New York –
Medical equipment maker, Welch Allyn Inc. will move some of its North Carolina operations to Skaneateles. Workers at the North Carolina plant will be offered a relocation or a severance packages. The company's mechanical blood pressure devices and stethescopes will now be made at the Skaneateles plant. No word yet on how many new jobs will result from the move.
A SUNY tuition hike is looking more likely. SUNY administrators and financial analysts say they will not be able to offer the same level of services without a tuition hike or an increase in state aid in the next year. A SUNY spokesman says there's been no discussion of a mid-year tuition increase.
A state committee has adopted a proposal to toughen regulations on live liver donor transplants. State Health Commissioner Antonia Novello is calling the measures the toughest in the nation. They include minimum staffing ratios at hospitals performing the suregeries and an age limit of 55 for potential donors.
Upstate Congressman John Mchugh has been re-elected to the House Republican Steering Committe for the fourth time. The panel is responsible for making assignments to standing committees.
New York has lost the bid to host the 2004 Democratic National Convention....edged out by Boston.
A formal election in Albany next Tuesday will determine who will lead the Democrats in the State Senate in 2003. The current Deputy Minority Leader, David Patterson, is fending off a challenge from the current leader of Senate Democrats, Marty
Connor.
State Senate Majority Leader, Joseph Bruno, says there might be a two-and-a-half-billion dollar budget gap in the state's current fiscal year budget. Bruno projects the budget shortfall by March 2004 could be as high as 10 billion dollars or as low as four billion dollars.
The 2003 Defense Authorization Bill passed earlier this week includes 18-point-3 million dollars for projects at Fort Drum.