TTL News

Earlier this week Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that patient-facing healthcare workers at state-run hospitals will be required to get vaccinated for COVID-19 by Labor Day. There will not be an option to be tested in lieu of vaccination for these patient-facing healthcare workers. The Governor also announced that all New York State employees—about 130,000 people—will be required to get vaccinated for COVID-19 by Labor Day. State employees who do not get vaccinated will be required to be tested for COVID-19 on a weekly basis. New York State is working with state unions to implement the requirement quickly and fairly. "New Yorkers have displayed tremendous dedication and resilience to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic across the state, but vaccination rates aren't keeping pace with the Delta variant and we need to act now," Governor Cuomo said. "That's why we're requiring everyone who works in a state-run hospital and interacts with patients to get vaccinated. New York is taking its vaccination effort a step further and requiring all state employees to get the shot or be tested weekly, and we look forward to working with our sisters and brothers in the labor movement to implement that quickly and effectively by Labor Day. Our healthcare heroes have led the way all through this terrible crisis, so let's get vaccinated, save lives and beat this beast for once and for all." The Governor also called on the FDA to expedite final approval of the vaccine and end emergency use authorization restrictions. Governor Cuomo also urged local governments to require all employees to be vaccinated or submit to testing by Labor Day. If the numbers continue to increase, school districts in affected areas should also strongly consider taking further action.

According to a press release sent out this afternoon, the City of Elmira has been awarded $28 million dollars ($28,270,386.00) from the Federal Government under the American Rescue Plan. The first half of the funds, in the amount of $14,135,193 has been received. An internal committee consisting of Mayor Dan Mandell, Deputy Mayor Joseph Duffy, Councilmember Brent Stermer, Community Development Director Emma Miran, City Chamberlain Charman Cattan and the City Manager, P. Michael Collins, has prepared recommendations to the City Council for the distribution of the $14 million dollars. The following recommendations will be presented to City Council for approval: Approximately 35% for Investments in Water, Sewer and Broadband Infrastructure Approximately 23% will be designated for Assistance to Households, Small Business and Nonprofits Approximately 17% will be designated for Lost Revenue 2020 Actual versus 2019 Actual Approximately 17% will be designated for Tourism Approximately 8% will be designated for Premium Pay for Employees A special Council Meeting is scheduled to be held on Tuesday, August 3, 2021, at 5:30 PM at City Hall, 3rd Floor Law Library, at which the utilization of these funds will be presented for Council vote.

According to Lt. William Solt of the Elmira Police Department, police have responded to three different reports of gunfire in the city in the past 72 hours. The first incident occurred on July 24th , just after 5:00 AM. Witnesses reporting hearing an argument taking place in the area of Fulton St. and South Ave. The witness then observed several people around a dark colored vehicle. This vehicle left the area traveling north on Fulton St. before doing a U-turn and traveling south towards South Ave. Several shots were heard when this vehicle approached South Ave. and the vehicle fled the area. The second shooting took place July 25th at approximately 1:45 AM. Officers responded to a residence in the 900 block of Grand Central Avenue for a report of shots fired. Officers arrived on scene and interviewed several people. Shell casing were found and an occupied residence had been struck by gunfire. Nobody was struck by any of the fired shots. The third shooting took place on July 27th at approximately 1:00 AM. Officers responded to a residence in the 700 block of German St. for a report of shots fired. Officers arrived on scene and interviewed several people. Shells casing were found and two occupied residences had been struck by gunfire. No was injured during this incident. This investigation into these shootings is ongoing. If anyone was present in the area and witnessed any of these shootings, or has any information related to these shootings, they are encouraged to contact the Elmira Police Department at (607)737-5626, or the tip line at (607)271-HALT. To see more local news, click here!

On Tuesday, July 20th, 2021, at approximately 5:30P.M., the Elmira Police Department responded to the 400 block of W. First St. for a report of shots fired. When police arrived on scene they saw a man run into a residence when he saw the police. Officers spoke with witnesses in the area who stated that the person who had run into the house had fired a shot at someone near the residence. Police also learned that two dogs were trying to attack someone and a second person tried to assist, at which point the resident exited the house and fired a single shot at the person near the house before fleeing inside. A perimeter was established around the residence and the suspect surrendered a short time later. The house was cleared and several more people were located inside, several of whom had warrants for their arrest. They were taken into custody and transported from the scene. A search warrant was obtained for the residence. Code Enforcement and Animal Control were called to the scene to assist due to the condition of the home and animals present and the house was posted by Code Enforcement as uninhabitable. Animal control took possession of three dogs and a goat that was living in the basement. Officers recovered firearms and a marijuana growing operation, which consisted of dozens of plants, from within the residence. As a result of this investigation, police arrested 44 year old James D. Bryan and charged him with Reckless Endangerment 1st. Bryan was held pending arraignment in Elmira City Court. Further charges are likely. Police say the investigation into this shooting is ongoing. If anyone was present in the area and witnessed this shooting, or has any information related to this shooting, they are encouraged to contact the Elmira Police Department at (607)737-5626, or the tip line at (607)271-HALT. See more local news and discussion by clicking here.

For years, the market was inundated with heavy IPAs. Now drinkers are starting to push back. Bruce Milton Miller/Fairfax Media via Getty Images Colleen C. Myles, Texas State University My prepandemic summers were always packed with travel – trips to Europe for work and play, and, most recently, a road trip across the American West. At the end of a sweltering day of activities, I’d routinely wind down with some social drinking. In recent years, though, I started to notice a shift. Beer lists had grown to include more and more low-alcohol options. Whether I was in Braunschweig, Germany, a suburb of Salt Lake City, or at home in Central Texas, I found myself no longer forced to choose between the likes of Stella Artois or Miller Lite if I wanted something that wouldn’t put me under the table. Now I could expect to find a bevy of local or national options with an alcohol by volume, or ABV, in the 4% to 5% range – below the 5.9% average of a craft beer and well below the 7% India pale ales that had been flooding the market. I even started seeing more nonalcoholic beers like Heineken 0.0, which was first released in Europe in 2017 and then in the U.S. in 2019. It seemed to me that low- and no-alcohol beers were becoming much more popular, but I wasn’t sure. So like a good scholar, I decided to look to the data to find an answer. In a recent study I conducted with my colleagues at Texas State University, we looked at industry literature and social media mentions, popular media articles and changes to alcohol regulations. We found that there is, in fact, a growing interest in consuming – and improved technology for producing – beer with less alcohol. The rise of big ‘small’ beer Beer has a complicated history in the U.S. Prior to the industry consolation that is the contemporary norm, small, local breweries dotted the country. Prohibition devastated the industry, but, when it was repealed in 1933, there was a period of rebirth. Although brewing and the consumption of alcohol did not completely stop during Prohibition, overall consumption was drastically reduced. Any drinking that did take place was driven behind closed doors. However, the repeal of Prohibition returned alcoholic beverages to the public arena. As alcohol restrictions and regulations were loosened or removed altogether, the volume of production rose rapidly. Over the course of the 20th century, technological innovations – ranging from improvements to the pasteurization process, to better transportation infrastructure, to advancements in packaging engineering – allowed breweries to scale up their operations. It was during this period that American brewers like Budweiser uncovered an untapped market for light-colored, low-ABV beer. To this day, the U.S. is known for its bland macro brews: Budweiser, Miller and Coors. But despite that long history – or perhaps because of it – the country’s craft beer industry has exploded over the past couple of decades. In 1983, there were 14 craft brewers in the U.S. In 2000, the Brewers Association counted 1,566 craft breweries. By 2020, the number had swelled to 8,884. What brewers have dubbed the “craft beer revolution” is characterized by its sophistication and specialization; craft brewers have traditionally produced a dizzying array of brands and styles, moving the market toward “bigger” – meaning bolder, stronger – brews. This has led to a paradox. Large-scale producers became known for brewing “small” – low in alcohol and, ostensibly, low in flavor – beer. Meanwhile, smaller breweries became known for making “big” – more flavorful, higher in alcohol – beers. Changing times, changing tastes While among most beer aficionados, heavy, high-alcohol beer is still popular, demand for lower-alcohol or nonalcoholic options is rising. The Brewers Association highlights a shift toward “mindful drinking,” indicating that consumers are increasingly keeping an eye on the carbohydrate, gluten or alcohol content of their drink of choice. In fact, two-thirds of drinkers say they take into account one or more of these attributes when drinking. Meanwhile, more Americans are “sober curious,” insofar as they are willing to take a short break from drinking or choose to abstain from alcohol altogether. These individual choices are part of an overarching social shift making, as NPR put it, “teetotaling trendy.” There’s long been the cultural belief that only people recovering from alcoholism drink nonalcoholic beer. In our study, though, we found that people were increasingly drawn to nonalcoholic beers for a number of reasons. Someone may be allergic or intolerant to alcohol, taking a medicine that contraindicates alcohol consumption, or have religious or personal preferences that tend toward abstention. Others want to retain the ability to be responsive or responsible for later activities, like serving as a designated driver, operating heavy machinery or being “on-call” for work. Making lower-alcohol beer more palatable Low-alcohol beer in the U.S. long has suffered from an image problem – namely, the perception that low- and no-alcohol brews taste bad. (And, let’s be honest, many do.) Budweiser has pulled off what some might call an act of wizardry: a low-alcohol beer produced in huge volumes with a relatively inoffensive taste. Jim Heimann Collection via Getty Images That’s because the brewing process can be especially complicated for low- or no-alcohol ferments, which has made it difficult to brew high-quality, low-alcohol beer that tastes good. Some even say that Budweiser isn’t given nearly enough credit for brewing a consistent, relatively palatable, low-alcohol product at such a big scale. But in recent years, several studies have been dedicated to improving the production protocols and flavor of low-alcohol beer. Although brewing is an ancient art, it has also shown impressive adaptability as times and technology have changed. The state of the art Combine the better taste with low-alcohol beer’s real or perceived health benefits, and there’s a real niche developing for the style. That doesn’t mean standard-alcohol – and even high-alcohol – beers are going anywhere anytime soon. Among craft brewers and craft drinkers, IPAs remain the most prominent beer style by far: Over 2,000 brands make and sell them. Yet the craft brewing industry is increasingly aware of these shifts in drinker preferences and the social benefits of moderating alcohol intake. Recent trends toward appreciating beer with no or low alcohol make space for moderate or nondrinkers to participate in the craft beer movement. Lagunitas’ DayTime IPA – which has 4% ABV – is part of a shift among smaller brewers to offer something for everyone. Scott Olson/Getty Images Now, thanks to the work of food and fermentation scientists, the creativity of brewers and the willingness of consumers to keep experimenting, the list of options that have lower-than-average alcohol and that are actually tasty is growing. German beer giant Beck’s nonalcoholic lager and Athletic Brewing’s Run Wild nonalcoholic IPA are just two examples of how breweries large and small are trying to tap into the nonalcoholic beer market. Meanwhile, most craft brewers now offer some kind of “session beer” – so called because, thanks to their lower alcohol content, they’re suitable for longer drinking sessions. Sales of session IPAs, for instance, increased 199% in 2015. Even beyond session IPAs, lower-alcohol brews across styles – gose, Helles lager, Kölsch, saison, and pilsner – are increasingly visible, available and popular in both pint and print, which is just another way of saying that, now more than ever, you can readily find a low-alcohol or nonalcoholic brew in your glass or on your screen. Colleen C. Myles, Associate Professor of Geography, Texas State University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

In a post on his personal social media page, Elmira Enforcers owner Robbie Nichols said "goodbye" to Elmira's First Arena on the eve of expiration of the team's contract with the Chemung County Industrial Development Agency ( CCIDA ). When the topic of the First Arena came up at today's CCIDA meeting, the group went into Executive Session. So far there is no word what the county intends to do as far as First Arena and its future with the Elmira Enforcers is concerned.

State Senator Tom O’Mara (R,C,I-Big Flats) and the Senate Republican conference today unveiled a comprehensive package of legislation aimed at protecting crime victims. The Senate GOP “Victims’ Justice Agenda” seeks to fight back against rising violent crime rates statewide which, O’Mara and other legislators argue, are the result of pro-criminal, anti-police policies being pushed and already enacted by Governor Andrew Cuomo and the Legislature’s Democrat majorities. O'Mara, a member on the Senate Codes and Judiciary committees, said, “Enough is enough and we need to stand up, speak out, and fight against the pro-criminal, anti-police mentality and policies that keep going too far in New York State. Governor Cuomo and the Democrat supermajorities in control of the State Legislature show no signs of letting up in their push for a so-called progressive agenda that only stands to embolden criminals and keep making this state and our communities less safe. We need to enact legislation that puts crime victims and community safety first.” The rise of violent crimes in cities and communities throughout New York this year follows an overall pro-criminal, anti-police climate fostered under all-Democrat rule. The Senate GOP Victims’ Justice Agenda follows their push earlier this year in May to strengthen protections for law enforcement and first responders through a “Protect Those Who Protect Us” package of legislation, and a series of Parole Reform measures unveiled last month. Safeguarding crime victims is another critical part of an ongoing criminal justice agenda geared towards restoring common-sense and public safety in New York, Republican lawmakers said. Among other measures, the Victims’ Justice Agenda includes legislation to: Repeal the bail and discovery reform law enacted by Cuomo and the Democrat majorities in the Senate and Assembly two years ago; Add certain offenses committed by a family member to the list of crimes qualifying for bail, including better protecting victims of domestic violence by allowing judges more discretion in securing orders in certain cases Ensure that repeat offenders qualify for bail and pre-trial detention when the principal has been convicted of one or more misdemeanor or felony offenses. Earlier this month, for example, an Oswego man was arrested 18 times over the span of four days, on charges ranging from stealing, harassing, resisting arrest, and trespassing. None of the repeat crimes he was charged under were bail eligible, and he was only held with bail after his 18th arrest for burglary and larceny Allow the sentence of life imprisonment without parole for persistent violent felony offenders who have three or more felony convictions; Provide judges with discretion when setting bail for dangerous defendants Require health care facilities to report incidents of a sexual offense to the departments of both health and education Protect witnesses in criminal prosecutions from intimidation and threats O’Mara also continued to criticize the governor’s recent declaration of a “disaster emergency on gun violence” in New York State. O’Mara called the move grandstanding on Cuomo’s part that only seeks to continue giving the governor unilateral powers to control the criminal justice agenda and debate in New York moving forward. “It doesn’t take another Cuomo executive order to know that rising crime and violence, and weakened public safety and security, are the result of the pro-criminal policies being enacted and pushed by this governor and a State Legislature under one-party control," said O'Mara. "They have emboldened the criminal element throughout this state through failed bail reform, lenient parole policies, an out-of-control Parole Board, cowing to the ‘defund the police’ movement, and an overall careless approach to criminal justice.”

On Monday at approximately 9:40 p.m., the Elmira Police Department responded to the area of Kinyon Street and Oakley Place for a report of shots fired. When police arrived they found evidence that shots had been fired. Additionally, witnesses in the area reported hearing multiple gunshots. Police say a dark colored SUV was observed stopping at the stop sign on Oakley Place. Someone then exited the vehicle and fired multiple shots in a northwest direction up Kinyon Street. This person then got back in to the vehicle and the vehicle fled on Delaware Avenue. Police say three people were observed walking south on Kinyon Street immediately after the shooting, however it is unknown if they were the intended targets. There was no evidence on scene that anyone was struck by gunfire. This investigation into this shooting is ongoing. If anyone was present in the area and witnessed this shooting, or has any information related to this shooting, they are encouraged to contact the Elmira Police Department at (607)737-5626, or the tip line at (607)271-HALT.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that all New Yorkers enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will receive the maximum allowable level of food benefits for July. The agency is also working with the federal government to ensure this aid, which has brought in more than $2.5 billion in food assistance to New Yorkers since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, will continue beyond July. "The pandemic exposed glaring inequalities in food access across the state and only made it harder for the many families who were already struggling with food insecurity," Governor Cuomo said. "By providing SNAP recipients with the maximum benefits possible, we are working to ensure every New Yorker can put food on the table during their time in need." SNAP households already receiving the maximum monthly benefit, and those that had been receiving an emergency allotment of less than $95 per month, will receive a minimum supplement of $95. Nearly 1.6 million households in New York State will receive the supplemental benefits later this month, which will result in the state receiving roughly $200 million in federal assistance. SNAP households in all counties outside of New York City should see these benefits post starting today. Those SNAP households in the five-county New York City region should see their benefits post between July 19 and the end of the month. As with the prior months, the payments will be delivered directly to recipients' existing Electronic Benefit Transfer account and can be accessed with their existing EBT card. Like regular SNAP benefits, the supplemental benefits can be used to purchase food at authorized retail food stores. Any unused SNAP benefits will be automatically carried over to the following month. Struggling New Yorkers continue to rely heavily on SNAP as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. As of April 2021, there were more than 2.8 million SNAP recipients throughout the state, a 5 percent increase from April 2020. Mike Hein, Commissioner of OTDA, said, "As our state continues to mend from the social and economic devastation waged by the pandemic, it is critical that struggling New Yorkers have the resources they can use to avoid food insecurity. These additional food benefits will help these individuals and families put healthy, nutritious food on the table as we collectively begin to recover from this public health crisis." For more information on the emergency supplemental SNAP benefits, including answers to frequently asked questions, visit OTDA's website here. New Yorkers can check their eligibility for SNAP and apply online here.

This afternoon at approximately 1:30 P.M. the Elmira Police Department responded to the area of Spaulding St. and Catherine St. for a report of shots fired. On arrival police found evidence that shots were fired. According to police, multiple witnesses in the area reported hearing multiple gunshots. At the time of the shots, several vehicles were seen in the area of Spaulding St. and Catherine St. All vehicles fled prior to police arrival. There was no evidence on scene that anyone was struck by gunfire. This investigation into this shooting is ongoing. If anyone was present in the area and witnessed this shooting, or has any information related to this shooting, they are encouraged to contact the Elmira Police Department at (607)737-5626, or the tip line at (607)271-HALT. For more local news and related conversation, click here!

Illegal gun use is now a public nuisance in New York. AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews Timothy D. Lytton, Georgia State University Could calling the illegal use of firearms a “public nuisance” bring an end to the gun industry’s immunity from civil lawsuits? New York will soon test that notion. State lawmakers recently amended New York’s public nuisance statute to specifically include marketing and sales practices that contribute to gun crimes. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the bill on July 6, 2021, after declaring gun violence a “disaster emergency.” I’ve been researching lawsuits against the gun industry for over 20 years. While I believe New York’s law is certain to unleash a new round of lawsuits against gun-makers, my research suggests that these claims will face considerable legal hurdles. Even if this litigation succeeds – effectively ending the gun industry’s immunity from liability – the jury is still out on whether it will do much to curb gun violence. Defining illegal gun use as a public nuisance States routinely rely on public nuisance laws to regulate conduct that unreasonably interferes with the health and safety of others. Common examples include polluting the air or water, obstructing roadways or making excessive noise. New York’s amended statute holds gun manufacturers and sellers responsible for the public nuisance of illegal gun use if they fail to implement “reasonable controls” to prevent the unlawful sale, possession or use of firearms within the state. The law specifies that “reasonable controls” include implementing programs to secure inventory from theft and prevent illegal retail sales. Under the law, both public officials and private citizens can file lawsuits seeking money damages and a court injunction to compel offending parties to stop the nuisance. For example, a gun manufacturer who sold weapons that were subsequently used in crimes could be held liable if it failed to take reasonable measures to ensure that retail dealers did not engage in illegal sales practices. The gun industry’s immunity shield Suing the firearms industry for gun violence under the theory of public nuisance is nothing new. Individual gun violence victims, civic organizations such as the NAACP and big-city mayors started filing such lawsuits in the late 1990s. Congress put an end to this litigation in 2005 when it passed the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which granted gun sellers – including manufacturers – immunity from liability arising out of criminal misuse of the weapons they sold. Immunity under the act is not absolute. Notably, a seller is not immune from liability if it “knowingly violated a state or federal statute applicable to the sale or marketing” of firearms. Consequently, following the passage of the act, plaintiffs argued that gun-makers’ marketing, distribution and sales practices constituted a public nuisance in violation of state statutes. However, federal appellate courts in New York and California rejected this argument. Those courts held that public nuisance laws did not qualify for the exception to immunity because they were not specifically aimed at regulating firearms. Challenges ahead for New York’s new law New York responded by updating its statute. The state is hoping to prompt civil litigation that will bring pressure on the industry to prevent the diversion of guns into the black market and the hands of illegal gun traffickers. Before the federal immunity bill, the industry faced a rising tide of litigation. New lawsuits, however, will face multiple challenges, which I believe will likely reach all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. I will consider two prominent ones. First, gun industry defendants will argue that New York’s amended public nuisance statute is an attempt to subvert the purpose of 2005 law, which was passed specifically to halt these types of claims against gun sellers in the 1990s and early 2000s. The opening section of the immunity law denounces this litigation as “an abuse of the legal system.” New York’s claim to utilize a narrow exception to gun industry immunity looks an awful lot like an attempt to eliminate immunity altogether. At the same time, the letter of the law allows claims arising out of the violation of any statute that specifically applies to the sale of firearms, which is exactly what New York’s amended public nuisance law does. For the Supreme Court, these contending views would pit the conservative majority’s strong allegiance to gun rights against its insistence on sticking to the letter of the law when reading statutes. Second, gun industry defendants will argue that the Second Amendment limits any type of litigation likely to restrict access to the lawful purchase of firearms. In a series of landmark cases, the Supreme Court said the Second Amendment protects the right of individuals to own firearms “in common use” for “lawful purposes like self-defense.” If public nuisance lawsuits were to drive some gun-makers into bankruptcy, courts might view them as a threat to Second Amendment rights. However, the Second Amendment is silent on how to balance the constitutional right to keep and bear arms against the right Americans have to sue in civil court. How the Supreme Court might rule on this particular challenge is unclear. Impact on reducing gun violence But let’s assume for a moment that nuisance lawsuits survive a Supreme Court challenge, effectively ending the gun industry’s liability shield. Would this litigation then be able to reduce gun violence? The main impact of these lawsuits is to put pressure on gun manufactures to do more to prevent inventory theft and illegal sales by retailers. Since 2000, the gun industry has operated a program to prevent illegal straw purchases, suggesting manufactures think they may be able to affect how retailers operate. Even still, little is known about whether this program has had any impact on gun violence rates. That’s why no one really knows if forcing gun manufacturers to more closely supervise retailers will work. Part of the problem is a lack of government funding since the mid-1990s for public health research on alleged links between industry sales practices and gun crimes. Recent funding for this kind of research may clarify the value of regulating illegal gun sales as a public nuisance. Until then, passing laws to prompt litigation against the gun industry is just a shot in the dark. Timothy D. Lytton, Distinguished University Professor & Professor of Law, Georgia State University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

See the rest here. What are your thoughts on Pegg's views? Is there something that you enjoyed as a kid but as an adult realized it wasn't so great?

On Friday, June 25th, 2021, at approximately 11:15 P.M., officers from the Elmira Police Department responded to the 7-11 store located at 625 Pennsylvania Av. for a report of shots fired. Upon arrival officers found that the people involved had already fled the scene When officer arrived they located and interviewed several witnesses at the store and there was evidence of shots fired. The witnesses reported that two males were involved in a verbal altercation inside of the store. One of these males exited the store. As soon as he left the store, a male in a vehicle at one of the gas pumps exited the vehicle and confronted the person leaving the store. The male leaving the store then pulled a gun and fired at the person near the vehicle. Both males fled on foot in opposite directions and the vehicle left as well. Shortly after, the shooter returned to his vehicle and fled the scene. Police located one of the vehicles involved and conducted a traffic stop. No weapon was located in the vehicle. One of the occupants stated that he was being shot at, but did not wish to cooperate with this investigation. This investigation into this shooting is ongoing. If anyone was present in the area and witnessed this shooting, or has any information related to this shooting, they are encouraged to contact the Elmira Police Department at (607)737-5626, or the tip line at (607)271-HALT.

This story has been updated.

See the rest of this article here, and tell us, what do YOU think is the best of all time?

As reported by First News Now HORSEHEADS, NY - Once local residents saw the banner hanging on the old Kmart building at the Grand Central Plaza, the word was out across social media and this photo was sent to FNN this afternoon. FNN was told the banner appeared on the empty building at the plaza sometime on Tuesday afternoon, June 15, 2021. Local and distant shoppers were immediately excited about the business opening up in the near future. In case you do not know, the business is called Ollie’s Bargain Outlet, aka "Ollie's". Ollie's Bargain Outlet is an American chain of discount retail stores founded in 1982 by Morton Bernstein and Mark L. Butler with backing from Harry Coverman and Oliver "Ollie" Rosenberg. According to Ollie's they are one of America’s largest retailers of closeout merchandise and excess inventory. Ollie's Bargain Outlet presently has 407 stores. The company has opened 18 new stores since November 2020. One of the newest store is celebrating their Grand Opening today, June 16, 2021, in San Antonio, TX, while another store will be celebrating it's Grand Opening on June 23, 2021, in Valdosta, GA. Photo by Bud Baldwin FNN has not yet received word back from the company about when Ollie's Bargain Outlet store will open in Horseheads, NY. In fact, the company has not release any information on the newest store opening at the Grand Central Plaza, with the exception of their banner hanging on the empty old Kmart building. Ollie's stores feature its namesake co-founder Oliver E. Rosenberg, in the form of humorous caricatures throughout its stores' interiors, merchandising displays and on its logo, as well as, exterior signage. Rosenberg, a capital area realtor and entrepreneur, passed away in 1996 at age 75. For the Horseheads area and for residents the business will be a great addition to the Grand Central Plaza. The old Kmart store has been closed since March of 2019. Business owners in the area are also excited, as the new Ollie's Bargain Outlet will attract more customers to the area, which will also benefit their businesses.

After more than a year, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced yesterday that COVID-19 restrictions were to be lifted immediately as 70 percent of New Yorkers aged 18 or older have received the first dose of their COVID-19 vaccination series. The State's health guidance and New York Forward industry specific guidelines—including social gathering limits, capacity restrictions, social distancing, cleaning and disinfection, health screening, and contact information for tracing—are now optional for retail, food services, offices, gyms and fitness centers, amusement and family entertainment, hair salons, barber shops and personal care services, among other commercial settings. Unvaccinated individuals continue to be responsible for wearing masks, in accordance with federal CDC guidance. Consistent with the State's implementation of the recent CDC guidance, masks are still required for unvaccinated individuals. Further, the State's health guidelines continue to be in effect for large-scale indoor event venues, pre-K to grade 12 schools, public transit, homeless shelters, correctional facilities, nursing homes, and health care settings per CDC guidelines. "What New York has done is extraordinary. Not only do we have the lowest COVID positivity rate in the United States of America, we have hit 70 percent vaccination ahead of schedule. We successfully deployed the weapon that will win the war, and New York led the nation," Governor Cuomo said. "We led with nurse Sandra Lindsay, who was the first at Northwell to take that vaccine and to assure people it was safe. We've gone on to do more than 20 million vaccines, more per capita than any big state in the United States of America. Congratulations to New Yorkers because they are the ones who did it. We're no longer just surviving—we're thriving. The state mandates that have proven right and brought us through this pandemic are relaxed as of today, effective immediately." In a separate press release, Senator Tom O'Mara said, “We have demonstrated that by working together, pulling for each other, and staying informed, our communities will be resilient and never lose hope in recovering. The work of rebuilding and restoring the lives of our communities should begin in earnest now and it needs to be delivered through local decision-making. We have reached the point of being able to fully declare an end to the state of emergency that has ruled our lives since last March. We have reached the point of fully rescinding Governor Cuomo’s unilateral emergency powers." “It is time to restore legislative checks and balances, and local input," he added.

UPDATE: Elmira Police have arrested a suspect in connection to a June 15th shooting. On Tuesday June 15th at approximately 3:00 A.M., Elmira police were called to the Arnot Ogden Medical Center for a report of a shooting victim that was in the emergency room. There an officer met with the shooting victim who advised that he had been shot in the foot at on Dewitt Avenue approximately 30 minutes prior. The victim told the officer that he was outside of a residence in the 500 block of Dewitt Av. when he was approached by someone he knows. This person was said to be acting in a strange manner and then pulled out a gun and pointed it toward the victim. The victim began to walk away at which time the suspect fired a round, which struck the victim in the foot. The suspect fled the area in an unknown direction and the victim was transported to the hospital by private vehicle. As a result of the investigation, 24 year old Brandon A. Allwood of Elmira has been charged with Criminal Possession of a Weapon 2nd, Criminal Use of a Firearm 2nd and Assault 2nd. Allwood was arraigned in Elmira City Court and remanded back to the Chemung County Jail where he's been on previous charges of Robbery 1st Degree, a class B Felony, and numerous vehicle and traffic law violations following a pursuit which originated in the town of Big Flats, Chemung County.

Read the rest here.

"After a cataclysmic battle between He-Man and Skeletor, Eternia is fractured and the Guardians of Grayskull are scattered. And after decades of secrets tore them apart, it's up to Teela to reunite the broken band of heroes, and solve the mystery of the missing Sword of Power in a race against time to restore Eternia and prevent the end of the universe." Masters of the Universe: Revelation will begin streaming on Netflix exclusively on July 23.