Troopers Begin Road Checks

State Troopers Begin Three-Day International Road Check

Truck drivers who travel in northern New York State can expect to be pulled for more inspections this week.

State troopers are participating in the annual international road check. The three day program began yesterday and runs through tomorrow.

Police agencies will step up inspections along the borders with Canada and Mexico.

Checkpoints will be set up in St. Lawrence, Franklin, and Clinton counties.

The inspections are for commercial vehicles only.

New Legislation Means Tighter Control of Online Prescriptions

State officials have announced a deal on legislation to establish tighter online oversight of prescription drugs to help curb drug abuse.

The I-Stop plan would make New York one of the first states to establish mandatory online reporting of prescriptions in real time when filled by a pharmacist.

State leaders are trying to finalize a bill by the end of the year, and have the database up and running by next year.

Popolizio Arrested on Fraud Charges

The Otsego County sheriff’s office has arrested a man accused of fraud and larceny involving his pet and livestock business. Michael Popolizio, 66, of Schenectady owns South Side Dogs and South Side Farms in Worchester.

He was arrested following an investigation of a complaint by a Virginia woman who made a down payment of $2,100 for livestock which she never received nor received a refund.

Other claims total over $26,000 over five years in five states.

Regional Job Fairs Look to Fill 10,000 Openings

New York’s Labor Department hopes a series of job fairs will help fill an estimated 10,000 job openings this summer.

The fairs start tomorrow and run through June 22, when a fair will be held in Binghamton at Broome Community College from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The events begin in Syracuse tomorrow at the Burnett Park Zoo from 12:30 p.m. to 4pm.

The others are held in the New York City, Buffalo, and Rochester areas.

The fairs are expected to attract about 375 employers looking for workers.

Finch Wants Tax Credits to Install New Smoke Detectors

Upstate Assemblyman Gary Finch has introduced legislation to provide tax credits for the installation of photo-electric smoke detectors.

The bill was drawn up after the March death of a 3-year-old girl and her godmother in a fire in Auburn.

Fire investigators say the blaze was a smoldering type without a lot of flame. The ionization type of detectors are not as sensitive to those kinds of fires, and had there been an optical type detector in the house, the two may not have died.

If passed, the bill would allow for a tax credit for the installation of a photo-electric detector.

Crouch Supports Apple Growers Act

Assemblyman Cliff Crouch joined his colleagues in the assembly and senate yesterday in supporting the Family Farmers and Apple Growers Relief Act.

The purpose of the act is to provide assistance to farmers and apple growers who lost significant amounts of their crops due to the extreme weather of 2012.

New York farmers suffered widespread damage and loss at the start of the growing season because of extreme frost. Estimates indicate that New York experienced one of the worst statewide crop losses ever.

Apples alone suffered a 50 percent loss. New York is the 2nd largest producer of apples in the nation with 694 family-owned apple farms employing 10,000 people and another 7,500 jobs that depend on apple crops.

The apple growers act will allow farmers to claim up to 35 percent of their lost crops for the year.

Seward Speaks Out Against Toll Hike

Following the New York State Thruway Authority’s plans to hike tolls 45 percent on commercial vehicles with three or more axles, state senator James Seward spoke out against the idea yesterday, saying that the hike will be costly for both truckers and consumers will ultimately pay the extra cost.

Small towns and villages located near the thruway can expect more traffic as truckers seek out alternate routes to avoid the toll hike, causing wear and tear on roads in rural areas.

Seward says that raising the cost of shipping for New York products sends the wrong message in a time when we are trying to grow New York businesses.