Andrew J Lanza's News items

It's hard to believe that it has been four years since the state Legislature finally gave Staten Island its own, separate judicial district after decades of rejecting calls for this borough's judicial independence.    Of course, partisan politics factored heavily into that steadfast refusal. Leaders of the Democratic-controlled Assembly preferred it that Staten Island was an appendage of Brooklyn's 2nd Judicial District because Brooklynites invariably elect judicial candidates nominated by the Democratic Party.    But in 2007, the Assembly finally relented and passed a bill creating the 13th Judicial District.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- New York state's empty pocketbook could keep Staten Islanders from getting swifter justice.     State Sen. Andrew Lanza (R-Staten Island) and Assemblyman Michael Cusick (D-Mid-Island) have introduced legislation that would add six judges to the Island bench over the next three years. But with each judge costing an estimated $1 million in salary and support costs per year, that would add $6 million to an already financially strapped state budget that is predicted to face further deficits in the future. The new legislation would bring the borough's total of elected Supreme Court justices to 10, roughly in line with rule-of-thumb that says counties should have one judge for every 50,000 residents.

Published in the Staten Island Advance: Saturday, April 09, 2011, 1:18 AM    

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- When a new ambulatory care center was first imagined for the hospital in West Brighton, the facility was on the cusp of a transition to new owners and was struggling with financial uncertainty.

Now that Richmond University Medical Center has reclaimed its status as a linchpin of Staten Island’s health care network, the dream for the Ambulatory Care and Endoscopy Center has been realized, hospital leadership said yesterday during an emotional groundbreaking ceremony for the $6 million upgrade.

We are going to develop the finest ambulatory care and endoscopy center on Staten Island," said Richard Murphy, president and CEO of the hospital.

Those scrambling to meet the fast-approaching April 18 tax deadline should be careful they don't miss out on the free and low-cost tax-preparation services being offered across Staten Island. Any taxpayers who have yet to file taxes and have an annual income of $57,000 or less can take advantage of the following opportinities for help: The Food Bank for New York City has two locations on Staten Island offering free help with taxes in both English and Spanish. The location at 1546 Castleton Ave., Port Richmond, is offering help on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between noon and 7 p.m.; the phone number is 646-315-7703. The other location is on the second floor of the Sovereign Bank at 15 Hyatt St., St George.

"Caroline's Law" seeks felony if on-duty public worker takes crime photo for private useRead more: http://www.timesunion.com/default/article/Facebook-murder-picture-horror-inspires-bill-1315710.php#ixzz1ICXK0G7M

The Department of Transportation will conduct a targeted resurfacing operation to restore the roadway eaten away by this season’s winter weather.

A DOT crew will pave sections of road between Willow Pond Road and Circle Road from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Due to the use of heavy equipment, a full closure of this section of Todt Hill Road is required.

Published: Wednesday, February 23, 2011, 9:52 AM     Updated: Wednesday, February 23, 2011, 9:55 AM

http://blog.silive.com/editorials_impact/print.html?entry=/2011/02/otb_the_sequel.html

Give state Sen. Andrew Lanza credit for sticking with a thorny issue that other elected officials might have walked away from and never looked back.

In December, Mr. Lanza along with 21 other state Senators, voted against a bill to bail out the city’s foundering Off-Track Betting Corp.

From the Staten Island Advance:

http://blog.silive.com/latest_news/print.html?entry=/2011/02/its_a_red-letter_day_for_sandy.html

Staten Island Advance - Friday, January 14, 2011

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The city Department of Education surpassed protesting parents’ expectations at PS 36 this week in taking sound measures to ensure the school’s light fixtures are free of chemical toxins.