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Gov. Andrew Cuomo

Transportation September 21, 2018

LIRR ‘Double Track’ pulls in well ahead of schedule

By GREGORY ZELLER // Just two years after Gov. Andrew Cuomo accelerated plans for a Long Island Rail Road overhaul, the long-awaited “Double Track” project has been completed – more than a year ahead of schedule. Cuomo on Friday announced the completion of the LIRR Double Track, roughly 18 miles of track added between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma, expected to ease congestion and allow for reverse-peak service expansions as necessary. The 18 miles of track –…

Newsletters September 19, 2018

No. 341: Farming out east, divesting at Applied DNA and skipping the most important meal of the day (plus … Super Lawyers!)

Middle ground: Welcome to Wednesday, friends, and the midpoint of another busy workweek on beautiful Long Island. It’s Sept. 19 out there – Day 730 of the bitter Brangelina divorce proceedings, which kicked off when Angelina Jolie filed for divorce from Brad Pitt two years ago today. Stay tuned. Shofar, so good: It started at sundown Tuesday and lasts through sundown today, when they’ll be blowing the ceremonial ram’s horn at synagogues around the world….

Education September 6, 2018

‘Food for thought,’ redefined, at the Panther Pantry

By GREGORY ZELLER // Following Albany’s lead on food-insecurity issues among New York college students, Adelphi University has opened the doors of its first-ever food pantry. Late last month, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a comprehensive No Student Goes Hungry program, with the ambitious goal of providing “a food pantry or stigma-free food access for students in need” at every school in the State University and City University of New York systems by the end of…

Workforce September 6, 2018

State pumps $15M into SUNY’s clean-energy programs

By GREGORY ZELLER // The state university system’s clean-energy workforce-development efforts have received an eight-digit shot in the arm. A $15 million state investment will bolster SUNY’s clean-energy workforce and training programs, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office, with $6 million heading to specific campus-based efforts – including several on Long Island – and an additional $9 million earmarked for colleges and universities planning apprenticeships and internships with industry partners. The funding is part of…

Newsletters August 31, 2018

No. 336: Beer, legalized marijuana, supermodels and a three-day weekend. You’re welcome.

Labor of love: Glory be and welcome to Friday, dear readers – and not just any Friday, but (for most of us) the start of a glorious three-day holiday weekend, marking (unofficially) the end of the Summer of 2018. It’s Aug. 31, the last Friday in August, to be followed promptly by the first Monday in September – and the 124th observance of Labor Day since it became a federal holiday in 1894. Programming note:…

Newsletters August 24, 2018

No. 334: On waffles, NATO, Estée Lauder and ocean acidity – plus feeding healthier pets, one ingredient at a time

Mission accomplished: You set out on Monday to complete another summer workweek, dear readers, and here you are – it’s Friday, Aug. 24, and another well-earned weekend dawns. Listen to this: It’s also International Strange Music Day, an annual event designed to broaden musical tastes by getting people to listen to music they’ve never heard before. To that end, put your hands together for Swedish folktronica band Wintergatan, and the amazing marble music machine! Somehow,…

Environment August 23, 2018

Acid test: SBU-heavy task force tackles oceanic threat

By GREGORY ZELLER // Long Island is well-represented on a new state task force assigned to assess and address the health of coastal waters. Stony Brook University, in particular, will be lending significant scientific acumen to the 14-member Ocean Acidification Task Force, which was formed to study the ecological and economic impacts of acidification – increased levels of carbonic acid in the water, caused by dissolved carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, land-based nutrient runoff and…

Newsletters August 22, 2018

No. 333: On science fiction, science facts, Dowling’s determined demeanor and a ‘smarter’ Long Island

Middle ground: Happy Wednesday, dear readers, and especially you, new newsletter subscribers Marguerite, Mike, Alena, David and Carrie. Welcome to the show. It’s Aug. 22 and the midpoint of another busy week of socioeconomic progress. And it’s Flag Day in Russia. Do with that what you will. Take a Bao: It’s also the second-annual National Bao Day (true story), which is not a salute to the villain in the sci-fi novel “Quantum Acres” but is…

News August 20, 2018

In unique recycling effort, all decks on hand

By GREGORY ZELLER // The last of the concrete deck panels from the “retired” Tappan Zee Bridge have been delivered to their new homes. According to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office, a total of 135 deck panels – each measuring 3 feet wide by 50 feet long by 8.25 inches thick, and weighing in the neighborhood of 50 tons – have been delivered to nine specific municipalities and the NYS Department of Transportation. The recycled panels,…

Newsletters August 15, 2018

No. 331: A retail first at Roosevelt Field, phone calls from outer space and why dumping debris in LI waters is good (sometimes)

Hump-hopping: Welcome to Wednesday, dear readers, as we speed through another exciting (and mercilessly damp) week of socioeconomic innovation. It’s Aug. 15 out there, and today we observe the 73rd anniversary of Victory Over Japan Day. Sorta. (It could be Aug. 15, the date Japan officially announced its surrender, but it could also be Aug. 14 – the surrender date in the States, because of time zones – or possibly Sept. 2, the date Japan…

Environment August 10, 2018

With artificial reefs, loving that sinking feeling

By GREGORY ZELLER // A 744-acre site located three nautical miles off Long Island’s South Shore will become a haven for all manners of aquatic life, thanks to the deployment of recycled materials. Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday announced the deployment of materials to create a new marine habitat at Hempstead Reef, which is now part of the largest artificial-reef expansion in state history – and part of Albany’s ongoing efforts to develop a more…

Economic Development August 8, 2018

Central Islip snags $10M prize in Albany’s annual DRI

By GREGORY ZELLER // Following wins by Westbury in 2016 and Hicksville in 2017, Central Islip has earned the nod – and the $10 million prize – as the Long Island regional winner in Albany’s yearly downtown-revitalization competition. The 10 regional winners in the third-annual Downtown Regional Initiative contest – a statewide competitive-application process that doles out $10 million stipends to spruce up distressed downtowns in each of New York’s 10 economic-development zones – were…

Newsletters August 8, 2018

No. 329: Edison and Zapata meet the Rain Man, and a Stony Brook startup is filling in 3D printing’s blanks 

Welcome to Wednesday: And the midpoint of another sweltering summer workweek. It’s Aug. 8, and baby, it’s hot out there. Maybe this will cool you down: There are only 138 shopping days until Christmas. Put a smile on that face: It’s also Father’s Day in Mongolia and Taiwan and International Cat Day everywhere – and in the United States, Happiness Happens Day (it’s real), which was started in 1999 by the Secret Society of Happy…

Newsletters August 3, 2018

No. 328: They’re feeling a little high at SmartCoparent and Luminati … and that’s before Albany legalizes pot

End run: The finish line is in sight, dear readers – the conclusion of another busy workweek and the beginning of another well-earned weekend. Enjoy the ride: Before we wrap up this sultry week in socioeconomic innovation, a warm welcome to new newsletter subscribers Disha, Murat, Isaac, Carolina, Joel, Chad, Brendan, Scottie J, Steve, David, Chris and Jon. Please keep your hands inside the car at all times. And a special hello this Aug. 3…

Education July 23, 2018

LI schools snag $12.6M in state facilities funds

By GREGORY ZELLER // Seven-figure stipends are flowing to private colleges and universities across Long Island as part of a hefty package of state grants supporting statewide campus-infrastructure projects. All told, Albany has announced more than $67.1 million in grants for capital projects at 39 institutions of higher learning through the latest round of the state’s Higher Education Facilities Capital Matching Grant Program. Each of the awards was greenlighted by the HECap Board, which provides…