Smithtown News

Cuomo: State investigates post-election hate ‘explosion’

Nov

2016

ALBANY — Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo established a statewide “hotline” Tuesday to report hate and bias crimes and incidents after an “explosion” in “bias-motivated events,” including displays of swastikas and Confederate flags in White Plains, Wellsville, Geneseo and other parts of New York following Donald Trump’s win in the presidential election.

Cuomo, a Democrat, said the State Police, the state Division of Human Rights and university police around New York would investigate acts he called not only immoral but illegal.

“They were very, very troubling and we want to make a clear statement in this state: That there is no place for racism. No place for hate. No place for swastikas. And there is no place for racially inflammatory rhetoric...| read more ››

Election Day voter hotline announced, state AG says

Nov

2016

Voters in New York encountering problems Tuesday during the general election can call an Election Day hotline for help, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said.

Schneiderman said his office has created the hotline to help troubleshoot and resolve a range of issues and barriers encountered by voters at the polls, according to a Friday news release.

Schneiderman urged voters experiencing problems or issues at the polls to call the hotline at 800-771-7755 or email civil.rights@ag.ny.gov at any time on Tuesday between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m.

His office has operated the hotline since November 2012. Since then, his office has fielded hundreds of complaints from voters across the state and worked with local election officials and others to promptly address...| read more ››

Anna Throne-Holst to represent the 1st Congressional District

Oct

2016

The 1st Congressional District starts on the East End of Long Island and reaches all the way to denser western Suffolk towns. It includes some of the most expensive real estate in the world, as well as working farms, a major research university and many working-class hamlets stung hard by a lack of opportunity.

It’s a district narrowly won by Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012. In 2014, it turned out an incumbent Democrat to elect Lee Zeldin, a Republican.

Zeldin, disappointingly, is not representing it very well, not respecting its diversity of views and people. All too often, he has aligned himself with the most archconservative groups in his party.

In 2015, Zeldin was the only member of New...| read more ››

Jim Gaughran to represent New York’s 5th Senate District

Newsday picks Jim Gaughran to represent parts of Huntington and Oyster Bay.

Oct

2016

Carl Marcellino has been a solid member of the New York State Senate for more than 20 years. In that time, he’s done some very good work, especially as a champion of the environment, most recently in securing $200 million in state funds that municipalities can tap for sewer upgrades and related water infrastructure improvements.

But nowadays, Marcellino, 73, is resting mostly on past accomplishments and the traditional policy positions of his party. While never a senator to offer a visionary agenda, he seems to have lost enthusiasm for the job. He doesn’t have a problem with banning outside income for lawmakers, but doesn’t have any suggestions for further ethics reform, either. The Syosset Republican also points to the “process”...| read more ››

Governor creates fellowship for aide killed in LIE crash

Oct

2016

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has created a state fellowship to honor a former Long Island aide killed this summer in a horrific car crash on the Long Island Expressway, he announced Monday.

The two-year Scott Martella Fellowship will be awarded to recent graduates committed to public service with a passion for helping others, Cuomo said in a news release. Scott Martella, 29, of Northport, was among six people who died in the Aug. 21 crash in Manorville.

“Scott believed in government’s potential to improve lives and worked day in and day out in pursuit of this principle,” Cuomo said in the statement. “With this fellowship, we will help ensure his legacy and public service will continue and endure for years...| read more ››

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