-Burke received an endorsement from Cortland county legislator Sandy Price. In a statement Price touted Danks-Burke as a voice for rural New Yorkers. Danks-Burke is running in New York's new 53rd State Senate district, a heavily democratic seat drawn in this year’s redistricting. Also in the race is former Binghamton City Councilor Lea Webb. Webb and Danks-Burke have each received several high profile endorsements including former Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick backing Webb, and State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli backing Danks-Burke.
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Federal prosecutors are investigating whether New York State Lieutenant Governor Brian Benjamin was involved in an illegal campaign contribution scheme during his run for New York City Comptroller in 2021. According to Pix11, reporters at The City uncovered multiple contributions made to Benjamin’s campaign in the name of New Yorkers without their knowledge. Benjamin associate Gerry Migdol was arrested last year for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and identity theft. Prosecutors are now investigating whether Benjamin had any role in the alleged fraud. At this time Benjamin has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
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The Seneca Nation says New York State has frozen their accounts as a part of an ongoing dispute over casino money. According to WIVB, New York State claims the Seneca nation owes a payment to the state. In a statement Seneca President Matthew Pagels called the state’s actions “unjust” saying the funds were crucial to providing key services for nation members.