Alex Gault, Watertown Daily Times (Watertown, NY) Journalist Profile

Articles

Some progress made on discovery reforms as state budget talks continue

1 week ago | thedailynewsonline.com | Alex Gault

ALBANY — Some progress has been made on the state budget, as lawmakers passed another extender to fund state government to Thursday. Now 17 days overdue, Gov. Kathleen C. Hochul and the legislative leaders, Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie, D-Bronx, and Senate Majority Leader Andrea A. Stewart-Cousins, D-Yonkers, have been hammering away at a handful of policy issues in the budget.
$450 million in COVID medical equipment left in warehouses after Cuomo admin bought, failed to use it

1 week ago | nny360.com | Alex Gault

ALBANY — The state of New York has failed to use the majority of more than $450 million in emergency equipment it purchased at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic; failing to distribute things like ventilators and medical equipment.
No deal yet in Albany on discovery law changes as state budget process drags on

1 week ago | nny360.com | Alex Gault

ALBANY — A deal on changing New York’s discovery laws that could have moved the state budget closer to passage seems to have flopped on further inspection. On Tuesday, as Gov. Kathleen C. Hochul visited Kingston, Ulster County to push for her demands to shrink the scope of evidence that prosecutors have to turn over to the defense in a criminal proceeding, and change the penalties for broken deadlines to turn evidence over, Speaker of the Assembly Carl E.
Stefanik considering run for governor of New York

1 week ago | nny360.com | Alex Gault

Congresswoman Elise M. Stefanik is keeping the door open for a possible run for New York governor next year, according to reports from multiple news sources. Published by Politico, the New York Times and other outlets Wednesday, sources close to Stefanik and the NY GOP are apparently floating the idea that Stefanik would be a good counter to governor Kathleen C. Hochul, whose poll numbers have been on a long negative run and took another dive in a poll released Tuesday.
NY21 hopeful Joy says fellow candidate Constantino has defamed her

1 week ago | pressrepublican.com | Alex Gault

Anthony Constantino, one of the more prominent candidates who sought the Republican nod for the special election to replace Rep. Elise M. Stefanik that was scrapped last month, has been hit with a cease and desist letter over his public comments about another candidate. ‘DEFAMATORY’ REMARKSkAm~? uC:52J[ r@?DE2?E:?@ D92C65 E96 7F== E6IE @7 2 462D6 2?5 56D:DE =6EE6C D6?E E@ 9:D 4@>>F?:42E:@?D 5:C64E@C 7C@> =2HJ6CD C6AC6D6?E:?8 t=:K236E9 “{:K” y@J[ H9@ H2D 2?@E96C AC@>:?6?E ?2>6 :?
Some progress made on discovery reforms as state budget talks continue

1 week ago | nny360.com | Alex Gault

ALBANY — Some progress has been made on the state budget, as lawmakers passed another extender to fund state government to Thursday. Now 17 days overdue, Gov. Kathleen C. Hochul and the legislative leaders, Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie, D-Bronx, and Senate Majority Leader Andrea A. Stewart-Cousins, D-Yonkers, have been hammering away at a handful of policy issues in the budget.
Deadline pushed for transition of N.Y. home caregiver payment portal

1 week ago | mymalonetelegram.com | Alex Gault

Hundreds of thousands of personal assistants employed by New York’s sprawling Medicaid-funded Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program, caring for sick and elderly people, will not have to go without pay this month, thanks to a federal court order handed down Thursday.
Hochul stands firm on budget asks

1 week ago | niagara-gazette.com | Alex Gault

ALBANY — New York lawmakers passed another budget extender, as the three sides negotiating the budget seemed to dig in even further on the policy issues that have kept them from coming to a final agreement on the quarter-trillion-dollar-plus spending plan. Lawmakers voted Thursday on another short-term extender bill to fund the state government through Tuesday, leaving today as a non-session day in honor of the Passover holiday. Meanwhile, Gov.
New York rolls out new legal mail scanning at prisons

1 week ago | pressrepublican.com | Alex Gault

ALBANY — The state prisons are rolling out a new screening process meant to catch drugs and other contraband smuggled into facilities through legal mail. Legal mail, letters and documents sent between an incarcerated person and their attorney or representatives on the outside, has long been a point of contention of state prison staff, especially corrections officers.
Health department: Hundreds of thousands of personal assistants still not done with signup process in state transition

1 week ago | nny360.com | Alex Gault

ALBANY — There are actually far fewer active, working personal assistants with the new company slated to run New York’s Medicaid-funded Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program than the state Department of Health indicated on Friday, and tens of thousands of people apparently registered with the new middleman haven’t completed the process or aren’t submitting timecards yet.