Cuomo recharges power program
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed a new Recharge New York law that subsidizes power costs for some businesses with the goal of retaining or saving jobs.
Recharge New York replaces the previous Power for Jobs program, which had been authorized for only one year at a time and which was not accepting new businesses. Introduced in 1997 and administered by the New York Power Authority (NYPA) in White Plains, Power for Jobs provided discounts to some 500 businesses employing nearly 300,000 people in New York, including IBM Corp. in Armonk and AT&T Inc. In an audit last year, NYPA found that one in five participants were not in compliance with their job commitments, but recommended the authority take no action due to recessionary pressures on companies.
Recharge New York allows businesses to take a seven-year contract. In all, 910 megawatts of power is available under the program, sufficient for the equivalent of as many as 650,000 homes or more. Applicants must demonstrate how they are maximizing energy efficiency.
Westchester, Putnam, Rockland add jobs
Westchester, Putnam and Rockland counties added an estimated 4,100 jobs in March, a 0.8 percent increase that contributed to a 1,700 statewide employment gain.
The New York State Department of Labor said employers in health and education services have made the greatest gains from a year ago, followed by business services and leisure and hospitality. Government and construction have seen the biggest job losses in the past year.
New York”™s unemployment rate was 8 percent in March, down from 8.2 percent in February; New York City”™s jobless rate dropped to 8.7 percent from 8.9 percent.
The labor markets encompassing Poughkeepsie, Middletown and Newburgh saw job growth at 0.9 percent between February and March.
The DOL does not adjust local job data for seasonal hiring activity.
Manufacturing accelerates in region
A Federal Reserve Bank of New York survey of regional manufacturers suggests business is picking up for local plants ”“ the Empire State Manufacturing Survey rose a fifth straight month in April to reach its highest level in a year.
The survey, which reflects conditions in southern Connecticut as well, also revealed “great” optimism in the Fed”™s words about the six-month outlook, which is spilling over into hiring and equipment purchases.
Manufacturers said they were most concerned with the cost of employee benefits, followed by regulation, taxes and finding qualified workers.
Least problematic were depressed real estate prices and credit availability and terms; and about four in five respondents said the crisis in Japan was having little or no effect on their business.
Hevesi sentenced in kickback scheme
Former state Comptroller Alan Hevesi was sentenced to at least a year in prison and as many as four, after pleading guilty last October to participating in a “pay-to-play” kickback scheme.
Hevesi admitted he received nearly $1 million in gifts in exchange for improperly approving $250 million in pension fund investments in private equity fund Markstone Capital Partners L.P. Markstone has agreed to return $18 million in management fees to the pension fund.
“Hevesi brazenly sold access to New York Pension Fund investments ”“ a betrayal of the public trust that went to the heart of his duties as comptroller,” said Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, in a prepared statement.
Mayors mark HUD funding
White Plains Mayor Thomas Roach Jr. and New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson were among those announcing the debut of New York-Connecticut Sustainable Communities, a $3.5 million program to integrate housing, economic development, transportation and environmental planning in the region.
The initiative is spearheaded by the Regional Planning Association. RPA commemorated the funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development at its Innovation and the Global City conference held in mid-April in New York City.
Allstar defends Snuggie brand
A New York judge barred The Northwest Co. L.L.C. from using the Snuggie brand, after Hawthorne-based Allstar Marketing Group L.L.C. sued to protect its intellectual property.
That court decision and a second judgment against TV Products USA also covers Topsy Turvy planters sold by Allstar. The company”™s Snuggie blankets feature sleeves that allow them to be worn around the house.
Dobbs Ferry Catholic school to close
Our Lady of Victory Academy is shutting down, at a cost of some 30 jobs in Dobbs Ferry.
Founded in Tarrytown in 1945, the girls”™ school relocated to Dobbs Ferry in 1961. The school is run by the Sisters of Mercy Mid-Atlantic Community; on its website, the school said enrollment has dropped to 280 students due to the impact of the recession and a decline in the number of students taking the Catholic High School entrance exam.
