News

-A A +A

State Senator’s Survey Estimates Higher Food Losses After Isaias

Sep
25
2020

Following the power outage caused by Tropical Storm Isaias in early August, State Sen. James Gaughran (D-Northport) conducted a survey of residents.

With 3,243 people responding, the survey indicated that people lost an average of $434.66. That compares with the maximum of $250 that PSEG Long Island said it would reimburse residents if they produced an itemized list and proof of loss.

“I don’t keep my receipts,” Gaughran said in an interview after he publicly released the survey. “I throw mine out. I would imagine a lot of Long Islanders are keeping receipts” from their grocery purchases after their experience with the storm, the outage and the food losses, particularly amid the economic decline caused by the pandemic.

More than...| read more ››

Cuomo endorses Sen. Gaughran for reelection

Sep
24
2020

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo endorsed Sen. James Gaughran on Thursday, citing the Northport Democrat’s work on tax policy and health care.

"Sen. Jim Gaughran has been a tireless champion for Long Island," Cuomo said in a statement released by the senator’s campaign. "As sponsor of the permanent property tax cap, his commitment to taxpayers is unwavering … Sen. Gaughran has been courageous in his defense of women’s health care rights and been a vocal advocate for public schools. I am proud to endorse Sen. Gaughran’s reelection."

Gaughran is one of three first-term Democrats in Long Island’s Senate delegation. He is facing Republican Edmund Smyth and Green Party candidate Barbara Wagner in the November election.

Gaughran said he was "humbled" to...| read more ››

Sen. Gaughran helps Muttontown Police fund new vehicles

Sep
24
2020

New York State Senator James Gaugran, who represents Long Island’s North Shore in Senatorial District 5, announced that he had secured $50,000 in in State funding for new police equipment for the Village of Muttontown. The funds will help pay for new a new police vehicle, a new Ford Explorer crossover powered by a hybrid engine.

“Today I‘m proud to announce that I secured $50,000 in vital State of New York funding for the Village of Muttontown to purchase a new police vehicle. Our first responders are at the forefront of protecting our communities and I’m proud to have been able to secure this vital funding. Muttontown is home to a number of historic landmarks, countless miles of hiking trails,...| read more ››

Gaughran Survey Finds Big Losses on Food From Isaias Outages

Sep
24
2020

More than 3,000 people responded to a survey about the loss of power resulting from Tropical Storm Isaias.

State Sen. Jim Gaughran, who asked constituents about their experiences during and after the Aug. 4 storm, told Long Island Power Authority chairman Tom Falcone that “It is imperative that LIPA take meaningful action to prevent this type of mismanagement from occurring again. LIPA maintains an oversight role that must be adequately conducted, and the failures thus far leave me gravely concerned about the ability for Long Island to sustain future storms both during the ongoing hurricane season and in years to come.”

The responses record the cost of food lost when power failed for days, their inability to reach PSEG-LI, inaccurate...| read more ››

LIPA releases study on what went wrong during Isaias

Sep
24
2020

This week, the Long Island Power Authority released its 30-day study of what went wrong with PSEG Long Island’s ability to communicate with customers after Tropical Storm Isaias, accurately predict restoration times, and then live up to those predictions. The report is nearly 50 pages, and will likely be dwarfed by the summaries of the 90-day and 180-day reports LIPA is promising, but a few things do stick out.

That includes more than a million calls dropped or unanswered, an estimated cost of $10 billion to bury all lines, and 67,000 Facebook followers who aren’t calling PSEG a friend.

More than a million (un)served: First, PSEG’s outage-reporting line was swamped, almost as soon as widespread outages started on Aug. 4,...| read more ››

Sen. Gaughran Announces $50K For Muttontown Police Department

Sep
23
2020

Today, Senator Jim Gaughran joined Village of Muttontown Mayor James Liguori, Muttontown Police Chief Eric Irizarry, and Muttontown police officers to announce $50,000 in State funding for new police equipment, including a police vehicle. The Muttontown Police Department covers more than 4,500 acres of primarily residential land, including treasured historical landmarks such as the Muttontown Preserve and the Benjamin Moore Estate. Muttontown is home to hundreds of miles of hiking and horse trails, infamous for gorgeous rolling hills, which necessitate appropriate police vehicles for swift response times.

Senator Jim Gaughran said "Our first responders are at the forefront of protecting our communities and I'm proud to secure $50,000 in vital funding to help them do this essential work. Muttontown is...| read more ››

LIPA seeking $350M bridge loan to cover costs for Tropical Storm Isaias

Sep
23
2020

The LIPA board of trustees on Wednesday approved a measure to allow the authority to borrow up to $350 million as a "bridge" loan to cover the costs of restoration from Tropical Storm Isaias until the utility is reimbursed for the costs by the federal government.

LIPA expects to receive up to 75% reimbursement for its storm costs, but the utility is still awaiting a disaster declaration by the Trump administration for the Aug. 4 storm. Without it, LIPA would not be eligible, and the entire $350 million would be billed back to ratepayers.

Earlier this month, . Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-Garden City) and State Sen. Todd Kaminsky (D-Long Beach) wrote to President Donald Trump asking him to declare a...| read more ››

Many victims fall through the cracks of New York’s Child Victims Act

Sep
23
2020

ALBANY — More than 4,400 lawsuits have been filed against alleged child abusers under New York’s Child Victims Act, but there are still many victims remain unable to access the court system in order to seek justice.

A decade-long political fight preceded the passage of the CVA last year. It expanded the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse and rape cases and opened a look-back window for bringing lawsuits against alleged abusers who had previously been immune from civil liability because of the time that passed.

The look-back window was extended this summer for another year due to COVID-19, but activists, politicians and alleged survivors of childhood sexual abuse say the law didn’t go far enough and that many...| read more ››

8 New Recommendations Unveiled To Revitalize Downtown Hicksville

Sep
23
2020

HICKSVILLE, NY — Nassau County public works officials have unveiled eight recommendations that they believe will improve traffic and pedestrian safety and accessibility in Hicksville's downtown section, which will ultimately draw more business and make the area more vibrant.

Laura Curran, the county executive, released the new report Wednesday morning, which was developed with input from the Town of Oyster Bay, New York state officials, the Long Island Rail Road and NICE bus officials. Curran's office said the projects will serve as a key link among all ongoing efforts and help make downtown Hicksville both better connected and more economically resilient.

"Championing the development of vibrant, walkable downtown destinations near transit to attract new residents and businesses has been a...| read more ››

State expands artificial reef program with steel rail cars, turbine, tugboat

Sep
16
2020

New York State on Wednesday sent tons more heavy steel structures to Davy Jones’ Locker three miles south of Point Lookout in a continuation of the large-scale artificial reef program hailed by recreational fishermen, environmentalists and scuba divers.

Wednesday’s effort to expand the Hempstead reef in ocean water up to 70 feet deep is part of an effort begun by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in 2018 to expand a reef program begun in 1949 that had gone dormant for decades.

"It’s about improving habitat and making use of delinquent equipment … and it’s about boosting the economy," said Basil Seggos, commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Weeks and months after the material is dropped, he said, "We begin...| read more ››

Pages