Rochester News Edition
of Continental Newstime newsmagazine
VOLUME XII NUMBER 1 JANUARY 1, 2025
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This is not the whole newspaper, but a special complimentary, on-line edition of the general-interest newsmagazine, Continental Newstime. The rest of the newspaper includes national and world news, newsmaker profiles, commentary/analysis, periodic interviews, travel and entertainment features, a science column, humor, sports, cartoons, comic strips, and puzzles, and averages 26 pages per month. Continental Features/Continental News Service publishes, on a monthly rotational basis, special, complimentary on-line newspapers: Washington DC News Edition, Chicago News Edition, Honolulu News Edition, Atlanta News Edition, Anchorage News Edition, Boston News Edition, Seattle News Edition, Miami News Edition, San Diego News Edition, Rochester (N.Y.) News Edition, Minneapolis News Edition, and Houston News Edition.
- Rochester (N.Y.) News Edition of Continental Newstime
- Editor-in-Chief: Gary P. Salamone
- Continental Features/Continental News Service
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* Congressional News Briefs … Rochester-area Congressman Joe Morelle, having coordinated with Lifespan of Greater Rochester to furnish older members of the community with the knowledge and resources necessary to make safe, informed decisions during the holidays, has written Acting Commissioner Carolyn Colvin, of the U.S. Social Security Administration, questioning the agency’s communications practices that put senior citizens at risk, Morelle particularly focusing on SSA’s use of a “no-reply” email address and embedded links within these official communications. The Congressman explains, “The use of embedded links sent from the ‘no-reply’ email creates an opportunity for bad actors to take advantage of unsuspecting recipients. Malicious actors can easily mimic this format and trick users into releasing personal and private information for their criminal gain; this risk is especially acute among recipients who may not have the tools or knowledge to determine whether the message is authentic or not. This increases the likelihood that already-vulnerable populations fall victim to phishing schemes.” In addition, before Congress acted to prevent a government shutdown by voting funds to continue government programs and services, the Congressman expressed concern that a shutdown would not be avoided, saying, “Republicans have dragged us into a needless government shutdown by reneging on a bipartisan agreement that made vital investments in critical services like childhood cancer research, reducing prescription-drug costs, strengthening programs for seniors, veterans, and more.” Following Congressional and Presidential action to fund the government through March 14, 2025, Morelle did not issue a new statement commenting on the outcome. On her part, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand expressed satisfaction that consideration had been shown for first responders and survivors of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, insofar as the World Trade Center Health Program was included in one end-of-the-year, health-extenders package. But this Program was at risk under another proposal and ultimately the Continuing Resolution designed to prevent a government shutdown extended all expiring health programs through March 14. A sponsor of the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act of 2024, she had warned of a “funding shortfall for years to come” otherwise. With respect to other developments, the Senator has taken issue with the National Archivist’s decision not to certify the Equal Rights Amendment, contending first that “she is wrongfully inserting herself into a clear constitutional process, despite the fact that her role is purely ministerial.” Next, Senator Gillibrand reasons, Office of Legal Counsel memos, such as that during the Trump Administration, “are advisory in nature and can easily be disregarded by the current Administration,” meaning that she encourages the Biden Administration to direct the National Archivist to certify the Equal Rights Amendment as the newest addition to the U.S. Constitution. In the absence of federal courts determining that the ratification deadline in the Constitutional Amendment is valid, Gillibrand finds no authority in the Constitution for Congress to set ratification deadlines in the preamble or the text of proposed Constitutional Amendments, and she asserts, “A previous archivist certified and published an Amendment written more than two hundred years before its ratification.” Senator Charles Schumer, who worked with Senator Gillibrand on the previously-mentioned World Trade Center Health Program legislation, informs that Congress has passed the ONSHORE (Opportunities for Non-developed Sites to Have Opportunities to be Rehabilitated for Economic Development) Bill that he has promoted, to serve as a catalyst for “bringing manufacturing back to Upstate New York” through preparation of “shovel-ready sites with new infrastructure investment and workforce training.” The bill, headed for signing by President Joseph Biden, was part of the reauthorization of the Economic Development Administration, and the Senator says it is designed to “provide much-needed federal support with site-readiness for bringing back supply chains, like semiconductors and clean technology, by helping breathe new life into industrial sites and increasing workforce development for communities across Upstate New York.” Included in the bipartisan and bicameral Water Resources Development Act, the legislation establishes a new grant program to support expansion projects and site development for manufacturing industries key to national or economic security, with a heavy emphasis on job creation. Besides, Senator Schumer and Senator Gillibrand have announced that Upstate New York is the beneficiary of National Defense Authorization Act reinstatement of the Department of Defense domestic-sourcing requirement for stainless-steel flatware and dinnerware, an extension of the SPOONSS (Support Procurement of our Nation’s Stainless Steel) Act during the 2025 fiscal-year. In short, the military must show preference for American-made products of this kind, like those of Sherrill Manufacturing in Oneida County, over products of China and other foreign competitors.
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* State Government News Briefs … Governor Kathy Hochul, by signing, into law, Senate Bill 9365A by State Senator Nathalia Fernandez and Assembly Bill 10215A by Assembly Member Alex Bores (the Restaurant Reservation Anti-Piracy Act), has acted to prohibit what the NYC Hospitality Alliance calls “restaurant-reservation scalping,” or arranging unauthorized reservations, a practice by which third-party “bots” sell reservations for a profit without the knowledge of restaurants and cause, according to Senator Fernandez, “last-minute cancellations and no-shows, leaving tables empty and hard-working staff without tips.” The Governor asserts, “We’re putting an end to the predatory black market for restaurant reservations—protecting consumers and businesses, and giving everyone a chance to get a seat at the dinner table” and adds “you deserve a fair system.” Governor Hochul also reports contacts with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas about sightings of drone activity in New York since mid-November and received assurances that the Federal Aviation Administration was granting temporary flight restrictions over some of the state’s critical infrastructure, as a precaution. Lately, the Biden-Harris Administration delivered to the state an advanced drone-detection system, too, and the Hochul Administration has pressed Congress to authorize and equip state and local law-enforcement agencies with the resources required to manage the developing technology, so the public can be kept safe. Furnishing a preview, as well, of her upcoming State of the State address, the Governor informed that she plans to build on her past efforts to deal with the affordability crisis New Yorkers have been facing. Beyond the middle-class tax cuts, reduced property taxes, additions to housing supply that have lowered rents, tuition assistance for part-time students now, paid prenatal leave, and financial support for child-care expenses, for example, she announces that she will propose an Inflation Refund Plan that will return $3 billion in surplus sales-tax revenue in the form of $300 checks for single taxpayers earning less than $150,000 annually and $500 checks for joint filers earning less than $300,000, to benefit some 8.6 million New York households.
* County Government News Briefs … Monroe County Executive Adam Bello, after the meeting of the County Legislature on December 10, announced that, because of improvements in parking and customer convenience, Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport will be ready to host the 2026 Air Show featuring the Thunderbirds, the official air-demonstration team of the U.S. Air Force that is stationed at Nevada’s Nellis Air Force Base. Then, five days later, Bello selected Bob Lee as the new Superintendent of the Seneca Park Zoo, Lee’s career including stints at the Oregon Zoo and the Albuquerque BioPark. Originally an Animal Curator and Elephant Manager, he co-authored the research paper, “Supporting Zoo Asian Elephant Welfare and Herd Dynamics with a More Complex and Expanded Habitat.” Also, before the start of the New Year, County Sheriff Todd K. Baxter and his negotiating team, with participation of the County Executive and Legislature, settled a bargaining agreement ahead of schedule, once again, this time that provides annual pay raises, an “advantageous health-care plan,” the option to work 12-hour shifts for certain positions, and incentive pay based upon military experience, the Sheriff emphasizing that there is provision for extra time off with family and compensation on par with other local police forces. The Legislature next meets on January 14 and Committee meetings are planned for January 27 and 28. At its Special Meeting on December 17, when the Legislature last met, it addressed, as a matter of urgency, a Resolution authorizing the issuance of $69,634,000 in County Bonds to fund the Monroe Community College Applied Technology Center-S.T.E.M. [Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics] Addition Project, and it took up such other County business as the proposed Collective Bargaining Agreement between the County Executive and the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 158; an inter-municipal agreement with the City of Rochester to fund The Lilac Festival long-term; acceptance of an Aid to Prosecution Grant from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services for the Office of District Attorney; consideration of a contract with the University of Rochester authorizing Support of the Forensic Pathology Fellowship Program at the County Office of the Medical Examiner; authorization of inter-municipal agreements with other counties, including Orleans and Genesee, for Services provided by the Monroe County Department of Public Health’s Tuberculosis Control Program, given County acceptance of a grant from the State Department of Health; a contract authorizing County Office for the Aging Programs in 2025-2026; and, as a matter of urgency, a levy of taxes and assessments required to fund the annual 2025 budgets of Monroe County Towns.
* City Government News Briefs … When the Rochester City Council last met on December 17, 2024, Mayor Malik D. Evans submitted the Grant Accounting Report for the July-September, 2024 quarterly period, and the Council was set to examine the Neighborhoods, Jobs & Housing Committee Report presented by Council Member Michael A. Patterson and to address such other City business as consideration of authorization, with funding, of an agreement for Round 7 of the Restore NY Communities Initiative Program; review of an Ordinance authorizing an application and grant agreement for Round 9 of the Restore NY Communities Initiative; consideration of a Resolution endorsing a Monroe County application for a Round 9 grant to support the Times Square Building Rehabilitation Project under the Restore NY Communities Initiative; and a proposal to authorize agreements and to amend the 2024-2025 Budget relating to the Vacant Rental Improvement Program. Thereafter, the Council was poised to take up the City Bond Ordinance authorizing issuance of $1,035,000 in Bonds to finance the cost of the Honorable Loretta C. Scott Center for Human Services-Building Management System Project; consideration of a professional-services agreement for the Safe Streets and Roads for All Planning and Demonstration Project; a proposal authorizing an application for funding the 2026-2030 Transportation Improvement Program; prospective filing of an application with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for funds under the Reducing Lead in Drinking Water Grant Program; consideration of an agreement authorizing State lobbying services; a City Bond Ordinance authorizing issuance of $300,000 in City Bonds to fund the City Mark Capital Art Project; authority for the cancellation or refund of erroneous taxes and charges; authorization of an agreement concerning the 2024 State Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program Grant; and authorization of inter-municipal agreements and amendment of the 2024-2025 Budget for the 2025 STOP DWI and High Visibility Engagement Campaign programs.
* School Board News Briefs … Dr. Demario Strickland, Interim Superintendent of the Rochester City School District, announces that Nazareth University offers City School District B-average-or-higher graduates direct-admissions scholarships worth almost $100,000, meaning the University sends an admissions offer to eligible students even before they applied, provided they meet certain requirements. The Board of Education, which conducted a Work Session on December 17 involving a 2025-2026 Preliminary Budget Discussion and which held a Business Meeting two days later, next meets on January 14, 2025.
* Weather … The National Weather Service reports that current conditions at Greater Rochester International Airport, as of 6:54 AM on December 26, are snowy, with a temperature of 28 degrees Fahrenheit, relative humidity of 72 percent, wind out of the east at 5 miles per hour, barometric pressure of 30.46 inches, a dewpoint of 20 degrees, and visibility of 9 miles. The 10-day forecast calls for partly cloudy skies and cloudy skies to follow, with daily high temperatures rising to 50 degrees on December 28 and 52 degrees on December 29, before declining to 40 degrees on January 1 and getting much colder afterward. Expect rain and or showers on December 29 through the morning of January 1, with an over-night low temperature of 30 degrees going into January 2, and wind speeds ranging between 6 and 19 miles per hour through January 2.
* Sports … The American Hockey League reports that the Amerks return to action on the road against the Springfield Thunderbirds on January 3 for a 7:05 PM face-off.
Please E-mail continentalnewstime@gmail.com for a copy of Martin Tanksley’s cartoon feature, “Cleo.”
One of the questions Ralph Nader is yet to answer about his book, “Let’s Start the Revolution”:
“Can that ‘left/right coalition’ you mention hang together once formed on certain issues when one side fails to rein in its desire to initiate new spending programs and the other side objects that it’s their money that is to be spent?”
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* Proverbs (chapter 28/verse 22): “He that hastes to be rich has an evil eye, and considers not that poverty shall come upon him.” hastes=hurries.
[A timely warning against get-rich-quick schemes]
A free copy of the Etna, California News Edition of Continental Newstime [dated August 14, 2020] containing the newspaper feature of outdoor writer Lee Snyder is also available by
E-mail request to info@continentalnewsservice.com
*Free
Marion, Montana News Edition
of Continental Newstime newsmagazine
VOLUME I NUMBER 1 AUGUST 17, 2022
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This is not the whole newspaper, but a special complimentary, on-line edition of the general-interest, periodic newsmagazine, Continental Newstime. The rest of the newspaper includes national and world news, newsmaker profiles, commentary/analysis, periodic interviews, travel and entertainment features, an intermittent science column, humor, sports, cartoons, comic strips, and puzzles, and averages 26 pages per month. Continental Features/Continental News Service publishes, on a monthly rotational basis, special, complimentary on-line newspapers: Washington DC News Edition, Chicago News Edition, Honolulu News Edition, Atlanta News Edition, Anchorage News Edition, Boston News Edition, Seattle News Edition, Miami News Edition, San Diego News Edition, Rochester (N.Y.) News Edition, Minneapolis News Edition, and Houston News Edition.
Marion, Montana News Edition of Continental Newstime
Editor-in-Chief: Gary P. Salamone
Continental Features/Continental News Service
501 W. Broadway, Plaza A, PMB# 265
San Diego, CA 92101
(858) 492-8696
E-mail: info@continentalnewsservice.com
* Congressional News Briefs … Marion’s agent in the U.S. House of Representatives, Matt Rosendale, decided he was not going to sugar-coat House Bill 5376. While House Democrats said they were acting to pass the “Inflation Reduction Act,” the Congressman contended that legislation increasing the size of government, raising taxes on hard-working Americans and spending billions of taxpayer dollars on the Left’s Green New Deal was actually an “Inflation Acceleration Act” and he cast a vote against the bill. Warning that the spending would “cripple our nation’s budget,” he noted that the legislation “will also raise an army of 87,000 IRS agents to squeeze more taxes out of already-hurting American families. With frivolous spending and an enlarged, aggressive IRS, the only climate that will be changing over the next year will be the economic climate, and it will get worse.” He offered this solution: “To reduce inflation, Congress must freeze spending, a concept the Left does not understand. Reining in federal spending and reducing taxes to lower inflation will reaffirm confidence in those investing in our economy.” On his part, Senator Steve Daines, commenting on the $739-billion, so-called Inflation Reduction Act of President Joseph Biden and Senate Democrats that he opposed, asserted that Senate Democrats voted against Daines’ amendment to eliminate policies that would increase costs on Made in Montana energy and other amendments that would render the bill “less painful for Montanans.” He characterized, as “supersizing the IRS,’ the plan to hire more than 80,000 Internal Revenue Service agents “to audit small and medium-size businesses and assert control over the lives and finances of Montanans.” He termed a subsidy for “rich people” the provision to offer $7,500 tax credits to individuals making up to $150,000, so they can purchase expensive electric vehicles. Considering the bill “a slap in the face of Montana families,” the Senator added, “The Democrats’ reckless tax-and-spend bill is bad for Montana families, bad for Montana energy jobs and bad for Montanans’ pocketbooks.” Working with Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth and Hawaii Senator Mazie Hirono, Senator Daines has introduced bipartisan legislation, known as the BABES (Bottles and Breastfeeding Equipment Screening) Enhancement Act, to require the Transportation Security Administration to clarify and update guidance, every five years, on handling breast milk, baby formula, and other related nutrition products based on consultation with leading maternal-health experts. Calling the legislation a “Bill to Support Montana Moms,” Daines informs that companion legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives, and the measure is endorsed by such organizations as the March of Dimes and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Senator Jon Tester, in turn, as the Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, announces that the $792.1-billion Defense Appropriations Bill earmarks almost $182 million for Montana priorities, saying, “This legislation will keep America safe by investing in Malmstrom Air Force Base, giving our troops a well-deserved pay raise [4.6 percent], ensuring our servicemen and women are well-equipped with the most up-to-date technology, and shifting resources towards programs that’ll maintain our fighting edge over adversaries like China and Russia.” For example, over in Columbia Falls, uAvionix is due to receive $7 million to develop Future Tactical Unmanned Aerial System communications. In addition, he reports that, for Montana, the American Rescue Plan Act means $266 million to deliver high-speed Internet to rural areas of the state, something that is “one of the biggest keys to success for Montana’s students, families, and small businesses.”
* State Government News Briefs … Governor Greg Gianforte has expressed the view that the Montana Supreme Court, after upholding a district-court order temporarily blocking three pro-life bills he signed into law—the Court should not delay bringing into line its 1999 ruling in Armstrong v. State with the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision finding that there is no constitutional right to abortion and that the states are entitled to restrict abortion. In other developments, the state legislature has highlighted a recent report by the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology that acknowledges findings of the Department of Environmental Quality that the ingestion of too much manganese through drinking water may be harmful, at the same time the Bureau notes that the mineral, naturally present in many common foods, is essential for proper nutrition and that too little may be harmful, as well. Some research shows that adults and children drinking water with high manganese concentrations for sustained periods may suffer from memory and attention problems and motor-skill deficits. But, since most Montanans tap groundwater supplies for their drinking water, they mainly avoid high levels of manganese. Those that do not? The Bureau’s Ground Water Assessment Program reports that 7 percent of the water samples it tested exceeded the recommended health-standard limit for
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adults and children older than 6 years of age. Checking 3,858 water samples from across the state, the Bureau gives assurance that manganese concentrations were low and safe for 85 percent of the well samples it analyzed and that lower concentrations were recorded in samples from western Montana aquifers; higher concentrations, in the eastern part of the state. Specifically, certain aquifers near Flathead Lake, north and west of Great Falls, and in the Missouri River Valley yielded more samples with elevated manganese concentrations. The Safe Drinking Water Act categorizes manganese as a secondary water contaminant, like iron, pH and sulfate, meaning it is safe to drink, but may damage water equipment and transmit an unpleasant odor and taste. The state legislature reports that 380 Montana schools, to date, have tested water fixtures for the primary water contaminant, lead and are implementing remedies for contaminated fixtures.
* County Government News Briefs … The Flathead County Board of Commissioners [Brad W. Abell, Pamela Holmquist, and Randy Brodehl], at its last meeting on August 11, considered six different lakeshore permits, including one at McGregor Lake, one at Flathead Lake, and another at Whitefish Lake; conferred with Erik Mack, of the Planning & Zoning Office, who reported an uptick in zoning violations; discussed giving authorization to publish a Notice of Public Hearing on Road Abandonment concerning an unnamed portion of road off Highway 93 West; took up the matter of authorization to publish a Call for Bids for the estimated $120,000 Fall, 2022 Pavement Striping Project; was due to hear from Liz Wood, of Mountain Climber Transit, on ridership increases, and from Ashley Cummins, Director of the County Library, who reported approximately 1,000 daily patron visits system-wide and who provided an update on the Library Board vacancy; planned to meet with Sheriff Brian Heino; and, among other County business, was tasked to sign a Behavioral Health Hospital Provider Agreement with Logan Health.
* School District News Briefs … The Marion Elementary School District, with the library closed during the summer due to remodeling, plans a Back to School Kick Off Event on September 1, with school starting on September 6. Earlier this month, the District posted a notice that it was hiring for full-time teaching positions in physical education and in the sixth-grade classroom. The School Board is scheduled to meet again on September 12. Meantime, in the Kalispell Public Schools District, Flathead High School announces that classes resume either on August 31 or September 1, depending on the grade level.
* Sports … The Flathead High School Boys Varsity Football Team is set to play Skyview on August 27 at 7 PM and is due to visit Gallatin on September 2 for a 7 PM kickoff.
* Weather … The National Weather Service reports that current conditions 17 miles west-southwest of Kalispell, as of 3:15 PM on August 17, are sunny, with a temperature of 90 degrees Fahrenheit, relative humidity of 15 percent, barometric pressure of 29.95 inches, visibility of 10 miles, wind out of the south-southeast at 3 miles per hour, and a dewpoint of 36 degrees. The over-night forecast calls for clear skies, northeast wind of 3 to 5 miles per hour and a low temperature of about 55 degrees. Tomorrow, look for sunny skies, with a daily high temperature of about 91 degrees, calm wind becoming east-northeast wind of about 6 miles per hour in the morning. Thursday night, expect mostly-clear skies, with a low temperature of about 56 degrees and northeast wind of 3 to 6 miles per hour.
* Community Calendar … August 19—Pachyderm Meeting of Flathead County Republicans (12 Noon-1 PM) at the Eagles (37 First Street W, Kalispell); August 27—Pheasants Forever Chapter #138 Banquet (5 PM-9 PM), at the Fairgrounds; September 16/17—Quilt Show, at the Fairgrounds; September 17—Glacier Rabbit Show, at the Fairgrounds; September 30—Kalispell Ski Swap, at the Fairgrounds.
Dry Tortugas [Reprinted and Updated] by Lee Snyder
Named “Las Tortugas” (the turtles) by 16th-century Spanish explorers who found the harmless reptiles nesting on its shores, the Dry Tortugas is a collection of several sandy spits and tree-dotted islands. Fort Jefferson, once famous as a 19th-century “American Devil’s Island,” remains one of the world’s largest brick structures. The red brick fort is most famous as the jail where Dr. Mudd was held after treating Lincoln’s assassin for a broken leg.
Fort Jeff, past National Monument, is now part of Dry Tortugas National Park, which, together with the water and island reefs, is one of this nation’s most remote and unique units of our National Park system. While sharks are still occasionally found swimming in the moat, tourists are more likely seen snorkeling around the fort’s outer boundary viewing a dazzling array of fish, coral and sponges. Today, the Coast Guard’s close scrutiny of increasing public pressure allows visitors to see what underwater Florida is supposed to be. Divers claim the park waters are the liveliest anywhere in the state. “Little Africa,” an unspoiled section of coral reef near Loggerhead Key, the largest island in the chain, boasts expanses of staghorn and elkhorn coral more like those found in Caribbean than in Florida waters.
Nearly 27,000 people—mostly fishermen, yachtsmen, and divers—visit the park by boat each year.
But, for a six-week period, the bulk of the visitors attend for another reason. Spring in the Tortugas is definitely a birdwatcher’s delight. Florida’s peninsular shape is like an appendage reaching out into the ocean. Its islands are the first safety offered travelers crossing the Gulf of Mexico…. The “funneling effect” allows for close inspections of the birds in their most colorful breeding plumage—an opportunity that draws enthusiastic birders from all over the world….On any given spring day in the Tortugas, birders with four, five and six hundred birds on their lists are found. Listers with seven and eight hundred on their lists are usually there as guides, having visited the islands years before. But, even so, an errant species from South America, the Bahamas or Cuba could fly by adding to all lists.
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