Regional Briefs – December 20, 2017

Cuomo: Pension Fund Should Conform to Climate Belief

ALBANY – Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday called on the state’s pension fund to divest from companies which contradict his global warming philosophy, such as coal and fossil fuels. It’s up to Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli to divest anything from the $200 billion fund.

New York City to Debut Hit-and-Run Alert System

NEW YORK – New York City will debut a hit-and-run alert system in March that will send texts to phones across the city whenever crashes that involve serious or fatal injuries occur, similar to an Amber Alert, WABC reported. About 4,000 people are critically injured in hit-and-runs annually.

Buffalo Activist Says Bust of MLK Doesn’t Look Like Him

BUFFALO – A community activist is leading an effort to replace a large bust of Martin Luther King Jr. in a Buffalo city park, claiming it doesn’t look like the civil rights leader, WGRZ reported. Sam Herbert says the 8-foot bust should be removed and recreated with a more accurate image. The statue has been up since 1983.

Cuomo Wants Tipped Workers To Earn Minimum Wage

ALBANY – Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday that the state should examine whether to do away with the practice of allowing employers to pay tipped workers less than the minimum wage. He wants labor officials to hold hearings on the so-called tipped wage.

Officials Unsure Why Students, Staff Got Ill

ELMWOOD PARK, N.J. – Authorities are still trying to determine what caused more than a dozen students to faint or feel sick last week, The Associated Press reported. Officials have suggested a glycol leak from an HVAC unit on the roof but said Tuesday night they’re unsure.

Newly Commissioned USS Little Rock Departs for Home

BUFFALO – The newly commissioned USS Little Rock sailed out of Buffalo Wednesday en route to its homeport in Florida, The Associated Press reported. The Navy’s combat ship spent the last two weeks near the decommissioned World War II-era USS Little Rock.