Good morning.
Ahead of Veterans Day, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed several laws to help military service members and their families stay in New York. The goal is to help military service members reintegrate into society more readily.
- Veterans or a veteran's surviving spouse will be identified when applying for state housing support.
- The Empire State Development Corporation will offer its small business revolving loan fund to veteran-owned businesses.
- A “wartime service” requirement that prohibits a large number of interested veterans from seeking employment in certain civil service roles will be eliminated.
- Starting in April, veterans and Gold Star families will have free access to state parks, historic sites and recreational facilities.
- Counties will be required to improve coordination to ensure unclaimed veteran remains are given a proper burial.
Here’s a bite-sized look at what else we’re hearing:
A New York State Supreme Court judge invalidated a lease for the Nassau Coliseum property that Las Vegas Sands signed with Nassau County. The judge says when the Nassau County Planning Commission approved the Sands lease, the county violated both the state's Open Meetings Law and the state-mandated environmental review process. The proposal to transform the property into an entertainment center and casino site is paused while public hearings are underway.
Connecticut’s economic and community developer commissioner is stepping down. Alexandra Daum will take on a position in community development at Yale University in the coming year. Daum joined the Lamont administration more than three years ago and became commissioner at the start of Gov. Ned Lamont’s second term in January. Josh Geballe, Lamont’s former chief operating officer, and his former chief of staff, Paul Mounds, both stepped down for jobs at Yale.
Muslim communities at the University of Connecticut are receiving violent threats over the Israel-Hamas war. A former leader of a pro-Palestine campus group played a voicemail that she received containing racial slurs. The university’s Muslim Student Association reported receiving an email mocking the deaths of Palestinians. The state police and FBI are investigating. A statement from a UConn spokesperson said the school recognized the concern and had held a teach-in on the conflict that has been arising. Gov. Ned Lamont is organizing a meeting with universities to address on-campus safety regarding the rise of hate crimes across the state.
Connecticut has repaid its $1.2 billion Unemployment Trust Fund loan to help cover nearly $11 billion in pandemic unemployment payments. Over the past two years, the state has directed $195 million in federal pandemic relief into the fund to mitigate pandemic-related financial concerns for employers. Paying off the loan means employers' minimum federal tax rate will return to $42 per full-time employee — instead of twice that amount.
A Nassau County judge is under investigation. Acting Supreme Court Justice Philippe Solages is no longer handling criminal cases after asking a Muslim defendant to remove a niqab, a religious garment, to verify her identity. The 37-year-old woman was eventually identified without removing her niqab and pleaded guilty to a sealed violation. The co-chair of the Islamic Center of Long Island told Newsday the incident was “Islamophobic”.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has a message for Suffolk County deer hunters: report your harvest.
- Less than half of New York hunters last year reported their harvest, even though they’re required to by law. Without that data, the state cannot accurately track the deer population.
- Also, hunt female deer instead of males, to be more effective at managing the population.
The archery hunting season is underway now. Firearm deer hunting begins in January.
