Congressman Bill Owens announced an Agricultural Advisory Committee for New York's 21st Congressional District. This Committee consists of members of the farm community from across the district and is intended to help advise Congressman Owens on the needs of New York farmers and provide a local perspective on farm policy for his work in Washington. Mr. Owens will hold an inaugural meeting via conference call with the group next week where he will give them an update on the Farm Bill's progress in Washington and get the Committee's initial input on what they would like to see in the Farm Bill. The over 40 person member committee is preliminary and more members will be added later on. Loren and Chris Bush, Sue Maring, & Joe Shultz are the Lewis County representatives on the committee.
In our How They Voted Segment for the past week, in the US Senate, a bill to restore States' sovereign rights to enforce State and local sales and use tax laws passed 69-27. A bill to provide for the conservation and development of water and related resources & to authorize the Secretary of the Army to construct various projects for improvements to rivers and harbors of the United States passed 83-14 with both Senators Schumer & Gillibrand voting yes on those bills. In the House of Representatives, the Reducing Flight Delays Act passed 361-41, while the Vietnam Veterans Donor Acknowledgment Act passed 398-2. Both Congressman Hanna & Congressman Owens voted yes. A bill requiring that the Government prioritize all obligations on the debt held by the public in the event that the debt limit is reached passed 221-207. A bill to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and health care-related provisions in the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act passed 229-195. Congressman Hanna voted yes & Congressman Owens voted no on these bills.
The autopsy has been completed in the death of a 29 year old Lewis County man who was allegedly killed by his own father. Lewis County Sheriff's Investigators report that Lyle Devoy Jr. was killed following an argument with his father, 56 year old Lyle Devoy Sr. According to the autopsy results, Devoy Jr. died of a single gunshot wound to the upper right torso. Investigators report that the father & son were in the middle of an argument on Stillwater Road in the Town of Watson on Sunday night when Devoy Sr. allegedly fired a single shot from a 20 gauge shotgun at his son. Devoy Sr. is charged with murder 2nd degree & is currently in the Lewis County Jail, he's reportedly has waived his right to a preliminary hearing & the case has now been moved to Lewis County Court, where it will likely go before a grand jury.
A 27 year old Croghan man is facing a charge of harassment 2nd degree. Lowville Police report that Eric Fowler was charged with allegedly threatening to punch another person. He will answer the charge in Village of Lowville Court.
A 29 year old Carthage woman is facing a charge in the City of Watertown. City Police report that Eliesha Miner was charged with petit larceny for allegedly stealing $12.50 in merchandise from the Family Dollar store. She will answer the charge May 21st in City Court.
Most of the military's civilian workforce will be required to take 11 unpaid leave days this year as part of an effort to save money in the face of mandatory budget cuts. Pentagon officials announced this week that most workers will be required to take one unpaid day a week between July 8th and September 30th, which is the end of this fiscal year. These furloughs will save the Defense Department an estimated $1.8 billion and affect more than 600,000 civilian workers. Planners had initially considered requiring 22 days of unpaid leave. Some workers deemed essential will not be subject to the unpaid leave, such as civilian workers deployed in a combat zone and shipyard workers, because they provide maintenance for nuclear-powered ships. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the Pentagon has already cut back on training and deployments, which are doing serious harm to military readiness. The Air Force has or will soon stop flying about one-third of its combat squadrons in the active forces. The Navy and Marine Corps are cutting back on training and deployments.
