Cooler Weekend With Better Rain Chances Likely
JAMESTOWN – The heat wave we saw this past week will temporary come to an end for the weekend, with an addition of some much needed rain fall to the area. Saturday will be mostly cloudy with a few scattered showers and thunderstorms. Temperatures will be cooler with highs in the upper-70’s.Saturday night racing gets underway at Stateline speedway with mostly cloudy skies, a scattered shower or storm is possibles through the evening and over night. Highs in the evening near-70 with lows over-night in the lower-60’s.Sunday will be partly cloudy, a few showers are possible with highs near 80. The start of the work week will begin with temperatures near 80. But as the week moves on, the temperatures will rise and so will the humidity. Another heatwave looks to be in the works.Otherwise the days will feature sunshine with the risk for pop-up showers and stroms. Much like this past week.WNYNewsNow is a proud Ambassador for the NOAA Weather-Ready Nation program.Share:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
Cornelius Hogan Resigns from Boardof TrusteesCornelius (Con) Hogan has resigned his position on Fletcher Allens Board of Trustees. Hogan served as Secretary of the Agency of Human Services in Ver-mont from 1991-1999, and served as Acting Chair of the Vermont Health Care Authority in 1994. Hogan was appointed to the Fletcher Allen Board of Trustees by the Fanny Allen Corporation in December of 2002. No reason for the resignation was given and no replacement yet has been nominated.
FacebookTwitterLinkedInEmailPrint分享The Times of Israel:The Energy Ministry on Sunday asked the National Planning and Building Council to slash its plans for new gas-fired power stations by more than half in a move welcomed by both the Environmental Protection Ministry and civilian campaigners for more renewable energy.The ministry asked the planners to strike off four projects being designed, with a combined output of 4,860 Megawatts (MW).Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said these could be taken off the agenda, because with advances in technology, Israel is now in a position to increase its targets for renewable energy, mainly via solar power.With plans to add more than 12,000 MW of capacity from renewable sources to the energy system — plus 2,200 MW of storage — by 2030, the planners need to ensure that 4,000 MW can potentially be made available via new gas-fired power plants, with the aim that only 1,400 MW will actually be needed, the ministry said.In June, Steinitz increased targets for the percentage of Israel’s electricity that is to be produced from renewable sources from 17 percent to 30% by the end of the decade, with the remaining 70% to come from natural gas.The four planned stations to be taken off the list are Mevo’ot Gilboa (Gilboa Foothills) south of the northern city of Afula, Sagi 2000, west of Afula, Zvaim near Beit She’an in the northern Jordan Valley, and Hartuv in the Beit Shemesh area, northwest of Jerusalem. The ministry also intends to freeze planning of new stations for areas not yet zoned appropriately and will give preference to new plants to be built close to existing infrastructure.[Sue Surkes]More: Government seeks to nix half of planned gas power stations as renewables rise Israel cuts plans for 4,860MW of new gas-fired power plants
By Diálogo October 08, 2020 Funds confiscated from the Nicolás Maduro regime in the United States that belong to the Venezuelan people are being used to pay a bonus to health workers in Venezuela, in a program designed by the team of Interim President Juan Guaidó.According to National Assembly (AN, in Spanish) lawmaker Manuela Bolívar, who heads the group executing this program, the final list of beneficiaries amounts to 62,697 people, including doctors, nurses, and pharmacists, as well as workers and administrative personnel of public health centers.She explained that starting on September 14, beneficiaries began receiving notifications about the first of three payments of $100 each to their accounts. The two remaining payments will be made in October and November.The funds for this program come from an account that the Venezuelan Central Bank had at Citibank, which the U.S. government froze following sanctions imposed on the Maduro regime, said Miguel Pizarro, an exiled lawmaker who serves as Guaidó’s commissioner for humanitarian assistance.Pizarro said that authorities confiscated $325 million and made $80 million available, with the approval of the AN and the U.S. Federal Reserve. The commissioner said that part of this $80 million was delivered to the International Red Cross and the Pan American Health Organization to send humanitarian assistance to Venezuela.Well-deserved moneyOn September 15, Margot Monasterios received a message that relieved her. She got an email confirming her first remittance of $100.“This is a very positive measure to cover, for example, our transportation,” she said.Monasterios is a nurse. She lives in a small town near Barlovento, more than 100 kilometers east of the capital, and each day takes public transportation to get to the hospital at Caracas University Campus. She said that she spends about $3.30 every month just to come and go.“One has several needs […]. This bonus is a benefit, not a gift. This was hard-earned [money],” she said.According to the Venezuelan Medical Federation president, Douglas León Natera, a professional nurse like Monasterios is likely to earn the equivalent of only $5 per month, in the best case scenario. As a result, transportation is an expense that exceeds 60 percent of the salary.Resource scarcity in Venezuelan public hospitals and dispensaries has caused more than 170 health workers to die of COVID-19 as of mid-September. Of these, León Natera said, 100 were doctors.In the third week of September, Guaidó’s group was evaluating whether to extend this bonus to health workers beyond November, or if it will try to reach other public workers.
November 15, 2003 On the Move On the Move Lindsey Trowell has joined Fowler White Boggs Banker with offices at 501 E. Kennedy Blvd., Ste. 1700, Tampa 33602, telephone (813)228-7411. He joins the firm’s securities, financial services, and white collar practice group. Alexia C. Rineheart has become an associate with Michael J. Alman, P.A., with offices at Emerald Lake Corporate Park, 3109 Stirling Rd., Ste. 101, Ft. Lauderdale 33312, telephone (954) 967-5458. The firm concentrates in marital and family law. Dawn M. Saddik has joined Sachs, Sax & Klein, P.A., with offices at 301 Yamato Rd., Ste. 4150, Boca Raton 33431, telephone (561) 994-4499. She joins the firm’s corporate and health care practice group. Lawrence H. Feder announces the relocation of his offices to 3900 Hollywood Blvd., Ste. 103, Hollywood 33021, telephone (954) 963-5571. Lance J. Wogalter, P.A., announces the relocation of its offices to 1499 W. Palmetto Park Rd., Ste. 152, Boca Raton 33486, telephone (561) 995-0822. The firm concentrates in the areas of civil and commercial litigation, bankruptcy, and mediation. Winifred L. Acosta NeSmith, former assistant statewide prosecutor with the Florida Attorney General’s Office, Jacksonville, has become an assistant U.S. attorney with the United States Attorney’s Office, offices are located at 111 N. Adams St., Fourth Fl., Tallahassee 32301, telephone (850) 942-8430. She is assigned to the criminal division. Isabelle E. Azria has joined Beloff & Schwartz with offices at 1111 Lincoln Rd., Ste. 400, Miami Beach 33139, telephone (305) 673-1101. The firm practices in real estate, development, condominium, contract, and zoning law. Laurel Frances Moore has joined Carlton Fields with offices at One Harbour Pl., Tampa 33601, telephone (813) 223-7000. She joins the firm’s antitrust and trade regulation practice group. Alberto A. Macia has become a partner with Budd & Bennett which has changed its name to Budd, Bennett & Macia with offices located at 3033 Riviera Dr., Ste. 201, Naples 34103, telephone (239) 263-7700. The firm practices in corporate law, business law, real estate, and estate planning. James D. Silver has joined Carlton Fields, with offices at 400 International Place, 100 SE Second St., Miami 33131, telephone (305) 854-5900. He joins the firm’s bankruptcy and creditors’ rights practice groups. Joseph Dato announces the opening of Joseph Gardner Dato, P.A., with offices located at 101 N. Franklin St., Ste. 101, Tampa 33602, telephone (813) 225-1331. The firm concentrates in criminal defense, DUI, business litigation, and real estate. Richard J. Razook has joined Hunton & Williams with offices at 1111 Brickell Ave., Ste. 2500, Miami 33131, telephone (305) 810-2500. Razook joins the firm’s business practice group. Beatrice Butchko and Jeffrey T. Kucera have become partners and William Simonitsch has become an associate of Kirkpatrick & Lockhart with offices at 201 S. Biscayne Blvd., 20th Fl., Miami 33131, telephone (305) 539-3300. Butchko concentrates on maritime law; Kucera in bankruptcy, creditors’ and debtors’ rights, and commercial litigation; and Simonitsch in bankruptcy, labor and employment, intellectual property litigation, and maritime insurance matters. Shanell M. Schuyler, formerly of Welch, Finkel & Schuyler, announces the opening of the Law Offices of Shanell M. Schuyler, with offices located at 234 E. Main St., Johnson City, TN 37604, telephone (423) 926-7717. The firm concentrates in civil litigation, real estate and mortgage law, probate, and estate planning. Kevin M. Rys has joined Scott, Harris, Bryan, Barra & Jorgensen, P.A., with offices located at 4400 PGA Blvd., Ste. 800, Palm Beach Gardens 33410. He concentrates in the area of real property. Todd K. Norman, Michael T. Sheridan, Cory L. Taylor, Thomas A. Neesham, and Jill M. Hampton have become associates with Stump, Storey, Callahan & Dietrich, P.A., with offices at 37 N. Orange Ave., Ste. 200, Orlando 32801, telephone (407) 425-2571. They join the firm’s civil litigation practice. Staci H. Genet has become a partner of Rosenthal Rosenthal Rasco, L.L.C., with offices at Turnberry Plaza, Ste. 500, 2875 N.E. 191st St., Aventura 33180, telephone (305) 937-0300. She leads the firm’s commercial litigation practice. Errol Kalayci has joined Broad & Cassel with offices at One Clematis St., Ste. 500, West Palm Beach 33401, telephone (561) 832-3300. He joins the firm’s real estate practice group. Steven Diebenow, formerly of Rogers Towers, has become chief of policy and government affairs withthe Jacksonville Office of the Mayor, with offices located at 117 W. Duval St., Ste. 400, Jacksonville 32202, telephone (904) 630-1862. Evan B. Plotka has become a partner with Stephen Rakusin, P.A., which will now be known as Rakusin & Plotka, P.A., with offices located at SouthTrust Tower, One E. Broward Blvd., Ste. 444, Ft. Lauderdale 33301, telephone (954) 356-0496. He practices in commercial and construction litigation, probate, and guardianships. Richard A. Asselta, has joined Landy & Associates, which has changed its name to Landy & Asselta, P.A., with offices at 801 N.E. 167st St., Second Fl., North Miami Beach 33162, telephone (305) 455-2040. The firm concentrates in commercial litigation and securities arbitrations. Paul A. Baldovin, Jr., has joined Butzel Long with offices located at 1200 N. Federal Hwy., Ste. 420, Boca Raton 33432, telephone (561) 368-2151. He concentrates in estate planning. Joseph C. Schulz has joined Jeff D. Vastola, P.A., with offices at One Clearlake Centre, 250 Australian Ave. S., West Palm Beach 33401, telephone (561) 721-2500. He practices in personal injury, wrongful death, commercial litigation, and entertainment and sports law. Mark R. Leavitt has been elected a shareholder of Dean, Mead, Egerton, Bloodworth, Capouano & Bozarth, P.A., with offices at 800 N. Magnolia Ave., Ste. 1500, Orlando 32603, telephone (407) 841-1200. He practices in the areas of eminent domain, condemnation and inverse condemnation, and property rights cases. David A. Gunter has been elected a shareholder of Dean, Mead, Egerton, Bloodworth, Capouano & Bozarth, P.A., with offices at 8240 Devereux Dr., Ste. 100, Melbourne 32940, telephone (407) 841-1200. He practices in environmental law and commercial litigation. Ya’Sheaka S. Campbell has joined Abbey, Adams, Byelick, Kiernan, Mueller & Lancaster, L.L.P., with offices at 360 Central Ave., 11th Fl., St. Petersburg 33701, telephone (727) 821-2080. The firm concentrates in the defense areas of liability, malpractice, workers’ compensation, employment claims, and appeals. Laura L. Mall has joined Berger Singerman with offices at 350 E. Las Olas Blvd., Ste. 1000, Ft. Lauderdale 33301, telephone (954) 525-9900. She joins the firm’s dispute resolution team. Terrance Q. Woodard, Ruben Ravago, Sheila Bhandari, and Jenelle E. La Chuisa have joined Bilzin, Sumberg, Baena, Price & Axelrod, L.L.P., with offices at 200 S. Biscayne Blvd., Ste. 2500, Miami 33131, telephone (305) 374-7580. Woodard joins the firm’s insolvency department; Ravago the real estate department; Bhandari the corporate and securities department; and La Chuisa the litigation department. Jim O’ Hara, former Plantation police officer, has become an associate of Haliczer Pettis, P.A., with offices at 101 N.E. 3rd Ave., 6th Fl., Ft. Lauderdale 33301, telephone (954) 523-9922. Arnold D. Shevin has been named team manager of the transaction team for Berger Singerman, with offices at 200 S. Biscayne Blvd., Ste. 2950, Miami 33131, telephone (954) 494-4828. He concentrates in real estate and financing transactions. Kenneth C. Grace, J. Carter Andersen, and Scott J. Givens have joined Bush Ross Gardner Warren & Rudy, P.A., with offices at 220 S. Franklin St., Tampa 33602, telephone (813) 224-9255. Grace concentrates in community association-related matters; Andersen and Givens concentrate in corporate litigation. Leslie Rothenberg, former Miami- Dade circuit judge, has become a partner with Steel, Hector & Davis, L.L.P., with offices at 200 S. Biscayne Blvd., Ste. 4000, Miami 33131-2398, telephone (305) 577-7000. Nathan G. Mancuso, Russell S. Jacobs, Hava B. Villaverde, and Charles B. Shields, Jr., have joined Bilzin, Sumberg, Baena, Price & Axelrod, L.L.P., with offices at 200 S. Biscayne Blvd., Ste. 2500, Miami 33131, telephone (305) 374-7580. Mancuso joins the firm’s insolvency department; Shields the estate planning department, and Jacobs and Villaverde the real estate department. Victoria E. Heuler has opened Heuler Law Firm with offices at 1347 E. Tennessee St., Tallahassee 32308, telephone (850) 656-9370. She practices in the areas of elder law, guardianship, probate, and litigation. Brian F. Moes has become a partner with Hannah, Estes & Ingram, P.A., with offices at 37 N. Orange Ave., Ste. 300, Orlando 32801, telephone (407) 481-9449. Hyram M. Montero, formerly of Montero Finizio and Valasquez, announces the opening of Hyram M. Montero, P.A., with offices located at 200 S.E. 9th St., Ft. Lauderdale 33316, telephone (954) 767-6500. The firm concentrates in traumatic brain injury cases, wrongful death, personal injury, premises liability, and malpractice cases. Janet Peralta Ochoa has become a member of Hyram M. Montero, P.A., with offices at 200 S.E. 9th St., Ft. Lauderdale 33316, telephone (954) 767-6500. The firm concentrates in traumatic brain injury cases, wrongful death, personal injury, premises liability, and malpractice cases. Timothy J. Ferguson has joined Sachs, Sax Klein with offices at 301 Yamato Rd., Ste. 4150, Boca Raton 33431, telephone (561) 994-4499. He practices in commercial litigation, construction law, and negligence. Joshua K. Brown has joined Peterson & Myers, P.A., with offices at 225 E. Lemon St., Ste. 300, Lakeland 33801, telephone (863) 683-6511. Katie J. Lee has become an associate with Liles, Gavin, Costantino & Murphy with offices at One Enterprise Center, 225 Water St., Ste. 1500, Jacksonville 32202, telephone (904) 634-1100. She practices in the area of civil trial work. Christine E. Lamia announces the formation of Christine E. Lamia, P.A., with offices at 2014 4th St., Sarasota 34237, telephone (941) 362-3788. She practices in the areas of employment contracts, business disputes, commercial litigation, and construction disputes. Christopher P. Benvenuto, Tyrone T. Bongard, Gaida Gomez, and Stephen J. Rapp have become associates with Gunster Yoakley with offices at 777 S. Flagler Dr., Ste. 500 E., West Palm Beach 33401, telephone (561) 650-0640. Benvenuto practices in land use and commercial litigation; Bongard in real estate; Gomez in general corporate and business law; and Rapp in general commercial litigation. Richard A. Morgan has joined Buchanan Ingersoll with offices at Bank of America Tower, 100 S.E. Second St., Ste. 2100, Miami 33131, telephone (305) 347-4080. He joins the firm’s commercial litigation section. John Gravante III has joined Kozyak, Tropin & Throckmorton, P.A., with offices at 200 S. Biscayne Blvd., Ste. 2800, Miami 33131, telephone (305) 372-1800. He concentrates in commercial litigation. Marc Anthony Consalo, formerly with the state attorney’s office for the Ninth Judicial Circuit, announces the opening of Nace and Cansalo, Attorneys at Law with offices located at 1415 E. Robinson St., Ste. C, Orlando 32801, telephone (407) 895-2698. He concentrates in criminal law. Johnette L. Hardiman and Robert T. Watson have joined Steel, Hector & Davis, L.L.P., with offices at 200 S. Biscayne Blvd., Ste. 4000, Miami 33131-2398, telephone (305) 577-7000. Hardiman joins the firm’s immigration and white collar criminal defense and corporate compliance practices; Watson joins the international litigation and arbitration practice. Tucker Ronzetti has been named a partner of Kozyak, Tropin & Throckmorton, P.A., with offices at 200 S. Biscayne Blvd., Ste. 2800, Miami 33131, telephone (305) 372-1800. He practices in the firm’s commercial litigation group. Angela M. Armstrong, formerly of Angela Morton Armstrong, P.A., has joined McFarland, Gould, Lyons, Sullivan & Hogan, P.A., with offices at 311 S. Missouri Ave., Clearwater 33756, telephone (727) 461-1111. She concentrates in bankruptcy law. Tannebaum, Planas & Weiss, L.L.P., announces the relocation of its offices to 150 W. Flagler St., Ste. 2850, Penthouse, Miami 33130, telephone (305) 374-7850. The firm concentrates in criminal defense, governmental affairs, and property taxation and land use law. Anne Q. Pollack has become an associate with Mechanik Nuccio Williams Hearne & Wester, P.A., with offices at 101 E. Kennedy Blvd., Ste. 3140, Tampa 33602, telephone (813) 276-1920. She concentrates in land use law. Nicole Dionne Quinne, formerly an associate of Alston & Bird, Atlanta, has become an associate of Hatcher, Stubbs, Land, Hollis & Rothschild, L.L.P., with offices at 233 12th St., Ste. 500, Columbus, GA 31901, telephone (706) 243-6228. She practices in commercial litigation. C. Kelley Corbridge has joined Kirk Pinkerton with offices in Venice and at 720 S. Orange Ave., Sarasota 34236, telephone (941) 364-2400. He joins the firm’s estate and trust planning and administration department. Brauwerman & Brauwerman announces the changing of its firm name to Brauwerman, June, Morgado & Kaye, P.A., with offices at 1776 N. Pine Island Rd., Ste. 310, Ft. Lauderdale 33322, telephone (954) 452-9999. Lisa B. Yankowitz has become a principal with CBIZ Business Solutions of St. Louis, Inc., with offices located at One City Place Dr., Ste. 570, St. Louis, MO 63141, telephone (314) 692-2249. She concentrates in employment law matters. Olympia Ross Duhart and Shahabudeen K. Khan have joined Ruden, McClosky, Smith, Schuster & Russell, P.A., with offices at 200 E. Broward Blvd., Ft. Lauderdale 33302, telephone (954) 764-6660. They join the firm’s litigation practice group. Lorca Divale has become a partner of Morgan, Colling & Gilbert, P.A., with offices at 12800 University Dr., Ste. 600, Fort Myers 33907, telephone (239) 433-6880. He concentrates in the area of automobile no-fault and first-party insurance benefits. Gene Crick has become of counsel with Broad & Cassel with offices at 390 N. Orange Ave., Ste. 1100, Orlando 32801, telephone (407) 839-4200. He practices in the firm’s affordable housing and tax credit practice housing group. Bruce B. Humphrey has joined Lewis, Longman & Walker, P.A., with offices at 9428 Baymeadows Rd., Ste. 625, Jacksonville 32256, telephone (904) 737-2020. He practices in the areas of eminent domain and property rights. Jean M. Mangu, formerly of Foley & Lardner, has joined the newly named Edwards, Cohen, Sanders, Dawson & Mangu, P.A., with offices at 200 N. Laura St., 12th Fl., Jacksonville 32202, telephone (904) 633-7979. The firm, which will use the name Edwards Cohen, practices in real estate, corporate, finance, land use, and local government and public agency representation. McDermott, Will & Emery has combined its practice with the Italian firm of Carnelutti Studio Legale Associato, which concentrates in mergers and acquisitions, banking, corporate, labor, litigation, telecommunications, and tax. Lauren G. Danielson, Carol M. Knapp, Suzan E. Koontz, Katherine A. Scott, and Angela J. Stewart have become associated with de Beaubien, Knight, Simmons, Mantzaris & Neal, L.L.P., with offices located at 332 N. Magnolia Ave., Orlando 32801, telephone (407) 422-2454. Jodi Ezrin and Jessica Parker have become associated with Baker & Hostetler, LLP, with offices at 200 S. Orange Ave., Ste. 2300, Orlando 32801, telephone (407) 649-4031. Ezrin practices in commercial litigation and Parker practices in real estate. November 15, 2003 On the Move
Sign up for our COVID-19 newsletter to stay up-to-date on the latest coronavirus news throughout New York [dropcap]S[/dropcap]tanding patiently in the chamber of the Nassau County Legislature, Jeff Decker had his hands full as his 7-month-old daughter Mabel squirmed in his arms. His wife Carly Tangney Decker and his mother-in-law Cindy Tangney were testifying at a public hearing held a week before Christmas on a bill to authorize the medical use of marijuana in New York.Mabel has a rare genetic disorder that causes her to suffer severe epileptic seizures. Her family had driven down from upstate Kingston to tell the Assembly Health Committee’s chairman Richard Gottfried (D-Manhattan), who is co-sponsoring the bill, known as the Compassionate Care Act, with state Sen. Diane Savino (D-Staten Island), that they were leaving that night for Colorado because they had learned that they could legally obtain a marijuana derivative there that had shown promise in treating early onset epilepsy.“Maybe when we get there, it won’t work,” said Mabel’s mom, fighting back tears. “But at least at that point we can say we did our best—we tried everything.”Known as Charlotte’s Web, this special strain of marijuana oil has been the subject of a recent article in The New York Times as well as a CNN special by Dr. Sanjay Gupta, which detailed how young Charlotte Figi of Colorado had benefitted from its use. In fact, Charlotte’s mother, Paige Figi, had flown in from Colorado to tell the Assembly committee hearing how the medical marijuana had helped. At one point, Charlotte had been having hundreds of grand mal seizures a week.“From that first dose, she went seven days without a seizure,” Paige Figi said at the hearing.Also in Mineola was Joel Stanley, who runs the medical marijuana dispensary in Colorado Springs with his brothers that specializes in providing Charlotte’s Web. He told The Times that this oil is low in the psychoactive ingredient THC and high in cannabidiol, or CBD, which is reportedly beneficial. Stanley and his brothers also run the Realm of Caring Foundation, a nonprofit organization that helps subsidize the cost of the drug for qualified needy patients in Colorado, which can run between $150 and $200 for a month’s supply.Carly Tangney Decker told the health committee hearing that one of the drugs her daughter was prescribed would eventually cause blindness. Uprooting their lives to give Mabel Charlotte’s Web seemed like a better alternative.“New York won’t allow us to try a medication that is working for many other people,” Carly said. “Please give us the opportunity to try this drug in the comfort of our own state, in our own home, with our families.”One of the Republicans on the health committee, Dr. Steve Katz (R-Westchester), a veterinarian and an epileptic, told Mabel’s parents, “All I can say is I wish you Godspeed, and that we will do everything possible to bring you home.”More than 50 people testified in Mineola; the local hearing was the latest front in the national battle over whether to legalize medical marijuana in all 50 states. Gottfried had held a previous hearing on his bill in Buffalo. The witnesses ranged from anguished care-givers like Mabel’s parents to doctors, patients and advocates saying that it’s time New York joined neighboring states like New Jersey and Connecticut, where medical marijuana is legal in the treatment of those with serious health conditions. On the other side were those like Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds, executive director of the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (LICADD), who expressed concern that approving marijuana use—no matter whether it was inhaled or digested—would open the door to drug abuse and worse social problems at a time when the agencies responsible for public health are already reeling from severe budget cuts and an epidemic of abuse.“Here on Long Island the system is at the breaking point and the prospect of policy changes that could potentially fuel further drug misuse, diversion and addiction is quite frankly truly frightening to us,” said Reynolds. “As a native New Yorker, I like to think we can do anything better than other states, but there’s also the question of resources. The bill as currently written places significant responsibility on the New York Department of Health, and its work force is at an all-time low.”Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds, an expert on adult addictions who warned about marijuana’s potential for abuse. (Spencer Rumsey/Long Island Press)The Compassionate Care Act (A.6357/S.4406) would set up a tightly regulated medical marijuana system in which health-care practitioners licensed to prescribe controlled substances would certify that the patients in need had severe debilitating or life-threatening conditions. So far, 20 states plus the District of Columbia have medical marijuana laws on the books. According to a Siena Research Institute poll in May, 82 percent of New York voters support it here.Over the years, the Assembly has passed medical marijuana legislation four times with varying degrees of bipartisan support, according to Gottfried. Yet the State Senate has never taken up the bill or even held a hearing on it. But that may soon change.Blowing In The WindOn hand for the hearing was the ranking Republican Assemblyman on the health committee, Andrew Raia (R-East Northport), who supports the legislation, though he had opposed similar bills in the past.“The reason for voting ‘no’ for so many years and now voting ‘yes,’” Raia told the Press, “is because once you have states that have legalized recreational use and you have states right around us…that are legalizing medicinal marijuana, then at what point should we be the last one off the train?”Gabriel Sayegh, of the Drug Policy Alliance, who advocated for its use. (Spencer Rumsey/Long Island Press)Raia wasn’t sure how the bill will fare with his Republican friends in the state Senate, considering the uncertain coalition currently holding power. State Sen. Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre), the head of the Republican caucus and co-leader of the Senate, did not return repeated calls for comment. Skelos is in a power-sharing role with Sen. Jeff Klein (D-Bronx), who heads the four-member Independent Democratic Conference.“If you’d asked me two years ago if we were going to be passing minimum wage and gay marriage in the Senate—and basically every single thing the Conservative Party is against,” Raia said, “I would have said it will never happen.But the Senate majority is not the Senate majority. It’s a Senate majority with a group of four Democrats. And if that’s forcing them a little bit more toward the center, then I guess anything’s possible.”Savino was optimistic about her bill’s chances in the Senate—and she’s a member of the Independent Democratic Conference.“Currently, we have far more votes than necessary to pass the bill,” she told the Press in an email. “The real obstacle has been the governor, who has a different marijuana policy issue that he was lobbying for: the decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana in public view.”She doesn’t see that as a deal breaker in 2014, given that a new mayor and police commissioner in New York City may defuse the public furor over the controversial “stop and frisk” policy there and allow medical marijuana legislation to gain political momentum.Savino said she’ll be “aggressively pushing this bill this year,” and because “it is a priority for the Independent Democratic Conference…that moves the issue front and center.”At the hearing Reynolds questioned what he called the legislators’ “political interference with the scientific process,” calling out the bill’s sponsors for making it “clear that the end game is legalization” and “creating the impression that the Legislature knows more than the FDA and the medical professionals in our country…”As Reynolds told the hearing, “We continue to believe that marijuana should be subject to the same well-controlled clinical trials, scientific scrutiny and oversight as any other approved medicine under the standards of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and in line with the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938, which was designed to protect consumers from the dangers of ineffective drugs.”But waiting for FDA approval is a Catch-22, according to Gabriel Sayegh, state director of the Drug Policy Alliance.“The federal government, the [Drug Enforcement Administration] in particular and the FDA, have created a process that makes it impossible in order to get the studies done… The states say: ‘We can’t wait for Washington to act.’”Several opponents of the act expressed their sympathy for the parents of children suffering from seizures but worried that allowing medical marijuana to be smoked would fuel addictions.“I am for Compassionate Care, but my fear is that it becomes a Trojan Horse,” said Max Schwartzberg, a substance abuse therapist living in Brooklyn and a self-described former marijuana addict who told the hearing he represents “those in recovery.”Another opponent, Alice Joselow, founder of Ossining Communities That Care, wanted the FDA to weigh in before New York approves medical marijuana because “it’s a myth that pot is less harmful than tobacco.” She said she’s seen studies that “smoked marijuana is harming the development of teenage brains.”That concern prompted the committee chairman to respond.“I do feel compelled on behalf of some of the parents who have testified here today to say that they would give anything for the opportunity to worry about whether marijuana was affecting teen brain development,” Gottfried said.“By the time the FDA gets around to thinking that they might want to look at this topic, let alone when they might finish that, hundreds, if not thousands, of children will be dead, and an awful lot more people will be continuing with suffering that they really don’t need.”One of those witnesses in favor of the bill was Dr. Richard Carlton, a physician in Port Washington who has watched his wife Joan, now 66, suffer with worsening Parkinson’s Disease.“If you have a loved one with a chronic, debilitating illness that is only partially controlled, if at all, by FDA-approved medications, you will turn over every stone to find alternatives that might possibly be helpful,” said Carlton. “As a physician, I would like my patients to be able to benefit from this remarkable plant without fear of being arrested.”Jennifer and Gary Ruta of Sayville brought their 28-year-old daughter, Stephanie, to the hearing in her wheelchair and explained how the young woman had been suffering from epilepsy since she had her first seizure when she was 6 weeks old.“We took Stephanie to the best doctors available,” her mother recounted.Pharmaceuticals and experimental surgery were the only options Stephanie’s parents had back then, but these methods did not work. The side effects of the medications grew more and more debilitating while her daughter’s condition continued deteriorating.“Her smiles were gone,” said Jennifer, sadly. “For our daughter’s sake and for the sake of others, we must be advocates for the legalization of the use of medical marijuana.”Addressing the hearing, Cindy Tangney looked at her granddaughter Mabel.“Give this sweet baby a chance!” she said. “It’s not about smoking pot.”Whether their pleas will pass muster in Albany remains to be seen.
Sign up for our COVID-19 newsletter to stay up-to-date on the latest coronavirus news throughout New York One of Long Island’s leading life-sciences entrepreneurs, James Hayward co-founded Europe’s first liposome company, Biocompatibles Ltd. in the early ’80s; headed worldwide research at Esteé Lauder from 1984 through 1989; then founded The Collaborative Group, a cluster of interconnected companies servicing the biotech, pharmaceutical, and consumer-product industries from 1990 through July 2004.After selling the company’s assets to Dow Chemical and to a company later acquired by BASF, Dr. Hayward refocused on venture capital investing. In June 2007 he was named chairman, president and CEO of Applied DNA Sciences Inc., a Nasdaq company that uses DNA tagging, testing and manufacturing to reduce counterfeiting and improve supply-chain integrity. Dr. Hayward – the degree is in molecular biology and biophysics from Stony Brook University – serves on the boards of the Stony Brook Foundation, the Research Foundation of the State of New York, and the Long Island Life Sciences Initiative. His longtime base of operations is the Long Island High Technology Incubator at Stony Brook.Here are edited excerpts from our conversation.Warren Strugatch: Tell me about your early years.James Hayward: My family lived in St. Albans, Queens. We owned a small deli-cum general store and lived right behind it. Everyone in the family worked there from the time we could walk. We had the experience of being in the great minority. The neighborhood was undergoing integration, with some reluctance. Being store owners was something of a struggle. Assembling and selling the Sunday newspapers was my job. When the city bus stopped at our corner, I’d hop on with a bag full of newspapers, sell up and down the aisles for five or six stops, then hop off. I’d take the next bus back. I learned to sell face to face and to do the work behind it.WS: How did your parents influence you?JH: My dad, Robert, was from England. My mom, Margaret, was from Ireland. Dad ran the store, Mom made the salads. Mom was socially minded and volunteered at nursing homes and Creedmoor State Hospital. As a student, I worked as an orderly at Creedmoor. Both my parents had remarkable work ethics but understood there was more to life than work. When the store finally closed, we’d take out our roller skates and roll up and down the aisles.WS: What do you consider your strongest business skill?JH: I’d say it’s choosing my friends wisely. I chose my academic advisors on the basis not only of personal admiration but of friendship. My mentors became friends for life. I was fortunate in that my post-doc advisor in London at the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine kept a leg in academia and a leg in industry. I learned a lot about business from him.WS: Unlike some scientist-entrepreneurs, you’ve thrived on the financial and fundraising aspects of business.JH: What I learned in London, running a company trading on the FTSE [Financial Times Stock Exchange], was that raising funds is a matter of telling a great story with passion. As a result, we had kind of an easy path to initial funding. We spent less time on the road raising money. The old adage about raising money is to do it when you have a prospectus, not when you really need it.WS: How did working at Esteé Lauder affect you?JH: Working at Lauder was a great lesson in speed to market. A company like Lauder makes expensive advertising commitments in big-circulation magazines months in advance, sometimes for products in development. As a scientist, you better manage your team so you launch on time. You can’t miss ad deadlines.WS: Why is the work of Applied DNA Sciences important?JH: We’re a small company that’s the world’s largest manufacturer of DNA. We use DNA to detect counterfeit products in materials like cotton, currency, pharmaceuticals, and now legally sold cannabis. We catch manufacturers who cheat by diluting and mislabeling their products. We take the evidence to court. So far we’ve had 116 convictions in 116 trials. Our work makes life better for consumers.WS: Can you describe your business vision?JH: Our vision is to change the world for the better. By improving large commercial ecosystems and impacting lots of people, we can make the world a more sustainably managed and more truthful place.WS: What’s your take on your company’s future?JH: This is a $50 million market-cap company that should be a billion-dollar market-cap company.Warren Strugatch is a partner at Inflection Point Associates, a consulting firm in Stony Brook. Reach him at Warren@InflectionPointAssoc.com
More from newsFor under $10m you can buy a luxurious home with a two-lane bowling alley5 Apr 2017Military and railway history come together on bush block24 Apr 2019REAL ESTATE: 18 Hubbard St, Wavell HeightsThere were five written offers on the home, with it eventually selling for $692,000 to an investor.“I believe they plan on holding on to it for a few years, and then knocking it down,” Ms de Vuyst said.The block is 607sq m and east facing, with the potential for city and bay views, according to Ms de Vuyst.Wavell Heights has become a hot spot for those wishing to renovate, with the age of the homes and location a drawcard.“The style and age of the homes, along with their ease to renovate is why the renovation market in Wavell Heights is extremely popular,” Ms de Vuyst said.“People are also looking at its school catchments and proximity to the city.”Video Player is loading.Play VideoPlayNext playlist itemMuteCurrent Time 0:00/Duration 3:17Loaded: 0%Stream Type LIVESeek to live, currently playing liveLIVERemaining Time -3:17 Playback Rate1xChaptersChaptersDescriptionsdescriptions off, selectedCaptionscaptions settings, opens captions settings dialogcaptions off, selectedQuality Levels576p576p480p480p256p256p228p228pAutoA, selectedAudio Tracken (Main), selectedFullscreenThis is a modal window.Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.TextColorWhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentBackgroundColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentTransparentWindowColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyTransparentSemi-TransparentOpaqueFont Size50%75%100%125%150%175%200%300%400%Text Edge StyleNoneRaisedDepressedUniformDropshadowFont FamilyProportional Sans-SerifMonospace Sans-SerifProportional SerifMonospace SerifCasualScriptSmall CapsReset restore all settings to the default valuesDoneClose Modal DialogEnd of dialog window.This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button.Close Modal DialogThis is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button.PlayMuteCurrent Time 0:00/Duration 0:00Loaded: 0%Stream Type LIVESeek to live, currently playing liveLIVERemaining Time -0:00 Playback Rate1xFullscreenMichelle Hele’s May market wrap03:17 REAL ESTATE: 18 Hubbard St, Wavell HeightsTHE renovation market is going gangbusters in Wavell Heights with more than 60 groups viewing this home.dV Property Group Nundah owner Jane de Vuyst said 18 Hubbard St home was on the market for six weeks and saw 62 groups, many of whom were keen to get a paintbrush in their hands.“Interest was mainly from people who were looking to renovate, or knock it down and build anew,” Ms de Vuyst said.
Blanc-Brude, presenting the survey’s preliminary results ahead of it closing to respondents, added that the most “sophisticated” of respondents within the survey were examining infrastructure for its risk factors. European investors including ATP have employed risk-factor investing in place of traditional asset classes for a number of years, and the notion has been gaining favour among some of Canada’s largest pension investors. Blanc-Brude noted how the understanding of infrastructure had grown beyond focusing on energy assets, among others, to include companies that have “certain types of contractual arrangements with governments”.The survey also found the overwhelming majority of respondents were unhappy with the types of products available to access infrastructure, with only 3% agreeing the market fulfilled investors’ needs.More than 80% said products partly fulfilled their needs as investors, while a further 15% said products were “mostly inadequate”.Another question asked whether respondents – including asset owners and managers – thought the use of closed-end private equity fund structures was justified for infrastructure; three-quarters of respondents agreed the approach was “outdated” and failed to add value.The apparent distrust of products extended to a distrust of assessments conducted by asset managers, Blanc-Brude said.“Only half the [asset owner] respondents said they would trust the valuation their infrastructure managers report,” he said, “which means the other half acknowledges, de facto, that they have no idea what their return is because they don’t trust the evaluation.”In a boost for the infrastructure benchmark being developed by EDHEC, only 6% of respondents said current benchmarks were adequate, while 27% agreed they were inadequate.The overwhelming majority of respondents said they were completely lacking. Sophisticated asset owners and managers no longer view infrastructure as an asset class but rather examine investments based around risk factors, a new survey has suggested.The research, conducted by the EDHEC Infrastructure Institute-Singapore and the G20-backed Global Infrastructure Hub, nevertheless found that around two-thirds of respondents viewed unlisted infrastructure as a standalone asset class, while one-third saw its listed equivalent as an asset class.Frédéric Blanc-Brude, director of EDHEC’s infrastructure venture, said he had “some issues” with the majority of the 150 respondents, both asset owners and asset managers, viewing infrastructure as an asset class.“What’s most interesting is to understand how infrastructure investment can contribute to portfolio investment objectives in general, rather than if it’s an asset class in itself,” he said. 
The index shows the latest estimated funding position of DB schemes in the PPF’s universe, on a section 179 basis.Simply put, section 179 liabilities represent the premium a scheme would have to pay an insurer to take on the payment of PPF levels of compensation.Noting that equity markets and Gilt yields were the main drivers of funding levels, the PPF said that, during July, when scheme liabilities had grown by 3.5%, conventional 15-year Gilt yields fell by 24 basis points, while index-linked 15-year Gilt yields fell by 3bps.Meanwhile, scheme assets rose by 2.8% in the month, reflecting the impact of both higher Gilt prices and stock markets.The FTSE All-Share Index has climbed by 3.9% in July.Andy Tunningley, BlackRock’s head of UK strategic clients, said the rise in equities last month has not been enough to combat a further drop in already low yields, and that this had brought the index down to its lowest funding level ever. “The tremors following the UK’s decision to leave the EU continue to be felt,” he said.“The path of future rates is likely to be even lower for an even longer period, confirmed by the Bank of England’s decision to cut the Bank Rate to 0.25% and indications there could be further cuts to around zero.”Recent business activity and sentiment surveys suggest there will be scant economic growth in the UK in the rest of this year, he said.“Covenant risk could increase in this more uncertain environment, with sponsors being less willing or able to increase future scheme contributions,” he said.He said BlackRock’s view had long been that most schemes should be taking less risk and increasing their liability hedge ratios.“Recent political and economic events make this even more critical,” Tunningley said.Last week, the UK’s Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association called on the Pensions Regulator “to take a proportionate and flexible approach” to scheme funding, in the wake of the Bank of England’s monetary easing plan, which sent DB deficits to new highs. The gap between assets and liabilities of UK defined benefit (DB) pension schemes widened still further last month, with deficits reaching the deepest level recorded as long-term bond yields declined further, according to data from the Pension Protection Fund (PPF).The UK pensions lifeboat released its latest PPF 7800 Index bulletin, which revealed that the aggregate deficit of the 5,945 schemes in the index has increased to an estimated £408.0bn (€477.8bn) at the end of July – the highest level recorded by the index – up from a £383.6bn deficit at the end of June.The average funding ratio of the schemes deteriorated to 77.4% at the end of July from 78% the month before.Total assets were £1,401bn at the end of July, while total liabilities were £1,808.9bn, and 5,020 schemes were in deficit and 925 in surplus.