While the local newspaper and TV media outlets* have completely ignored the mounting evidence of improper actions between the City Assessor and Mayor Rich David, City Council members have been quietly continuing the conversation at business meetings and work meetings the last two months. In fact, at the April 15 work session meeting, there was unanimous … [Read more...] about City Assessor Snubs Council: Refuses Bipartisan Request to Appear and Answer Questions about Assessment Changes that Save Mayor David Thousands a Year in Property Taxes
Parole Injustice (article)
Article submitted by Judy Arnold. The tide is turning on parole injustice in New York, and the police unions do not like it one bit. In early March, a newspaper article revealed that the New York City Police Benevolent Association was outraged to learn that a secret direct link from their website to the website of the New York State Parole Board had … [Read more...] about Parole Injustice (article)
J A I L E D
I am Jane Jane Doe I am I want a decent bra Correction Officer: OoooLaLa, she wants a bra, Uppity Woman Jane Doe I am I want a decent bra Correction Officer: Oooh, a Barbie, Uppity Woman Jane Doe I am I want a decent bra Correction Officer: So special, Look, a package in the mail, Uppity Woman Jane Doe I am I want a decent … [Read more...] about J A I L E D
City Approves Questionable FEMA Buyout Payments: Owners Paid up to 4x Listed Fair Market Value
According to a review of city documents by The Bridge, owners of flood-damaged, substandard rental properties in a neighborhood with 62% of residents living at or below poverty (Census, 2013-2017 ACS), received FEMA Buyout payments far in excess of fair market values. In one case, 20 Carroll Street, the FEMA Buyout payment was four times the property's … [Read more...] about City Approves Questionable FEMA Buyout Payments: Owners Paid up to 4x Listed Fair Market Value
Citizen Input Needed on Annual Federal Housing Grants to City of Binghamton
Each year, the City of Binghamton receives approximately $2 million from HUD through the Community Development Block Grant program, consistently ranked by Republican and Democratic mayors across the country as one of the most important funding sources to support investments in distressed neighborhoods, local housing needs, and nonprofits delivering essential … [Read more...] about Citizen Input Needed on Annual Federal Housing Grants to City of Binghamton
What is the Broome County Jail Culture?
Federal, state and other counties offer five (5) free postage paid envelopes to inmates. Broome does not. Why not even one a week? There are no weekend visits at BC Jail. This is a hardship for relatives from out of town and for those who work locally. Does that mean there are not full shifts on the weekends? Tioga County only has weekend … [Read more...] about What is the Broome County Jail Culture?
A Guide for Zombie Hunters: How to Deal with these Vacant Properties (not flesh-eating deadwalkers)
I live next door to a zombie, and I worry that trouble is coming this summer. The zombie is a single family residence with three bedrooms and about 1,700 square feet of living space. The owner defaulted on the mortgage a couple years ago, and before he moved to Texas, he offered the house up to a nice family from his church that was in need of … [Read more...] about A Guide for Zombie Hunters: How to Deal with these Vacant Properties (not flesh-eating deadwalkers)
Obituary: Iris Thor
Iris Thor died on April 2. She was 96 years young. Iris was born in Buffalo, NY and was predeceased by her parents, two brothers and husband Harry A. Thor. Iris graduated in 1948 from the University of Buffalo with a B.A. in Sociology and Anthropology. While working toward an M.S.W. and serving the city of Detroit as a caseworker, she met and married … [Read more...] about Obituary: Iris Thor
Climate Justice Countdown
So many in our communities are poor and struggling. And it's not by accident. We are being deliberately exploited and manipulated for the benefit of the 1%. Our bodies are being exploited for cheap labor, and our land is being destroyed as they extract resources to make energy, poisoning our water and our air and our soil and our bodies in the process. It … [Read more...] about Climate Justice Countdown
Really Not April Fools
Joshua Bernard, I really salute all you have contributed to Binghamton and that you love Broome County because I do too. Yes, there is lots to do here. How long does it take to find a parking space in Binghamton – four and a half years; since they demolished the 500 spot Collier St parking ramp. People needing to go to the Court and Government Complex … [Read more...] about Really Not April Fools
