Headlines for September, 9th 2022

New York state’s mask mandate on public transportation has been lifted. According to the Ithaca Voice, the announcement was made by Governor Hochul on Wednesday via Twitter. TCAT General Manager Mike Smith celebrated the county’s drivers for their work in mask compliance over the past two years saying it “hasn’t always been easy.” Since COVID case numbers have not been tracked as closely over the last few months it isn’t clear how many cases there are in Tompkins County. However, hospitalizations remain low and there hasn’t been a reported boom in COVID-19 numbers since the county’s three colleges returned to session.

Democratic State Senate candidate for 52nd District Lea Webb picked up another union endorsement on Wednesday. The Communication Workers of America District 1 announced it’s proud to back Webb. The Union cited Webb’s own union membership and said she would fight on behalf of everyday working people. CWA represents 145,000 communications, healthcare, and government workers in New York and New Jersey.

Meanwhile, Republican Richard David received an endorsement from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). The group claims to be the largest small-business association in the country with nearly 11,000 members in New York State. While the group is officially non-partisan it has generally supported Republicans and was the lead plaintiff in a Supreme Court case to strike down the Affordable Care Act. David welcomed the endorsement saying he hoped to work with small businesses across the district.