Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz issued the following statement on the adoption of the 2017 Erie County Budget by the Erie County Legislature: “Today, following negotiations with my administration, the Erie County Legislature (“Legislature”) voted unanimously to adopt my proposed 2017 Erie County Budget (“Budget”) with very few changes, demonstrating that my initial proposals were sound, accurate and in the best interests of the residents of Erie County. It is satisfying to see that the months of hard work by the Erie County Division of Budget and Management and our department heads in devising this responsible budget were recognized and affirmed by the Legislature today, which also supported my proposal to lower property taxes by two cents to $4.94 per thousand dollars of assessed value. With this move Erie County retains one of the lowest tax rates in New York State while still providing the services and programs that residents expect. Out of my proposed budget of $1.69 billion, the Legislature today made amendments totaling only $2 million, or 0.001%, which is one one-thousandth of a percent of the overall budget. This reflects real support for the direction Erie County is headed in and shows that government can productively work together to do the people’s business. I thank the Legislature for their bipartisan support of this common-sense budget and for working with me to develop this practical plan. Among numerous agencies receiving county funding is Visit Buffalo Niagara, which will be receiving a total of $3,504,818 in the approved 2017 Budget, or a $150,318 increase from the adopted 2016 Budget. Included in the total for 2017 is $100,000 to be used by Visit Buffalo Niagara to assist in various tourism-related promotion endeavors, including, but not limited to promoting ridesharing. Further refinement of how this additional amount will be spent will be discussed by my administration and Visit Buffalo Niagara next month during the normal annual process of preparing a contract for all vendors who receive appropriations from the County. It is important to note the decision to authorize ridesharing in Erie County and western New York resides with leaders in state government. While there are important issues to resolve regarding whether drivers for ridesharing companies are employees, residents and tourists in New York City can use various ridesharing companies and it is more than past time for upstate to join the rest of the world and do the same. My hope is that the governor, assembly and senate can resolve this issue very soon so Visit Buffalo Niagara can use the additional resources allocated in the 2017 Budget for purposes which will generate additional revenue to our region by attracting additional tourists.”]]>
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‘Big struggle between the court system and Trump’ as Supreme Court deals blow to President
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration's request to keep billions in congressionally approved foreign aid frozen, but that fight isn't over.
The court did not set a timeline for when the money should be released, allowing the White House to continue to dispute the matter in lower courts, where U.S. District judge Amir Ali ruled last month that much of the money cut off by the administration should continue flowing while he reviewed the case, reported CNN.
"When you step back and look at what's happening in this order right here, it's 5-4," reported CNN's Katelyn Polantz, "and the four dissenters of what is being done right now for Donald Trump, those people are all the the conservative justices and what they are saying is, we can't believe that this Supreme Court is going to override what the executive wants to do here and just give this lower-court trial judge Ali in Washington, D.C., on the district court the power to figure this out right now, so a big struggle between the court system and Trump."
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The administration had frozen billions in aid from the State Department and the US Agency for International Development, and several nonprofit groups that rely on that money filed lawsuits challenging the order as unconstitutional.
Ali had set a deadline for Wednesday to allow the funding to flow, but the administration rushed an emergency appeal and chief justice John Roberts unilaterally issued an stay that paused the case.
The government argued they're making “substantial efforts” to review payment requests to comply with Ali's order, but the plaintiffs were unsatisfied with that explanation.
“The government has not taken ‘any meaningful steps’ to come into compliance,” the groups said a Supreme Court filing last week.
US detains pro-Palestinian campus protest leader: union
A leader of protests at Columbia University against Israel's war in Gaza was arrested by immigration officers, a campus union said Sunday, after US President Donald Trump vowed to deport foreign pro-Palestinian student demonstrators.
Mahmoud Khalil, one of the most prominent faces in the campus's protest movement that erupted in response to Israel's conduct of the war, was arrested Saturday, the Student Workers of Columbia union said.
"On Saturday, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officers detained Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian recent Columbia graduate and lead negotiator for last spring's Gaza solidarity encampment," the union said in a statement.
US campuses including Columbia's in New York were rocked by student protests against Israel's war in Gaza following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack. The demonstrations ignited accusations of anti-Semitism.
Protests, some of which turned violent and saw campus buildings occupied and lectures disrupted, pitted students protesting Israel's conduct against pro-Israel campaigners, many of whom were Jewish.
Khalil, who remains in immigration enforcement detention, held permanent residency at the time of his arrest prompting thousands of people to sign a petition calling for his release, the union statement added.
"We are also aware of multiple reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents accessing or attempting to access Columbia campus buildings on Friday and Saturday, including undergraduate dorms," the union said.
Columbia did not directly address Khalil's arrest in response to inquiries, but in a statement said "there have been reports of ICE in the streets around campus."
"Columbia has and will continue to follow the law. Consistent with our longstanding practice and the practice of cities and institutions throughout the country, law enforcement must have a judicial warrant to enter non-public University areas, including University buildings," Columbia said.
The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment.
Trump railed against the student protest movement linked to the conflict in Gaza, and vowed to deport foreign students who had demonstrated.
He also threatened to cut off federal funding for institutions that he said were not doing enough to combat anti-Semitism.
His administration announced Friday it was cutting $400 million in federal grants to Columbia University, accusing it of failing to protect Jewish students from harassment.
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