Your Morning Edition for Tuesday, August 13th presented by DiSanto Propane!

Green Amendment debate takes local turn, Wayne Co. debates budget surplus, big changes to It's A Wonderful Life museum, Patrick Dai sentenced to federal prison, and Steuben school faces uncertainty.

Green Amendment would be ‘toothless’ if Albany court dismisses suit against Seneca Meadows, attorney says

The state’s Green Amendment would be rendered “toothless” if a state court in Albany grants requests to dismiss a lawsuit seeking to block the expansion of Seneca Meadows Inc. due to odor violations, an attorney for plaintiffs suing SMI argued in a filing Aug. 9. A week earlier, State Attorney General Letitia James had urged the Albany court to drop the suit against the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the state’s largest landfill. 

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FLX Forecast: What to expect today?

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Fast 5: What’s happening in the Finger Lakes?

1. SENTENCING FINALIZED: A former Cornell University student, Patrick Dai, 22, was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for making violent threats against Jewish students online. Dai, originally from Pittsford, New York, admitted to posting a series of graphic and antisemitic messages in October 2023, including threats to bomb, shoot, and kill Jewish members of the Cornell community. His posts targeted a dining hall and Jewish center on campus, causing widespread fear and disrupting the university’s operations.

2. OVER-REGULATED: Local volunteer firefighters, joined by Congresswoman Claudia Tenney, voiced strong opposition Monday to proposed OSHA regulations that they say could financially cripple small fire departments. Speaking at the Cheshire Volunteer Fire Department, officials said the 22 new regulations, which mandate costly facility upgrades and extensive training, might force some volunteer departments to shut down.

3. SCHOOL IN RUINS AGAIN: Jasper-Troupsburg High School is once again grappling with severe flooding, this time from the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby, just three years after a similar disaster struck. The school district updated the community on Sunday, detailing ongoing cleanup efforts and future plans, which hinge on federal disaster declarations.

4. PRISON CHANGES: Governor Kathy Hochul is considering all options to address escalating safety concerns in New York’s prisons, following an incident at Collins Correctional Facility where 11 corrections officers and a nurse were hospitalized. The incident has intensified calls from the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOBPA) for stronger measures, including possibly declaring a state of emergency.

5. RESCUED AFTER NIGHT IN RAVINE: A 54-year-old man was rescued Friday morning after spending the night injured near a ravine in the Town of Urbana. Deputies from the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of the missing man around 9:10 a.m. and quickly located his vehicle on Taggart Road. The man had left home the previous evening and was found around 9:48 a.m., unable to walk after enduring a night in the rain.

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AROUND THE LAKES: Building the new It’s A Wonderful Life Museum

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MORE LOCAL HEADLINES: What Else Is Happening?

• Peachtown Elementary School and Wells College: Community hopes for positive outcome

• Wayne County forms committee to evaluate budget surplus

• Emergency aid announced for homeowners in Steuben County: At least 25 homes destroyed by flood

• ESL grants $7.4M to community services in the Finger Lakes

• Auburn and Cayuga County villages embrace pro-housing certification

• Ithaca’s West HIll could see major housing expansion

• DiNapoli pushes for greater corporate political spending transparency

• New York ranks one of the safest in the US

• Livingston County reopens adult day program after four-year hiatus

• Seneca Falls woman accused of assault during domestic incident: Victim punched multiple times in the face

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AROUND THE US & WORLD: Beyond the Finger Lakes

• Senate Dems embrace Harris-Walz ticket amid campaign surge

• NBC has wild success thanks to Olympics: Viewership soars by expectations

• Recession and unemployment: How resilient is the US economy right now?

• Costco will implement membership scanners amid price hike: Company trying to clamp down on membership sharing

• Trump, Vance argue they should have influence over fed policy

• New York’s Blink Fitness files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

• US deploys naval strike group to Mediterranean amid rising tensions with Iran

• Wall Street closes mixed as investors brace for key economic data