Good morning. Twenty Long Islanders have been charged with swindling over $47.9 million from the federal Paycheck Protection Program and other COVID-19 programs, which were intended to help businesses and employees survive the 2020 economic shutdowns. Fraudsters used COVID-19 aid to buy luxury items, yachts, vacation homes and nights out in New York City.
Here’s a bite-sized look at what else we’re hearing:
Connecticut schools may face layoffs due to expired pandemic relief funds. Governor Ned Lamont plans to alert some funds to early child care, causing concern among lawmakers and advocates as they view the money as essential for struggling local districts. The state's K-12 districts relied on over $1 billion in federal funds, with poorer districts most affected.
A key witness in ex-Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano’s corruption trial will eventually go to prison. Harendra Singh, a former restaurateur who testified in corruption trials against Mangano and his wife, will not begin his prison sentence until May. Singh was sentenced to four years in prison for committing financial crimes. He pleaded guilty to charges connected to the Town of Oyster Bay loan scheme and bribing several other officials. His attorney, Anthony La Pinta, requested a new surrender date in January. Mangano is serving a 12-year prison sentence in Massachusetts and is slated to be released in May 2032.
United Illuminating retaliates against Connecticut lawsuit over power plant clean up. UI is defending its handling of the environmental clean-up of the defunct English Station power plant in New Haven. The utility company accused State Attorney General William Tong of engaging in "heated rhetoric" for suing the company over its handling of the remediation project. The company has responded to the lawsuit, seeking $25,000-a-day fines for six alleged violations. UI executives claim that state and city officials have abruptly changed the state's requirements for the site's cleanup. The company has spent $19 million on the cleanup thus far, and if demolition continues, alternate funding forms will be required.
Islip begins testing at MacArthur Airport. The Town of Islip is analyzing and testing for chemical contamination at Long Island MacArthur Airport, which was announced as a superfund site last February. Islip attributed the contamination to firefighting foam, which is required by the Federal Aviation Administration to be kept on site. As the owner and operator of the airport, the town will cover the cost of cleanup, and the state Department of Environmental Conservation plans to start investigative fieldwork this year.
A Stratford police officer loses his discrimination lawsuit. A state Superior Court jury ruled in favor of the Town of Stratford in a case where former Officer Anthony Zona claimed he was suspended in violation of his constitutional right to free speech. The town's lawyer, Bryan LeClerc, affirmed that no wrongdoing occurred. Zona was suspended for being insubordinate in front of his superior officer.
Long Island nurses and healthcare professionals strike back. Over 700 nurses and healthcare professionals at Long Island Jewish Valley Stream and Peconic Bay Medical Center have approved a strike pushing for a new contract, as their previous contract expired on Dec. 31. The union wants competitive wages, benefits and safe staffing ratios to improve recruitment and patient care. Northwell Health has stated it will continue negotiating in good faith to reach a fair agreement.
Connecticut is the first to cancel medical debt. Governor Ned Lamont announced on Good Morning America on Friday that Connecticut will become the first state to cancel medical debt for eligible residents, using $6.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds. The state will contract a nonprofit organization to buy and eliminate medical debt at a reduced cost. The relief is expected to be in effect by June. Medical debt is the leading source of collections of debt for Americans.
