Three consecutive months of sales growth fueled the best start to the New York State housing market since 2007. According to the housing market report released today by the New York State Association of REALTORS, the 23,932 closed sales in the first quarter represents a jump of nearly 17 percent from the 2015 first quarter. Additionally, the statewide median sales price grew by nearly 1 percent compared to a year ago

Across Upstate NY, Communities Have Experienced Decades Of Underinvestment And Lax Regulation Of Water Infrastructure, Especially When It Comes To Lead Contamination; New Senate Bill Will Tackle Lead Problem Head On

Agenda Includes New Sustainability Standards and Incentives, Plans for Building Green Infrastructure, Enhanced Green Jobs Programs for Residents, Comprehensive Retrofits, and Solar Power Installations

New York state has the second highest home foreclosure rate in the nation, with 1 in 21 home mortgages in foreclosure, according to areport released today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. The continuing foreclosure challenge is squeezing municipal budgets when property values decrease, tax bases shrink and crime jumps.

Commissioners of Homes and Community Renewal and the Department of Taxation and Finance today alerted recipients of the Earned Income Tax Credit that they may be eligible for a NYS mortgage and down payment assistance program, which can help them realize the dream of homeownership.

Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today issued the following statement on the Federal Housing And Finance Agency’s (FHA) decision regarding principal reduction for homeowners

Recipients of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) May Also Be Eligible for NYS’s First-Time Homebuyer Assistance. More than 1.5 Million New Yorkers Receiving the EITC are Income-Qualified for a SONYMA Mortgage and Down Payment Assistance Loan

York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) today announced the completion of an extensive upgrade and modernization program for Brighton Towers, a 600-unit, two-building Mitchell-Lama complex in the South Valley neighborhood of Syracuse, that will keep rents affordable to seniors and households of limited means for an additional 40 years. The $45 million acquisition and renovation of the property was largely financed through Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR).

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the completion of the $24 million U.S. Customs Commercial Building at the Peace Bridge. The newly expanded and renovated facility will significantly decrease traffic congestion and facilitate more efficient customs processing. The project is an important component of the Peace Bridge Understanding of 2013, which lays out a plan for taking concrete steps aimed at improving traffic flow on the American side of the bridge.

Quarterly Series For Business And Community Leaders Welcomes Bob Dandrew Of The Local Economies Project For A Talk On Farming And The New Economy: How “Local” Means Business For Ulster County. Building on the success of past quarterly breakfasts, Ulster County Executive Mike Hein is pleased to present Bob Dandrew of the Local Economies Project at the next “Building Ulster County Together” breakfast on Wednesday, April 27th at 8:00 AM at the Best Western in Kingston.

U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and U.S. Representative Kathleen Rice announced today that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded more than $2.65 million in federal grant funding to the Island Park School District and nearly $1.7 million to the City of Long Beach for repairs to damage caused by Superstorm Sandy. The Island Park School District will receive $2,654,312 for repairs to the Lincoln Orens Middle School, which sustained heavy flooding and extensive damage during Sandy

Sullivan County is accepting applications from property owners seeking to be included in New York State Agricultural Districts 1 and 4, for a 30-day window beginning April 1st and ending April 30th. New York State Agricultural Districts are geographic areas that consist predominantly of viable agricultural land. Agricultural operations within the districts are afforded benefits and protections to promote the continuation of farming and the preservation of agricultural land.

Tom Reed renewed his push for reliable, affordable energy by calling for the repowering of the power plants in Lansing, Dresden and Dunkirk, New York. The move comes as the parent company of the Fitzpatrick nuclear power plant in Oswego County announced it would be closing the plant. The closure would result in a statewide electricity deficiency by 2019 according to a new report released by the New York State Independent Systems Operator.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced construction is underway on the $24.4 million Niagara City Lofts project that will transform the former South Junior High School into a 61-unit mixed-income, mixed-use affordable housing development. Financing for the project has been secured through New York State Homes and Community Renewal and Empire State Development.

Musty and moldy smells are a daily hazard in 12,600 NYCHA households Analysis of 2014 Housing Vacancy Survey data shows peeling paint, mice, heating breakdowns at NYCHA vastly outpace all other types of housing

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced more than $25 million has been awarded for seven supportive housing projects that will create 286 units of supportive housing for homeless and low-income New Yorkers, including veterans, adults recovering from substance abuse and those living with disabling mental health conditions.

The New York Power Authority Board of Trustees has approved an electric rate cut for municipalities, schools and public agencies in New York City and Westchester County. The trustees approved a $4.8 million reduction, or 3.6 percent, for the fixed-cost component of the rates for NYPA governmental customers in New York City, which include the City of New York, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New York City Housing Authority, New York State Office of General Services and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced the arraignment of Samantha Grover, 36, a Certified Nurse Aide on charges of Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree, Endangering the Welfare of an Incompetent or Physically Disabled Person in the First Degree, and Wilful Violation of Health Laws. Grover was arraigned in Syracuse City Court before the Honorable Judge Kate Rosenthal

U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Administrator Denise Turner Roth and Congressman Gregory W. Meeks outlined how the President’s Fiscal Year 2017 budget request for GSA invests in federal infrastructure, including an $8.5 million request for a repair and alteration project for the modernization of the Joseph P. Addabbo Federal Office Building. The proposed project builds on the agency’s commitment to be an economic catalyst and stimulate job growth in communities across the nation.

New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) today announced that the City of Geneva received an $80,000 NYS Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Small Business Program award it requested to help CCMI, Inc., a successful local manufacturing company, expand.

As Contract Expiration Date Looms, New York Security Officers March for Good Jobs and Benefits. With the contract deadline fast approaching on April 30, hundreds of security officers—members of 32BJ SEIU—marched through downtown Manhattan Monday, April 4 at 4 pm to demand a fair contract.

Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced the indictment of Riadel Manzano, 44 of East Williston, on charges of Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree and Tampering with Physical Evidence for giving falsified records to a NYS Department of Health Investigator at a Woodmere nursing home

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie today announced that the 2016-2017 SFY Budget includes an additional $200 million for the NYS Water Infrastructure Improvement Act to assist municipalities in funding water quality infrastructure projects. The grant program was initiated last year by the Assembly to address the financial crisis that many localities face when securing funding for waste water and drinking water infrastructure projects

Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie and Environmental Conservation Committee Chair Steve Englebright today announced the 2016-17 SFY Budget approved by the Legislature will provide $500 million for important environmental programs, including $200 million in additional funds for water infrastructure improvements and $300 million for the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF). The budget's increase of more than $120 million to the EPF will pay for initiatives that prevent and identify water contamination, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, eradicate invasive species and address climate change.

Congressman Gregory W. Meeks was joined by GSA Administrator Denise Turner Roth and local elected officials on a tour of the Joseph P. Addabbo Federal Building. Congressman Meeks and GSA Administrator Roth highlighted the $8.5 million request in President Obama’s FY 2017 budget that would repair and modernize the Joseph P. Addabbo Federal Building originally constructed in 1989.