Hank Gross

POUGHKEEPSIE – An audit of the City of Poughkeepsie’s books by the state comptroller’s office has found that inaccurate budgeting has created an $11 million general fund deficit. The report also found the city’s debt burden has increased 45 percent over the last five years.

TOWN OF WALLKILL – Orange Regional Medical Center in the Town of Wallkill will lay off 80 full-time equivalent positions and Catskill Regional Medical Center in Harris will lay off 60 full-time equivalent positions. In total, the hospitals must find cuts of $17 million.  Both hospitals fall under the umbrella of the Greater Hudson Valley Health System, which announced the cuts on Monday due to substantial reductions in reimbursement from the federal and state governments and decreases in revenue caused by healthcare reform.

MONTICELLO – Former Sullivan County Legislator David Sager, who was named deputy commissioner of the county Division of Health and Family Services, has been let go.

Sager was hired by Commissioner Randy Parker shortly after he assume the administrative post last fall.

Legislators were saying little specific about the sacking of Sager during Thursday’s monthly legislative meeting.

Democrat Cindy Kurpil Gieger conceded she has general concerns about policy.

WASHINGTON –  The House Agriculture Committee passed the farm bill with the support of Congressmen Christopher Gibson (R- 19) and Sean Patrick Maloney (D- 18). The bill contains a number of provisions that will benefit New York's Hudson Valley region.

The bill includes Maloney’s Crop Risk Options Plan (CROP) Act that defends the specialty agriculture economy of the region as well as an amendment to help families and communities with flooding in the black dirt region.

ALBANY – New York State, Oneida Nation of Indians, Oneida and Madison counties have signed an agreement settling several long-standing disputes.  The agreement would grant the Oneida Nation exclusive rights to casino gaming in Central New York in exchange for sharing a portion of gaming revenues with the state and local governments.

Under New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s plan for legalized gaming, three casinos would initially be approved, which was going to be carved into six regions.

WASHINGTON – If nothing is done by the beginning of July, the college federal student loan rate will double and US Senator Charles Schumer has joined the battle to keep it at its current level.

The Senator said on Wednesday he is in support of the effort to retain the current rate.

“To let the loan rate to go from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent would cost the average student about $3,798 more over their retainment term,”  said Schumer.  “That’s not chump change; that’s mortgage payments, car payments, and let’s not forget that students have lots of other debt.”

ALBANY – Business leaders in the Hudson Valley, members of the governor’s Regional Economic Development Council, Wednesday mapped out their plans for the third year of program.

Co-chairman Dennis Murray, president of Marist College in Poughkeepsie, said the council plans on capitalizing on the successes of the first two years of the grant program to promote business, economic development growth and jobs.

ALBANY – Legislation proposed by Senator Terry Gipson (D- Rhinebeck) and Assemblywoman Didi Barrett (D- Hudson) would provide Thruway toll tax credits to farmers who use their vehicles to transport their products.

The measure would allow farmers to claim a tax credit equaling 75 percent of Thruway tolls paid for the transport of goods and services during one tax year. The credit would be applicable for travel for the purpose of selling within 150 miles of a taxpayer’s farm, roughly the distance between New York City and Albany, said Barrett.

KINGSTON – State Senator John Bonacic (R- Mt. Hope) said if the governor’s proposal for no more than one casino in a region of the state, and only three in total to begin with is approved, the proposed facility at the new Nevele Hotel would be a dead issue.

TARRYTOWN – Nuclear Regulatory Commission regional officials say the Indian Point nuclear power plant, in Buchanan, operated safely during 2012.

That does not mean Indian Point 2 is on the fast track for renewal of its operating license, which expires in September.

Regional administrator of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission William Dean told reporters in Tarrytown Monday that the actual renewal is a long way off, but that won’t keep the plant from operating.