Commerce

New Senate plan would make pandemic unemployment benefits permanent

BY MATT WEIDINGER The Washington Post reports President Joe Biden’s next trillion-dollar spending plan “is expected to devote hundreds of billions of dollars to new programs,” including “$225 billion for child-care funding; $225 billion for paid family and medical leave; $200 billion

City & Region

Chautauqua County ethics board to meet March 10th

The Chautauqua County Ethics Board will be holding a meeting on Wednesday, March 10, 2021 at 4 p.m. in Rooms 331 and 333 of the Gerace Office Building, 3 N. Erie St. in Mayville, N.Y. Current members of the board

Commerce

Postal Service’s performance declined last year

BY KEVIN R. KOSAR Last week, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hauled Postmaster General Louis DeJoy before it and spent the better part of five and a half hours denouncing him. In part, majority Democrats were politicking — they rehashed

Commerce

FCC’s emergency broadband benefit attracts praise, criticism

BY DANIEL LYONS Last week, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted a report and order establishing the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program (EBB), a $3.2 billion program to help low-income families stay connected to the internet during the COVID-19 pandemic. The

Commerce

Romney floats ‘child allowance’ in reform of child tax credit

BY KYLE POMERLEAU Last month, Senator Mitt Romney introduced a proposal to enact a “child allowance,” a monthly payment to households with children. His proposal would be financed in part by repealing other child benefits, including the “Child and Dependent Care Tax

National Headlines

Two million airport workers may pose pandemic security threat

Nearly 2 million workers with unescorted access to security restricted areas at airports throughout the U.S. could pose an “insider threat,” according to a new federal audit, yet the government is still studying how to effectively curb the risk. Congress has

Albany

New York’s proposed nursing home fixes cause for concern

A new report released today by the Empire Center raises questions about the factors contributing to high COVID infection and mortality rates in New York nursing homes—and what reforms should be adopted in response. “The updated data shows there is no

Commerce

Higgins presses for restaurant relief in next COVID package

Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) is pushing for federal grants for restaurants to be included in the first COVID emergency relief package approved by Congress under the new Biden Administration. In a letter to President-elect Biden, Higgins writes, “Restaurants are more than

City

Parolee sentenced on promoting prostitution charge

Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that 43-year-old Richard S. Swiderski of Buffalo was sentenced on January 6th before Erie County Court Judge Kenneth F. Case to an indeterminate sentence of 2 to 4 years in prison. Between