Election part II
There's a rash of articles this morning following up on last week's election. The Buffalo News reports that governor-elect Andrew Cuomo sees his lieutenant governor as a crucial tie-breaking vote in a Senate that could be deadlocked when the votes are all tallied. Cuomo spoke to the reporters in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he's been meeting with other political leaders, including the outgoing governor.
The Democrat and Chronicle reports that at the same convening, Cuomo held the line on his economic proposals during his first press appearance after the election:
He was asked how he would cut education aid, which this year is about $21 billion. "The same way every family, every business has had to struggle through this economic recalibration," he said. "Government is going to have to go through the same economic recalibration, and you're going to have to find better ways to provide the services." He added, "And the answer can't always be: more money, more money, more money."
Meanwhile, back in chilly upstate New York (not jealous, just saying), the recount has begun in the 25th district congressional race. Absentee ballots will decide the race, where currently, Republican challenger Ann Marie Buerkle is leading Democrat Dan Maffei by 684 votes, according to the Post-Standard.
The recount may be made more accurate - but longer - by New York's new voting machines. That's according the Press & Sun-Bulletin, which takes a look how optical scanning machine's paper trail changes the recount game:
Some election experts and watchdog groups are painting a potential scenario in which county boards of elections could spend months under court order recounting ballots in tight election contests, where a few hundred votes could decide the winner. And to determine a winner, lawyers may end up battling over whether a ballot was accurately filled out and deciphering a voter's intent. Some groups fear a smaller-scale replay of the 2000 presidential recount in Florida -- which led to the federal law that states update their voting machines and procedures.
Neighborhood revitalization
Residents in an East Buffalo neighborhood are successfully applying a formula for reclaiming their streets: they're cleaning up litter, dealing with vacant lots, and most importantly, communicating with each other. The Buffalo News reports:
Brenda Coleman, of 732 Glenwood, has lived on the street since 1959. "I've seen [the street] go through changes. Right now it looks good, but before there was a lot of drug activity and violence. We don't have that no more," she said.
Community organizations, like AmeriCorps, have also been tapped to help out with painting and gardening tasks.
Radioactive water
The Times Union reports that radioactive water has leaked into the Mohawk River. The fluid was used in a cleanup at Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory, and overflowed after a sump pump failed:
Knolls spokeswoman Anne LaRoche said that the radioactive material in the estimated 630 gallons that passed through the pipe during that time was the same as the naturally emitted radiation contained in two minutes' worth of the Mohawk's average flow. LaRoche said the lab was taking measures to ensure the incident isn't repeated, including the addition of sump-pump monitors on the main control panel and the addition of a collector tank in case another pump failure occurs. In addition, the facility will in future treat its water offsite.
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