Acorda, Watson partner
Acorda Therapeutics Inc. in Hawthorne has partnered with Watson Pharma Inc. to introduce an authorized generic version of Acorda”™s Zanaflex Capsules brand, used to treat spasticity in persons with multiple sclerosis and other neurological disorders.
Watson Pharma is a subsidiary of Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc., based in Parsippany, N.J.
Acorda will receive a royalty from Watson based on sales of the generic tizanidine hydrochloride drug. Additional terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.
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Bank to support microlender
TD Bank, through the TD Charitable Foundation, has pledged $500,000 over three years to support a community microlender”™s programs for small businesses on the East Coast.
TD Bank will provide operating support, loan capital, cash management and referrals to ACCION USA. The private nonprofit organization serves low- and moderate-income persons, primarily minorities and women, who are unable to access mainstream business loans and financial services.
TD Bank last year invested in its small-business banking franchise to prepare for stepped-up lending to entrepreneurs. It doubled its sales force for U.S. Small Business Administration lending and increased its conventional small business sales team by 20 percent.
Blythedale helps Haiti hospital
Blythedale Children”™s Hospital recently donated used furniture from its Valhalla facility to a hospital in Haiti.
Blythedale teamed with The AFYA Foundation for Children”™s Health Inc. in Yonkers to ship cribs, desks, wheelchairs and preschool chairs not needed in Blythedale”™s new $65.3 million, 56,000- square-foot hospital building that opened in December.
The nonprofit AFYA Foundation partners with hospitals, health organizations, corporations and individual households to collect vital medical supplies for foreign health care centers and communities in need.
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Housing settlement progresses
Westchester County has made considerable progress in the implementation of its 2009 housing settlement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, according to a Feb. 2 filing.
Through the end of 2011, 540 of the mandated 750 units of affordable housing the county agreed to build 31 in mostly white communities by 2016 were in various stages of planning and development, according to the county”™s fourth quarter report to HUD and to the federally appointed monitor overseeing the settlement.
Of those, 206 housing units have already been approved by the federal housing monitor, 182 have all financing in place, and 108 have building permits in place, whereas the county had only been required to have financing in place for 100 units and permits in place for 50 units by the end of 2011.
The county also said last week that it has established a $2.5 million revolving loan fund to acquire and rehabilitate foreclosures in the 31 eligible municipalities, and plans to resell those units with affordability requirements in place so they will count toward the final tally.
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AirTran to fly away
AirTran Airways will cease flights to and from Westchester County Airport effective Aug. 12, according to service changes disclosed by AirTran parent company Southwest Airlines last month.
AirTran currently has five direct flights to and from the county airport daily, with destinations including Atlanta, Ga., and Orlando and West Palm Beach, Fla.
Westchester County Deputy Transportation Commissioner Patricia Chemka said airport administrators are confident that the spots vacated by AirTran will be filled.
“What we”™re expecting will happen is AirTran will either be selling or brokering the slots that they have right now,” Chemka said. “Right now those slots are theirs ”“ they can sell the slots or they can keep them and have a private carrier come in, take them over, and operate them on their behalf. So we are confident that will happen.”
AirTran representatives could not be reached for comment.
New planning chief
Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano announced the appointment of long-time urban planner Jeffrey Williams as the city”™s new commissioner of planning and development Feb. 7, replacing Louis Kirven.
Williams previously served as Mount Vernon planning commissioner for four years under former Mayor Clinton Young.
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127 donors give $16.8M
At least 127 donors gave New York state-level candidates for elected office, political parties and various affiliated committees $50,000 or more between Jan. 12, 2011, and Jan. 11, 2012, according to a report released Feb. 3 by the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG).
Those donations totaled $16.8 million, representing more than a third of all donations to state-level campaigns and party committees generated during the year-long period. The NYPIRG is a nonprofit, nonpartisan state government advocacy organization.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo led the list of candidates and committees who received the most money, totaling nearly $3 million from 79 of the 127 donors. Eleven of the 20 largest recipients were political parties or party-affiliated committees.
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STOCK Act up for vote
The Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act, better known as the STOCK Act, was headed toward a likely vote in the House of Representatives Feb. 9 after the Senate overwhelmingly passed their version of the bill Feb. 2.
As of press time, the House had not yet voted on the STOCK Act, but was said to be discussing the addition of a so-called “Pelosi Provision” that would restrict access by lawmakers and their staffs to unfair access to initial public offerings (IPOs).
The measure likely comes in response to a “60 Minutes” report that revealed, among other findings, that the husband of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) participated in Visa Inc.”™s 2008 IPO while a bill that would have affected credit card companies was being debated in the House.
The Senate version of the STOCK Act, which was sponsored by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and passed by a vote of 96-3, explicitly bans members of Congress and their staffs from trading on non-public information and requires lawmakers to disclose any trades worth more than $1,000.
”“ Patrick Gallagher and John Golden
