ALBANY - State lawmakers have passed a budget for the new fiscal year on Thursday. Under the budget, all funds spending is estimated to total approximately $177 billion and state operating spending is authorized up to $105.8 billion. However in … [Read more...]
[LISTEN] Community Matters – Jamestown School Superintendent Bret Apthorpe: April 2, 2020
AUDIO ALSO AVAILABLE AT SOUNDCLOUD WRFA's Jason Sample talks with School Superintendent Bret Apthorpe to get an update on how Jamestown Public Schools is coping with the COVID-19 State of Emergency and also get an update on the school budget … [Read more...]
Cuomo Recommends Closing Additional State Prisons in 2020
ALBANY - Gov. Andrew Cuomo is recommending a proposal that would give him the ability to close state prisons on a faster timeline. According to the Albany Times-Union, the measure is included in Cuomo's budget proposal, which was rolled out … [Read more...]
State Legislature Approves 2018-19 Budget
ALBANY - New York State has a new budget in place. On Friday and Saturday the state legislature approved the $168 billion, 2018-19 State Budget, with a deal that includes a new state tax code as a response to federal changes and more money for … [Read more...]
Cuomo Administration, School Officials Debate Reporting Requirements for School Aid
ALBANY - School education funding has once again become a flash point in the state budget process. In past years, the debate has focused on how much the state should spend on public schools. But this year, there's an additional focus on a proposal … [Read more...]
Governor Proposes $1 Billion in ‘Revenue Raisers’, Shift in State Tax Code as Part of 2019 Budget Proposal
ALBANY - Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday presented his budget message to members of the state legislature, and it includes not only a billion dollars in additional revenue, but also calls for a radical change in the state income tax code. Cuomo is … [Read more...]
[LISTEN] Community Matters – Sam Teresi April 2017 Interview
MOBILE APP USERS: LISTEN HERE Originally airing Thursday, April 20, 2017. WRFA public affairs director Jason Sample talks with Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi about the cost of the recent rash of arsons that hit the city in March. He also discusses … [Read more...]
2017-18 State Budget Finally Approved, Benefits Chautauqua County’s Two Cities, School Districts
ALBANY - New York will become the first state to make tuition at public colleges and universities free for middle-class students. The tuition initiative is part of a new $153 billion state budget approved Sunday by the state Senate, a day after the … [Read more...]
Members of State Senate Walk Away from Negotiations as Budget Deal Falls Apart
ALBANY - It appears that a deal has not been reached in the effort to pass a new state budget, now nearly a week overdue. Budget talks between the legislature and governor collapsed Wednesday night after members of the Senate left the Capitol, … [Read more...]
State Legislature Approves Extender Bills with No Sign of Budget Agreement
ALBANY - Four days into the month of April and there’s still not a state budget agreement in Albany. On Monday the State Assembly and Senate passed a series of extender bills to keep state government open and operating under spending approved in … [Read more...]
