April 7th, 2022 Daily Headlines

Yesterday, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation released a draft of its plan for the management of two area state forests and opened the plan for public comment. The so-called Newfield Unit Management Plan includes the Newfield and Cliffside State forests comprising over 2,500 acres of land in Tompkins and Schuyler counties. The plan is open for public comment until June 5th and would guide the DEC’s management of forests for the next 10 years. Comments can be submitted via email to Timothy Day at R7.UMP@dec.ny.gov

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On Tuesday, Tompkins County Legislature voted to reaffirm its support for the New York Health Act. The act would pursue a single-payer health care system in New York State. The measure passed the legislature by a vote of 10-3 with all three Republicans voting no. Legislator Mike Sigler attempted to replace the measure with an amendment calling for the State to instead cover the costs of cancer treatments. Legislature chair Shawna Black called the amendment a distraction from the wider goal of health care for all.

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Beginning on April 11th, Ithaca College will no longer require students to complete daily COVID health screenings. According to the Ithacan, the change was announced by Samm Swarts, Assistant Director for Emergency Preparedness and Response in an email on Monday. Since returning to campus in March of 2021, students have been required daily to fill out an online form about their health. Students were then provided with a digital badge indicating their health status. Students had to show their badge to gain access to certain parts of campus. 

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Spectrum News is reporting that New York state lawmakers are closing in on a deal to expand the number of bail eligible crimes. The state legislature had failed to reach an agreement on the state budget for fiscal year 2023 before the April 1st deadline. One of the sticking points for legislators was a proposal to expand the number of crimes that are eligible for cash bail under New York’s bail reform law. Changes to the law were endorsed by Governor Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams.