logo
Assemblyman Gray weighs on state budget, immigration investigation & other topics

Assemblyman Gray weighs on state budget, immigration investigation & other topics

Yahoo04-04-2025

WATERTOWN, N.Y. (WWTI) – North country Assemblyman Scott Gray weighed in on a number of topics as the New York State budget deadline has passed.
In the recent edition of his 'The Gray Area' show, he provided updates on the progress of the state budget and a criminal investigation in his district.
NYS Lawmakers pass another budget extender
The assemblyman gave his thoughts on the state budget that is now late after missing the April 1 deadline. State lawmakers have passed a pair of extender bills to keep the government going.
'The same issues are still hanging up the budget, ' Gray said. 'We will hopefully have better news next week.'
He also discussed recent news surrounding the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS). 'This week, we dealt with the memo from DOCCS, which instructs facilities to generate a list of incarcerated individuals who are eligible for early release according to the commissioner's terms. This does not solve the systemic issues that have led to staffing reductions, and it will not help in recruiting future employees for our correctional facilities.'
Gray also addressed a local issue that has draw a significant amount of attention. The assemblyman gave his thoughts on the operation that took place at North Harbor Dairy Farm on Thursday, March 27.
We are continuing to monitor the situation, but let me emphasize that this is an ongoing criminal investigation. It was not a raid on the farm. A warrant was issued for a specific individual, and that warrant covered the entire area.
Assemblyman Scott Gray
Gray added that 'it remains a criminal investigation, and when we have more information, we'll share it with the public. It's important for those politicizing this issue to understand the facts because much of the information being conveyed is not accurate.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Sue Gray joins forces with Gary Neville
Sue Gray joins forces with Gary Neville

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Sue Gray joins forces with Gary Neville

Sue Gray has joined forces with Gary Neville after being appointed chairman of a multinational advisory firm. The former chief of staff to Sir Keir Starmer has joined Consello UK, months after being forced out of No 10. Baroness Gray, who was given a place in the House of Lords in February, became a household name when she led the investigation into 'partygate'. Neville, the former Manchester United footballer, is chairman of Consello Strive UK, which is part of the Consello group of companies. The US-headquartered firm advises companies on growth and investment. Baroness Gray said she was 'delighted' to join the business. 'What Declan [Kelly, the chief executive] and his colleagues have accomplished in building the company to date is very impressive and I look forward to further supporting that growth in the UK and globally,' she said. Baroness Gray has made the move into the corporate world after leaving No 10 in October last year. She rose to fame as the head of the 'partygate' investigation, which laid bare the rule-breaking in No 10 during the Covid pandemic. She was appointed by Sir Keir as chief of staff in March 2023 when he was leader of the Opposition. The move was controversial because, months earlier, she had written an official report into the partygate allegations, which contributed to Boris Johnson's resignation as prime minister. Upon entering Downing Street, a power struggle broke out between Baroness Gray and other aides. In the role, she was paid a taxpayer-funded salary of £170,000 – meaning she was on £3,000 more than Sir Keir. She was ousted in October last year after losing out to Morgan McSweeney, a long-standing Labour insider who ran the party's general election campaign, who took her position. Downing Street announced she would become the Prime Minister's envoy for the nations and regions, but she did not take up the role. Friends said she had declined the position, but a No 10 source said Sir Keir was planning to rescind the offer because he was concerned about the media attention she would receive in the role. Declan Kelly, chief executive and chairman of Consello, said: 'Sue brings unparalleled insight from her decades of leadership in government service. 'Our entire team, as well as our clients, will benefit from her experience in countless ways and we are thrilled to welcome her to Consello.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.

State lawmakers will vote on prison reform package in last days of session
State lawmakers will vote on prison reform package in last days of session

Yahoo

time8 hours ago

  • Yahoo

State lawmakers will vote on prison reform package in last days of session

Jun. 10—ALBANY — State lawmakers will consider, and most likely pass, a legislative package meant to overhaul parts of the state prisons and county jails — the culmination of months of debate in the face of serious problems in the state corrections system. On Monday afternoon, one bill with language from 10 smaller pieces of legislation was drawn up and introduced in the Senate and Assembly. In about 20 pages, it lays out new rules regarding body cameras, death notifications for incarcerated people, autopsy reports for people who die in state custody, expands and gives more power to the state oversight committee and the independent prison monitor, and extends the statute of limitations to sue the state for emotional or physical injury that resulted from negligence in state or county facilities. The packages were introduced as a result of negotiations among the Democratic majorities in both the state Assembly and Senate — those negotiations resulted in this deal which both majority conferences have agreed to vote to pass. Altogether, the package would require the release of video footage related to the death of an incarcerated person involving security staff to the Attorney General's Office of Special Investigations within 72 hours in most cases; empower the Attorney General to address conflicts of interest within that office to limit instances where the AG has to appoint a special prosecutor; require the installation of a fixed-camera surveillance system in all state prisons and local jails, requires that when someone dies in prison that DOCCS report the death publicly and inform the next of kin within 24 hours; expands the state Commission on Corrections; orders a study on deaths in the prison system to develop a plan to reduce those deaths; requires quarterly reports from the DOCCS special investigations office; mandates more information including x-rays and photographs be included in autopsy reports done on people who die in prison; and permits that the independent Correctional Association of New York can access public records without submitting a FOIL request and can tour a prison with only 24 hours notice. The package doesn't include everything that lawmakers have been considering for reform this year. Some more progressive lawmakers had advanced a larger package, which they called the Robert Brooks Blueprint for Justice Reform — named after the man who was killed by corrections officers in a brutal attack, caught on body cameras, in December. The Brooks package included 22 bills that would have addressed many aspects of the state prisons, expanding the Department of Corrections power to discipline its security staff, creating an ombudsman's office for the prisons, requiring both professional and security staff to intervene in incidents of violence, as well as expanding parole, good behavior time credits, medical care and rights for incarcerated people and specifically pregnant people in jails and prisons, among other bills. The package introduced Monday doesn't include the bills to address parole or earned time, it doesn't address medical care in the prisons or expand rehabilitative programming or alternative court programs. Some lawmakers aren't satisfied with the lack of parole or good-time reforms in this package, arguing that the state prisons have gotten significant attention and are in a serious crisis now and that lawmakers should have used that attention and clear problem to make more significant reforms. But others acknowledged that changing the entrenched practices of the corrections system will take time. Assemblymember Emily Gallagher, D-Brooklyn, is a leading sponsor for one bill in the package, the bill to add more members to the state Commission on Corrections. Gallagher's bill, carried by Senator Julia Salazar, D-Brooklyn, would add six members to the existing three that sit on the SCOC, three appointed by the Senate and three appointed by the Assembly, coupled with the existing three members appointed by the Governor. Gallagher said that she hopes, with a larger SCOC and more specific requirements that members of the commission represent backgrounds in psychiatry, social work, corrections or have experience as an incarcerated person, the oversight group will take a more active role in reforming and holding the state prisons accountable. Gallagher and other lawmakers have criticized the SCOC for failing to effectively operate for years now — the group hasn't held a public meeting longer than 14 minutes in at least three years. Despite the ongoing staffing crisis in the state prisons, the two high-profile murders of incarcerated people by COs within the last year, and the estimated 70-plus other deaths of incarcerated people just this year, the SCOC has not held a public meeting longer than 3 minutes this year. On Tuesday, Gallagher and a group of supporters rallied in support of her bill and the omnibus prison reform package — acknowledging that it's a step along the way to what they want, and not the full package. "The package as a whole will increase oversight and provide an essential layer of protection, accountability and transparency," Gallagher said. "It's not enough, but it's certainly a first step. It is an essential first step if we are to meaningfully move the needle for our incarcerated community members." The state Legislature has just a few days to advance this package if it's to pass this year; the Senate will leave town on Thursday, not scheduled to return until January, while the Assembly will leave town for the year on June 17. It's not clear what the Governor's position on the bill is either, as she doesn't comment on legislation before it's delivered to her desk for final approval. If the package passes the legislature, Hochul can choose to sign it as-is, veto it entirely or make significant amendments for the legislature to review next year.

Sue Gray Appointed as Chair of Consello UK
Sue Gray Appointed as Chair of Consello UK

Yahoo

time12 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Sue Gray Appointed as Chair of Consello UK

LONDON, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Consello, the leading global advisory and investing platform, today announced that Sue Gray, Baroness Gray of Tottenham, CBE, has been appointed as Chair of Consello UK. In this role Gray will be focused on the expansion of Consello's presence in the UK across the company's various business segments. Gray, a distinguished British former senior civil servant and special adviser, whose career in public service has spanned over four decades, has held several influential roles within the UK government. Most recently she served as Chief of Staff to the then Leader of the Labour Party, and current Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer. Following the 2024 general election and Sir Keir Starmer's appointment as Prime Minister, she served as Chief of Staff at 10 Downing Street until last October. In February she was appointed to the House of Lords. Consello Founder, Chairman, and CEO, Declan Kelly said, "Sue brings unparalleled insight from her decades of leadership in government service. Our entire team, as well as our clients, will benefit from her experience in countless ways and we are thrilled to welcome her to Consello." Sue Gray added, "I'm delighted to have the opportunity to join the team at Consello. What Declan and his colleagues have accomplished in building the company to date is very impressive and I look forward to further supporting that growth in the UK and globally." Gray began her career in the UK civil service and went on to hold key roles in several major departments, including the Department for Transport and the Department for Work and Pensions. She then assumed a series of senior positions including Second Permanent Secretary in the Cabinet Office and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. She also served as the Permanent Secretary in the Department of Finance in the Northern Ireland devolved government. About Consello Consello is an Advisory and Investing Platform with offices in New York, Atlanta, Miami, London, Barcelona, Belfast and Dublin. Consello's distinct advisory practices provide the complete strategic counsel today's leaders need to grow and transform their organizations. Consello's advisory expertise spans Corporate Advisory; M&A Growth; Marketing; Technology; Talent; and Sports and Entertainment. Dedicated teams operate in each practice, led by a leadership group with deep operational experience across industries, business growth stages and market cycles and with an expansive set of global corporate relationships. Consello's investment business, Consello Capital, identifies high-potential mid-market companies and invests capital and expertise to transform their growth. Consello Media Inquiriesmedia@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Consello Sign in to access your portfolio

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store