click to enlarge On Wednesday, March 31, New York officially became the 15th state to legalize recreational marijuana use for adults. It s been a long time coming. The bill that Governor Andrew Cuomo signed that day the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act, or MRTA was originally introduced by Senator Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan) in 2013, and had been reintroduced every session since by Krueger and Assemblywoman Crystal Peoples-Stokes (D-Buffalo), picking up cosponsors and popular support every year. It seemed like legalization might get over the hump in 2019, but complex demands from different reformist factions, a lack of commitment to community reinvestment by Cuomo, and vocal opposition by police unions and out-of-state groups ultimately doomed the effort.
27 Feb 2021
A 94-year-old New York couple is looking towards a bright and happy wedded future once they receive their coronavirus vaccines.
While the coronavirus kept most people apart, Joy Morrow-Nulton and John Shults became inseparable, their relationship blossoming during the pandemic.
“I’m looking forward to getting married to my wonderful woman,” Shults told Spectrum News. “She’s wonderful, cute, smart.”
Now that each of them received their vaccinations, they are looking forward to planning their wedding.
New York State Sen. Michelle Hinchey (D-Saugerties) gave them a certificate to honor their journey.
Their families are excited, too.
“We were just saying like reminiscing on that,” said Emily Loughran, Shults’s granddaughter. “It was emotional because we’ve been so careful around them and just how important it is to get the vaccine, and you know what it means to everyone surrounding them as well.”
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York State Sen. Jim Tedisco (R,C-Glenville) recently announced he is partnering in a new bipartisan effort with Sen. Michelle Hinchey (D-Saugerties) to help fund local safe