N.Y. mayors oppose tax plan
ALBANY (AP) — Mayors from Albany, Binghamton and more than four dozen other New York cities and towns are urging members of Congress to reject the Republican tax overhaul.
Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan, a Democrat, and Binghamton Mayor Richard David, a Republican, were just two of the local leaders gathering on Monday in Albany to express their opposition to the tax proposal.
The mayors singled out a provision in the tax overhaul that would eliminate a popular deduction on state and local taxes.
They argue that doing away with the deduction will drive up the cost of living for homeowners, making it harder for them to stay in their homes and potentially depriving communities of vital tax revenues.
Cuomo attends California fundraisers
ALBANY (AP) — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is heading west for two fundraisers in California.
The Democrat is considered a possible contender for the White House in the 2020 election but says he’s focused on winning a third term next year in New York.
Cuomo’s official schedule for Monday shows he’ll travel to San Francisco. His office says Cuomo has two fundraising events planned for Tuesday, one in San Francisco and the second in Beverly Hills.
Cuomo is expected to return to New York late Tuesday.
The governor rarely leaves New York state, though high-profile trips to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands following recent hurricanes have fueled speculation about his political future.
45K sign bridge name petition
NEW YORK (AP) — A petition to remove the late Gov. Mario Cuomo’s name from the new Tappan Zee Bridge has garnered more than 45,000 signatures.
Monroe Mann, a Port Chester resident who posted the petition on change.org, wants the new bridge to keep its old Tappan Zee name rather than honoring the current Democratic governor’s father.
The petition says the name change should not be at the expense of history and certainly not taxpayers.
It also says “it sounds cool to say, ‘I’m taking the Tappan Zee” and not cool “to say, ‘I’m taking the Cuomo.’”
Cuomo spokeswoman Abbey Fashouer told CBS New York that naming the bridge after Mario Cuomo “is a fitting tribute to a life-long public servant who achieved great things for the people of New York.”
Student charged with hate crime
ITHACA (AP) — A white Cornell University student has been charged with a hate crime related to a September incident that police say may have been racially motivated.
The Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday it had added the new charge against 19-year-old John Greenwood. Ithaca police charged Greenwood with assault in September after a black student said he was attacked by several people who yelled racial slurs outside his home near Cornell’s campus.
The district attorney also charged Greenwood with aggravated harassment and criminal mischief.
Defense attorney Ray Schlather, said Greenwood “was not involved in any physical altercation.”
He said physical evidence contradicts the victim’s claims about what happened after the verbal exchange.
Greenwood issued a statement in September apologizing for using “unacceptable and inappropriate” language.
Rare artifacts to be auctioned in NYC
NEW YORK (AP) — Rare artifacts from Abraham Lincoln and Albert Einstein are going to the auction block next month in New York City.
Christie’s says they’re among the featured items at its Dec. 5 sale of books, manuscripts and Americana.
A letter signed “A. Lincoln,” discusses the issue of slavery. Its presale estimate is $500,000 to $700,000.
A wooden mallet bearing the initials “A.L.” could sell for $300,000 to $500,000. Lincoln used it during his youth in Indiana. Einstein’s telescope has an estimate of $200,000 to $300,000.
Einstein was photographed with the telescope in his Berlin study around 1927. He had it shipped when he settled in America and later gave it to a friend.
Woman drowned her 10-month-old
ROCHESTER (AP) — Authorities say a Rochester woman has been charged with second-degree murder for drowning her 10-month-old son in a bathtub.
Rochester police say officers responded Monday afternoon to a report of an unresponsive child at a home. When officers arrived they found a baby in a bathtub.
Officials say the child, named Jeremiah, was taken to Rochester General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Police say the boy’s mother, 25-year-old Markiya Mitchell, admitted to intentionally drowning her baby.
Mitchell was arraignment on the murder charge Tuesday morning in Rochester City Court. The name of the public defender assigned to her case wasn’t available.
Police say Mitchell also has a 7-year-old child, who’s currently in the care of a relative.
