August 31, 2021

Student workers at Hamilton College to vote on unionization, possibly a national first

In what could be a national first, students working in the Hamilton College admissions office are trying to unionize.

The campus tour guides and senior admissions fellows (who interview prospective students and provide comment for their files), all undergraduates, have filed a petition for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board, said Eric Kopp, a member of the students’ organizing committee, a senior admissions fellow and an intern at the Central New York Labor Council.

They’re now waiting for the board to set the date of the election.

Research hasn’t turned up any similar unions beyond some resident advisers in Massachusetts, said Samantha DeRiso, director of political and public affairs and one of the lead organizers at Hamilton College for the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, District Union Local One in Oriskany, the statewide union of about 15,000 the students hope to join.

“This is one campaign that might go national because I don’t think anyone has ever organized tour guides,” she said.

Read more: https://www.uticaod.com/story/news/2021/08/30/student-admission-workers-hamilton-college-looking-unionization/5621512001/
(Utica Observer-Dispatch)

August 31, 2021

Student workers at Hamilton College to vote on unionization, possibly a national first

In what could be a national first, students working in the Hamilton College admissions office are trying to unionize.

The campus tour guides and senior admissions fellows (who interview prospective students and provide comment for their files), all undergraduates, have filed a petition for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board, said Eric Kopp, a member of the students’ organizing committee, a senior admissions fellow and an intern at the Central New York Labor Council.

They’re now waiting for the board to set the date of the election.

Research hasn’t turned up any similar unions beyond some resident advisers in Massachusetts, said Samantha DeRiso, director of political and public affairs and one of the lead organizers at Hamilton College for the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, District Union Local One in Oriskany, the statewide union of about 15,000 the students hope to join.

“This is one campaign that might go national because I don’t think anyone has ever organized tour guides,” she said.

Read more: https://www.uticaod.com/story/news/2021/08/30/student-admission-workers-hamilton-college-looking-unionization/5621512001/
(Utica Observer-Dispatch)

August 31, 2021

"I want to see if he has his big boy pants on": House Democrat challenges Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick over

"I want to see if he has his big boy pants on": House Democrat challenges Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick over legislative staff funding

by James Barragán, Texas Tribune


Another partisan stalemate has broken out in the final days of the second special session called by Gov. Greg Abbott, again imperiling the jobs of 2,100 legislative staffers along with two key conservative priority bills.

On Monday night, Rep. Harold Dutton, D-Houston, abruptly adjourned the House Public Education Committee, which he chairs, without voting on two bills prioritized by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the leader of the Senate: a bill that would limit how educators can teach social studies and talk about race at Texas public schools, referred to as the "critical race theory bill," and another that would require transgender students to participate in sports based on the gender listed on their birth certificate instead of their gender identity.

"We have gotten to the point now where the Senate has adopted certain principles and practices that I don’t think bode well for this Legislature. I think that what’s happened is we have allowed them to do certain things and they disrespect the House in certain fashions," Dutton said. "It has gotten worse to the point where today, what I am told, is that if we don’t pass these two bills — the [critical race theory] bill and the transgender bill — the Senate is not going to consider trying to fix the funding in Article X. So, I want to see if he has his big boy pants on. This meeting is adjourned."

Article X refers to the section of the state budget that covers funding for the state Legislature and other independent agencies that support its work. Abbott vetoed legislative funding in June in retaliation for the defeat of his priority election and bail reform bills when Democrats first walked out of the House in May during the final days of the regular legislative session.

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2021/08/31/texas-dan-patrick-harold-dutton-article-x/

August 31, 2021

National Republicans zero in on South Texas congressional race to oust Vicente Gonzalez

by Patrick Svitek, Texas Tribune


National Republicans are zeroing in on Texas' 15th Congressional District as their top battleground here in 2022 — an opportunity to show the GOP can make inroads in South Texas on its way to reclaiming the House majority.

The Democratic incumbent, state Rep. Vicente Gonzalez of McAllen, had a surprisingly close race last year as President Joe Biden underperformed across the region, and his 2020 challenger, Monica De La Cruz-Hernandez, is running again.

On Tuesday, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy will endorse De La Cruz-Hernandez, an early show of support from the top House Republican that cements the contest's top-tier battleground status nationally.

"Monica De La Cruz-Hernandez is a successful small businesswoman who understands the needs and values of hard-working Texans," McCarthy said in a statement to The Texas Tribune. "Many pundits predicted Monica's opponent would easily win in 2020, but Monica's tenacity and relentless campaign came within 7,000 votes of defeating the Democrat incumbent. Monica is running for Congress again, and this time, she will win."

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2021/08/31/monica-de-la-cruz-henderson-vicente-gonzalez-texas-15/

The three Democratic congressional seats are vulnerable to gains by Republicans. Filemon Vela has indicated that he will not run in 2022. Henry Cuellar is being challenged from the left by Jessica Cisneros. Meanwhile, Gonzalez has been viewed as the weakest of the three Democrats. Some minor adjustments through redistricting could find all of them out of office.

August 31, 2021

Adams, de Blasio accepted campaign cash from Brooklyn man charged in bank fraud scheme

A Brooklyn businessman recently charged in a sprawling bank-fraud scheme gave political contributions to Mayor de Blasio and Democratic mayoral nominee Eric Adams, public records show.

David Motovich, who manages Midwood Lumber & Millwork Inc., is facing federal bank fraud, identity theft and witness tampering charges over a $55 million check-cashing operation that Jacquelyn Kasulis, the acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District, said last Tuesday “deliberately flouted federal banking and anti-money laundering laws.”

Motovich, 46, has donated to the campaigns of de Blasio and Adams over the years, as well as disgraced former congressman Anthony Weiner.

In 2003, he made a $1,500 donation to de Blasio’s City Council campaign, listing himself at the time as the lumber company’s CEO, city campaign finance records show. Two years later he gave to Weiner, listing himself as the company’s vice president.

Read more: https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/nyc-elections-2021/ny-nyc-mayoral-race-eric-adams-de-blasio-campaign-donations-20210830-gxp4vgintfbtnczjpsdskq4wra-story.html

August 31, 2021

Pet cougar rescued from Bronx home: 'Eventually something bad would have happened'

That’s one less cougar on the prowl.

Animal rescue authorities said an 80-pound pet cougar was surrendered last week by its owner, who called a sanctuary after realizing the big city was no place for a big cat.

The Humane Society of the United States and the state Department of Environmental Conservation teamed up with the NYPD to remove the 11-month-old cougar from a Bronx home after the owner called for help.

Authorities took the cougar to the Bronx Zoo for safekeeping until veterinarians from an Arkansas-based wildlife refuge arrived to transport it to their sanctuary.

“They came to the realization that this cougar is getting large, and it is dangerous,” said Emily McCormack, animal curator for the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge. “Those claws and those teeth and the pressure of the bite. You cannot take the wild out of these animals. Eventually something bad would have happened.”

Read more: https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-cougar-bronx-home-removed-to-sanctuary-20210830-2uh7msghdvh5lmx2vhjyrfhdga-story.html

August 31, 2021

Capitol riot suspect from Newburgh asks judge to release him after eight months in jail

A Newburgh man charged with attacking police in a pro-Trump mob at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 has asked a federal judge to release him from jail or at least let him have a laptop in his cell to help his lawyers defend him.

Edward Lang, a 26-year-old Sullivan County native arrested at his Newburgh apartment in January, is accused of fighting for almost two and a half hours with besieged officers defending a Capitol entrance against the rioters. Photos of Lang in court papers show him swinging an aluminum baseball bat at police while wearing a gas mask and holding a police riot shield that he commandeered.

Most of the more than 570 people charged with participating in the rampage have been released by judges while their cases are pending. Lang has remained in custody for eight months because of the seriousness of the 11 charges against him, which include assaulting a police officer with a dangerous weapon.

In a 27-page brief filed this week, Lang's lawyers argue that he should be released from the Washington, D.C., jail because he poses no public danger or flight risk and has been unable to meet privately with them to prepare his defense. They also claim the jail staff has unfairly put him in solitary confinement for long periods and abused him.

"Lang's physical abuse includes being dragged, shoved, denied regular shower access, and getting an entire can of mace in his face, while standing inside of (his) cell with photos and a bible in his hand," attorneys Martin Tankleff and Steven Metcalf wrote.

Read more: https://www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley/news/article/Capitol-riot-suspect-asks-judge-to-be-released-16422129.php

Keep him locked up. His actions on January 6 and his statements afterwards indicate that he remains a risk to the public.

August 31, 2021

Subpoenas issued in investigation of groping allegation against Cuomo

ALBANY — Law enforcement officials are issuing subpoenas to gather records in an ongoing investigation of allegations that former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo groped a female aide's breast at the Executive Mansion in November.

The allegation that the governor had groped the woman, Brittany Commisso, became a focus of the state attorney general's investigation that concluded Cuomo had sexually harassed, touched or acted inappropriately with 11 women.

Sources close to the investigation said that Commisso met with Albany County sheriff's investigators for a second time on Monday for a formal interview about her allegations. The subpoenas will be used to gather any documentary evidence, including material related to Commisso's claim that on the day of the alleged encounter she had helped the governor text a note from his iPhone to Stephanie Benton, one of his stop assistants.

Sheriff Craig Apple confirmed that Commisso met with investigators on Monday, along with a representative of the Albany County district attorney's office. He declined further comment.

Read more: https://www.timesunion.com/state/article/Subpoenas-issued-in-investigation-of-Cuomo-s-16423652.php

August 31, 2021

FIFA reduces penalty on Mexico for anti-gay chants at games

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The world soccer body has agreed to reduce Mexico's punishment for anti-gay chants heard during the Olympic qualifying matches in March, Mexican soccer officials said Wednesday.

The Mexican soccer federation said it had been notified by FIFA that Mexico's men team will have to play only one game without fans, instead of two as was originally imposed.

The ban will be applied Sept. 2, when Mexico's national team plays Jamaica at the beginning of the region's World Cup qualifiers. The game will take place at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.

The Mexican soccer league petitioned FIFA asking it to reconsider the original sanctions on the grounds the punishment would affect Mexico's national team even though the chants happened in a game played by the Sub23 team.

Read more: https://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/article/FIFA-reduces-penalty-Mexico-anti-gay-chants-games-16413394.php

August 31, 2021

'Do better': Texans blast Gov. Abbott about COVID 'improvement' tweet

On Sunday, August 30, Texas Governor Greg Abbott tweeted out a few statistics that left many of his constituents upset.

Abbott pointed to the coronavirus pandemic showing "improvement" in Texas. He stated hospitalizations have declined for the third straight day and are at their lowest since August 22 – one week ago from his tweet.

"The number of Texans testing positive is the lowest since August 9," he added. "More than 56 [percent] of Texans eligible for vaccination are fully vaccinated."

However, according to the Texas Tribune, Texas hospitals reported nearly 14,000 hospitalizations of COVID-19 last week, just below the state's peak after the winter surge. This summer, the hospital admission rate for people younger than 50 has nearly doubled when compared to earlier outbreaks. During the week ending on August 22, about 1,672 people with COVID-19 were admitted each day, the Texas Tribune reports.

Read more: https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/Texans-call-out-Abbott-for-covid-16422363.php

There are numerous tweets at the link.