Intellectual Disabilities and Family Court Representation Webinar

The National Research Center for Parents with Disabilities is sponsoring a free webinar for attorneys who represent parents with intellectual disabilities in family court proceedings on Wednesday, February 21 from 2:00-3:00 pm.

Issues to be addressed include the application of disability law in the child welfare system and strategies for best representing those parents.

For more information about the webinar and how to register, please click here.

Seneca County: Town of Ovid, Notice of Public Hearing

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
Time Warner Cable Northeast LLC, locally known as Charter Communications
Franchise Renewal for Town of Ovid, New York

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Town of Ovid will hold a Public Hearing on February 14, 2018 at 7:00 pm at the Town Offices/Ovid Fire House, 2163 Brown Street, Ovid, New York, regarding renewal of the cable television franchise agreement by and between the Town of Ovid and Time Warner Cable Northeast LLC, locally known as Charter Communications.

A copy of the agreement is available for public inspection during normal business hours at the Town Clerk’s Office, 7099 Orchard Street, Ovid, New York.

At such public hearing, all persons will be given an opportunity to be heard. Written and oral statements will be taken at that time. Time limitations may be imposed for each oral statement if necessary.

Dated January 10, 2018

By Order of the Town Board, Town of Ovid
James E. Vangalio, Town Clerk
Steven Getman, Town Attorney
Town of Ovid

Schuyler County Medicare Informational Session January 27

Are you turning 65 in 2018? Turning 65 but you're still working?

Retiring and not sure what you need for insurance?

Come and ask your questions at the Schuyler County Medicare Information Session.

This will be an informal question and answer session in regards to Medicare.

The session will be held Saturday, January 27, from 10:00 am to Noon at the Silver Spoon Cafe, 323 Owego Street, Montour Falls, New York.

RSVP is required. You can register for this event by calling (607) 535-7108.

For more information, click here.

Schuyler County Organizational Meeting

Members of the Schuyler County Legislature and other officials gathered for a group photo at the Legislature's annual Organizational Meeting held Wednesday morning, Jan. 3 in the County Office Building. From left standing: Legislators Jim Howell, Carl Blowers, David Reed, Michael Lausell, Mark Rondinaro, Van Harp, Phil Barnes and Dennis Fagan. Seated from left: County Attorney Steven Getman, Deputy Clerk Jamee Mack, Clerk to the Legislature Stacy Husted, and County Administrator Tim O'Hearn

NY ABLE program helps persons with disabilities cover costs

Local residents may be eligible to sign up for a new savings plan, called the New York Achieving a Better Life Experience (NY ABLE) program, designed to help individuals with disabilities maintain their health, independence and quality of life.

The NY ABLE legislation was signed into law in December 2015. It allows New Yorkers with disabilities to save money in their own names without risking their Supplemental Security Income, Medicaid and certain other means-based benefits. NY ABLE accounts, also known as 529A accounts, can be opened with a minimum contribution of $25. Contributions can be made by eligible individuals, family members or friends, but are not tax-deductible. The annual contribution is capped at $14,000 and the maximum account balance is $100,000.

The annual contribution cap will be increased to $15,000 as of January 2018. Earnings and distributions are tax free provided the funds are used for qualified disability expenses. To be eligible, an individual must have a disability that was present before age 26. Participants must be eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), be blind, have a significant disability documented by a physician, or have a disability that is included on the Social Security Administration's Compassionate Allowances Conditions list. New York residency is required and only one account per individual is permitted.

For more information on eligibility, or to set up an account, click here.

New laws set to take effect in 2018

New York Daily News:

•  As 2017 approaches a close, people are jotting down their resolutions, but 2018 will bring more than just promises to do better in the coming year. 

 Here are just a few state laws slated to take effect when the clock hits midnight on Jan. 1.

Doctor who operated a Pill Mill for persons addicted to opioids convicted of Manslaughter for overdose deaths

The New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division First Department, has determined that a doctor accused of operation of a "pill mill" for persons addicted to opioids and Xanax, was properly convicted of manslaughter in the overdose deaths of two persons to whom he had supplied drugs:

At bottom, all that was needed for the manslaughter charge to be sustained was for the People to satisfy its elements. That is, that defendant was 'aware of and consciously disregard[ed] a substantial and unjustifiable risk that [death] [would] occur . . . The risk [being] of such nature and degree that disregard thereof constitute[d] a gross deviation from the standard of conduct that a reasonable person would observe in the situation' ... . The question then becomes whether the People presented sufficient evidence to establish that defendant consciously disregarded the risk that [the addicts] would die as a result of his prescribing practices. ...

People v. Stan XuHui Li, 2017 N.Y. Slip Op. 08438, First Dept 11-30-17

If Buying Gift Cards, Read the Fine Print

New York State officials are urging consumers to read the fine print on gift cards this holiday season for details about fees and expiration dates.

The cards may have terms and conditions that can decrease their value. These may include charging:

• Service fees when the card is purchased;
• Dormancy fees if the gift card is not used within a certain period of time;
• Fees to call and check the balance remaining on the card; and
• Replacement fees for lost or stolen gift cards.

For more on how to protect gift card recipients click here.

New York State Court of Appeals holds that juries must be charged on cross-racial indentification

Finding a "near consensus among cognitive and social psychologists that people have significantly greater difficulty in accurately identifying members of a different race than in accurately identifying members of their own race," the New York State Court of Appeals ruled Thursday (December 14) that "when identification is an issue in a criminal case and the identifying witness and defendant appear to be of different races, upon request, a party is entitled to a charge on cross-racial identification."

The ruling comes in the case of People v Otis Boone.

Seneca County, Towns of Covert and Ovid: Notice of Public Hearing

The Town of Covert will hold a public hearing on December 11, 2017 at 7:00 pm at the Covert Town Hall, Interlaken, New York.

The purpose of the public hearing is to hear commons on the 2018 Fire/Ambulance agreement between the Town of Covert, Town of Ulysses and Town of Ovid.

All interested person will be given an opportunity to be heard.

For more information, click the image.