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Cayuga Medical Center renovates cardiac catheterization lab
ITHACA, N.Y. — Cayuga Medical Center in Ithaca has completed what it calls a “major renovation” of its cardiac catheterization lab, replacing previous generation equipment with a new GE Allia IGS 7 system. The six-month renovation “marks a significant investment in patient care and safety, delivering faster, clearer imaging with lower radiation exposure and greater […]
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ITHACA, N.Y. — Cayuga Medical Center in Ithaca has completed what it calls a “major renovation” of its cardiac catheterization lab, replacing previous generation equipment with a new GE Allia IGS 7 system.
The six-month renovation “marks a significant investment in patient care and safety, delivering faster, clearer imaging with lower radiation exposure and greater efficiency for lifesaving cardiac and interventional radiology (IR) procedures,” the hospital contended in its June 19 announcement.
The new GE Allia system offers high-definition imaging that enables providers to clearly see the heart and blood vessels to identify blockages or narrowing, which is “critical” for fast, accurate diagnosis and treatment of heart attacks and other conditions.
The advanced system reduces radiation exposure for both patients and staff and incorporates robotic-assisted positioning and laser guidance to streamline procedures and support workflow efficiency.
“We are incredibly excited about the capabilities this new technology brings to our community,” Carrie Westlake, system director of cardiopulmonary and sleep services at Cayuga Medical Center, said in the announcement. “Time is muscle when it comes to a heart attack. These improvements not only help us deliver faster interventions but also ensure our team can work more efficiently and safely. This is a major step forward in our ability to provide excellent cardiac and interventional care right here in Ithaca.”
The renovation also included changes to the cath lab layout, “improving accessibility, procedural awareness, and patient flow.” With two fully functional procedure rooms now online, the likelihood of service interruptions like temporary STEMI (ST-elevation myocardial infarction) diversions is “significantly reduced.” This ensures “more reliable access to critical care” during emergencies.
Cayuga Medical Center’s catheterization lab also holds accreditation as both a Chest Pain Center and a Catheterization Lab from the American College of Cardiology, “reflecting its commitment to the highest standards in heart care,” per the announcement.
Cayuga Medical Center is part of Centralus Health, an affiliation of Cayuga Health and Arnot Health systems in Ithaca and Elmira, respectively.
Genius NY program selects 11 semifinalists for this year’s competition
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Five companies from the U.S., five from Europe, and one from South America are among the 11 semifinalists chosen for this year’s
SRC to deliver counter-UAS technologies to Qatar in $1B agreement with federal government
CICERO, N.Y. — SRC, Inc. says it will deliver a suite of its advanced counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS) technologies to international buyers as a part of a $1 billion foreign-military sales agreement between the U.S. government and the country of Qatar. It marks the first international sale of the U.S. Army’s fixed site–low, slow, small,
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CICERO, N.Y. — SRC, Inc. says it will deliver a suite of its advanced counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS) technologies to international buyers as a part of a $1 billion foreign-military sales agreement between the U.S. government and the country of Qatar.
It marks the first international sale of the U.S. Army’s fixed site–low, slow, small, unmanned aircraft system integrated defeat system (LIDS), “underscoring SRC’s role as a global leader in the defense against UAS threats,” per the company’s announcement.
Based in Cicero, SRC, Inc. is a nonprofit defense research and development company.
SRC’s LIDS technologies are engineered to detect, track, identify and defeat unmanned aircraft systems, which are a “growing threat” in modern conflict zones. Under this agreement, SRC will deliver mission-critical technologies that enable detection and “robust electronic-warfare capabilities” to international buyers for the first time.
These technologies allow for layered defense at fixed-site locations and provide real-time situational awareness and threat response, SRC said. The inclusion of LIDS in the agreement “highlights the urgency with which nations are addressing the rising threat” of unmanned systems to critical infrastructure and defense operations.
“We’re proud that our proven systems will be deployed internationally to secure critical airspace, defend warfighters and protect high-value infrastructure,” Kevin Hair, president and CEO of SRC, Inc., said in the announcement. “In today’s rapidly evolving threat landscape, advanced sensing and electronic warfare capabilities are essential. This achievement reflects the strength of the LIDS team, the trust placed in us by our government partners and the operational relevance of American-engineered solutions.”
Ithaca seeks project proposals in advance of DRI application
ITHACA, N.Y. — The City of Ithaca is applying for the New York State Downtown Revitalization Initiative’s (DRI) ninth round of funding. If selected, Ithaca
ALBANY, N.Y. — Hunters harvested an estimated 223,304 deer during the 2024-25 hunting season, up 6.4 percent from 209,781 deer in the 2023-24 hunting season,
State Parks releases newly redesigned park and historic site system map
ALBANY, N.Y. — The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) on June 16 announced the release of an updated New
VIEWPOINT: Supreme Court Sets Legal Standard for Students Claiming Disability Discrimination
The Supreme Court recently issued a unanimous decision in A. J. T. v. Osseo Area Schools, Independent School Dist. No. 279 that changes the standard for students pursuing disability-discrimination claims against schools under Section 504. The case was initiated by the parents of a teenager with epilepsy that caused her to be unable to attend
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The Supreme Court recently issued a unanimous decision in A. J. T. v. Osseo Area Schools, Independent School Dist. No. 279 that changes the standard for students pursuing disability-discrimination claims against schools under Section 504.
The case was initiated by the parents of a teenager with epilepsy that caused her to be unable to attend school before noon. The student’s parents requested the school district provide the student with evening instruction to compensate for her inability to attend a full school day. The district denied this request. The parents prevailed at special education due process and subsequent federal appeals as the district was unable to demonstrate it offered the student a free appropriate public education (FAPE) when the student was educated for 4.25 hours per day compared to the 6.5-hour day of her general education peers. The district was ordered to provide several hundred hours of compensatory education and at-home instruction on the student’s individualized education program (IEP) from 4:30-6 p.m. each school day.
The parents then initiated another action under Section 504 and requested a permanent injunction, reimbursement for costs and compensatory damages. This action was dismissed based on a previous federal standard that required a plaintiff to prove the conduct by school officials rose to the level of bad faith or gross misjudgment. The lower court held that a “school district’s simple failure to provide a reasonable accommodation is not enough to trigger liability” under Section 504.
The Supreme Court disagreed with the lower courts’ opinions and ruled the standard for a student’s Section 504 claim should be the same as discrimination claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Rehabilitation Act. Such claims under the ADA and Rehabilitation Act do not require the plaintiff to prove intentional discrimination through bad faith or gross misjudgment as was previously required by some federal courts for Section 504. Rather, to be entitled to compensatory damages, such claims are subject to the “deliberate indifference” standard — which only requires demonstrating the “defendant disregarded a strong likelihood that the challenged action violated federally protected rights.”
The Supreme Court found it was not equitable to impose a higher standard for students alleging discrimination under Section 504 when compared with general discrimination claims under the ADA and Rehabilitation Act. The court therefore remanded the student’s claim for further consideration under the deliberate indifference standard.
Students with qualifying disabilities who attend schools that receive federal funding are protected against disability discrimination under Section 504. This includes students with IEPs, Section 504 Plans (due to having a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities) and those who have a record of a 504 impairment or are regarded as having such an impairment.
Therefore, this ruling from the Supreme Court has made it easier for students with disabilities to obtain compensatory damages from their schools when such schools are found to have disregarded a strong likelihood that their actions violated a student’s federal rights. In practice, such cases are rare. Regardless, this case highlights the importance of federally funded schools addressing the needs of students with disabilities in a manner that is consistent with the law.
Anne M. McGinnis, Ph.D., is a member (partner) in the Rochester office of Syracuse–based Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC. Contact her at amcginnis@bsk.com. Jeffrey J. Weiss is a member (partner) in Bond’s Buffalo office. Contact him at jweiss@bsk.com. This article was drawn and edited from the law firm’s website.
Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital’s pediatrics office opens in Clay
CLAY — Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital is now operating a new pediatrics medical office at 8687 Carling Road in the town of Clay, which it formally opened back in early May. The space is located near the Wegmans Great Northern store along Route 31. The move to the new facility represents a relocation of Upstate
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CLAY — Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital is now operating a new pediatrics medical office at 8687 Carling Road in the town of Clay, which it formally opened back in early May.
The space is located near the Wegmans Great Northern store along Route 31.
The move to the new facility represents a relocation of Upstate Pediatrics from the Baldwinsville area, per the announcement. The relocation is necessary as Upstate had outgrown the Baldwinsville space.
The move also consolidates Upstate practices — including PMR and Patient Blood Draw Service Center — into one location.
A new physical medicine and rehabilitation (PMR) site opened in the same Carling Road location in May 2024, Upstate noted.
The new site more than doubles the size of the practice from 5,600 square feet and 12 exam rooms to 12,133 square feet and 20 exam rooms with a special room to monitor behavioral-health concerns.
Upstate Pediatrics at Upstate Medical Clay includes six physicians, one behavioral health licensed social worker, and a part-time behavioral health nurse practitioner.
“We’re poised for growth and expansion of services in this location,” Dr. Gregory Conners, executive director of Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital and professor and chair of pediatrics, said in the Upstate announcement. “The desire for our pediatric services is growing and we need to accommodate patients and families in a top-tier setting, which we have today.”
The location includes a child-friendly waiting room and a color-coded way finding system to direct patients to the right exam room, as well as colorful murals in each exam room, Upstate said.
Parson-McKenna Construction Co. of Salina and Argus Engineering of DeWitt helped work on the renovation effort, while King + King Architects of Syracuse was the project designer, Upstate said.
Officials also look at the larger facility as a way to accommodate the population growth expected in the area in the next several years due to the impact of the Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: MU) project.
Prior to Upstate services moving into the building, the space was previously occupied by Bryant and Stratton College, which moved out in 2020.
Ask Rusty: Can My Husband Work Part Time and Collect SS?
Dear Rusty: I am writing to you on behalf of my husband. His intentions are to go part time as of Jan. 1, 2026, working 30 hours a week and take Social Security (SS) benefits as supplemental income. How can we determine what his SS benefit would be with him still working part time? He
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Dear Rusty: I am writing to you on behalf of my husband. His intentions are to go part time as of Jan. 1, 2026, working 30 hours a week and take Social Security (SS) benefits as supplemental income. How can we determine what his SS benefit would be with him still working part time? He will be 63 years and 7 months old next January and has not yet applied for benefits.
Signed: Anxious for Information
Dear Anxious: If he claims SS at age 63 and 7 months, your husband’s benefit will be about 78 percent of what it would be if he waited until age 67 to claim. And, since your husband will not yet have reached his SS full retirement age (FRA), he will be subject to Social Security’s Annual Earning Test (AET), which limits how much he can earn while working and collecting early Social Security retirement benefits. The amount he can earn without paying a penalty changes yearly but, for reference, the earnings limit for 2025 is $23,400 per year. If his work earnings exceed the annual limit, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will take away some of his benefits. Using the 2025 limit as an example, if your husband’s annual 2025 earnings were $40,000, then he would owe about $8,300 (half of the amount he exceeded the limit by). The SSA would withhold his monthly benefits for enough months to recover what he owes for exceeding the earnings limit (how many months it withholds would be determined by his monthly SS benefit amount).
FYI, the earnings test lasts until your husband reaches his full retirement age (his FRA is age 67), but in the year he attains his FRA the penalty for exceeding the limit is less — $1 for every $3 over the limit — and the limit is much higher. The annual earnings test no longer applies once your husband reaches his FRA.
When your husband applies for his SS retirement benefit, the SSA will ask about his work plans and how much he expects to earn each year. Based upon that information, if he expects to exceed the annual limit the SSA will pay his benefits for some months of the year (depending on his projected earnings) and withhold his benefits for the remaining months. It will also monitor his annual earnings as reported to the IRS and make any appropriate benefit adjustment afterwards.
If SS benefits are withheld because your husband exceeded the annual earnings limit, when he reaches his FRA of 67, the SSA will give him time-credit for all months that benefits were withheld. Essentially, it will advance his actual claim date by the number of months benefits were withheld, which will make his monthly benefit higher at his FRA. The higher amount he receives after reaching his FRA will help him recover some of the money withheld as a result of exceeding the earnings limit before his FRA.
Please note that it is always best to inform the SSA up front if your husband plans to work and earn (even part time) prior to reaching his FRA. The IRS will provide the SSA with your husband’s earnings information, and SSA will (if his projected earnings weren’t disclosed when he applied) issue an Overpayment Notice if he earns more than allowed. He will then be required to repay the SSA everything owed, or have his benefits withheld until the SSA recovers what he owes.
One final point: by claiming his benefits in January 2026, your husband’s monthly amount will be reduced by about 22 percent (from the amount he would get at his FRA of 67). Claiming early (before FRA) always results in a benefit reduction, whereas waiting longer than FRA to claim always results in a higher monthly amount (maximum benefit is reached at age 70).
Russell Gloor is a national Social Security advisor at the AMAC Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC). The 2.4-million-member AMAC says it is a senior advocacy organization. Send your questions to: ssadvisor@amacfoundation.org.
Author’s note: This article is intended for information purposes only and does not represent legal or financial guidance. It presents the opinions and interpretations of the AMAC Foundation’s staff, trained, and accredited by the National Social Security Association (NSSA). The NSSA and the AMAC Foundation and its staff are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any other governmental entity.
OPINION: Modest Steps, Major Gaps in New York Legislative Session
As is often the case in New York state, a broken legislative process paired with misguided priorities yielded little of merit during this legislative session. It seems the 2025 session will likely be remembered more for an obvious lack of productivity and missed opportunities than anything else. New Yorkers deserve thoughtful action but were instead
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As is often the case in New York state, a broken legislative process paired with misguided priorities yielded little of merit during this legislative session. It seems the 2025 session will likely be remembered more for an obvious lack of productivity and missed opportunities than anything else. New Yorkers deserve thoughtful action but were instead met with political theater and half-measures.
The state legislature again failed to fix New York’s floundering economy and sky-high cost of living, and in many ways, the $254 billion budget passed earlier this year will add to, not mitigate, the substantial costs burdening taxpayers. While it was promising to see legislation enabling the state to improve our public-assistance programs (A.2497), a measure to allow individuals to register for the Donate Life Registry through personal income-tax electronic filings (A.7011-A) and the “Alexander John Smullen Traffic Safety Memorial Law,” which will establish a traffic safety sign program to memorialize the victims of fatal vehicle collisions, pass the legislature, not enough was done to truly make life better for our state’s residents.
We needed aggressive, targeted cost-reducing policies paired with a real plan to retain and add jobs in New York. This year’s agenda felt more like strategic procrastination than an honest effort to address the many issues plaguing taxpayers and residents.
New York has been on the wrong track for years. Residents continue to flee thanks to a toxic tax and business climate, we’ve committed to an unworkable and wildly expensive green-energy agenda that will make our grid less reliable, and our criminal-justice system remains broken and inadequate. What will it take for real progress? How much more expensive and dangerous is New York going to have to get before something is done?
I was deeply disappointed to see things like doctor-assisted suicide and the blatant manipulation of judicial-district composition take priority over the state’s affordability crisis. The recently passed collection of correctional-services legislation omitted critical fixes like ending the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement Act, and the voices of our front-line officers were practically ignored in the legislative process.
And despite resounding opposition from those it will impact most, school districts were only given the option to apply for a waiver that would delay the zero-emission school-bus mandate for up to four years, but the policy itself ultimately remains in place. These are huge failures.
The Assembly Minority Conference has proposed numerous fixes to the problems hitting New Yorkers the hardest, like creating a commission to identify wasteful spending and conducting a cost-benefit analysis of the state’s climate agenda — which were each ignored. We had bills to audit the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, require valid identification to ensure fair elections, and prohibit local governments from hindering immigration enforcement rebuked as well.
The fact is Gov. Kathy Hochul and her legislative allies again passed up the chance to address our state’s prohibitive cost of living, regulatory burdens, rampant antisemitism and unrealistic climate agenda. There was simply not enough substantive policy passed in the first half of 2025. It is too expensive to live in New York, and until the legislature and governor confront that reality head-on, I suspect more of the same in the coming months and years.
William (Will) A. Barclay, 56, Republican, is the New York Assembly minority leader and represents the 120th New York Assembly District, which encompasses all of Oswego County, as well as parts of Jefferson and Cayuga counties.
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