Meaghan M. McDermott Rochester Democrat and Chronicle Published 5:43 p.m. UTC Aug 13, 2018 Following a push by U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has signed off on a Rochester program that helps put families back into formerly "zombie" homes. Schumer on Wednesday visited a recently renovated home on Albemarle Street in Rochester to announce he'd sent a letter to HUD Secretary Ben Carson asking that the agency expedite approvals for the city's Asset Control Area Renewal Agreements, a program that had been in limbo since February. That program lets Rochester buy at low cost homes that had been foreclosed by the Federal Housing Administration. More: HUD foot-dragging imperils Rochester efforts to battle zombie homes Via its HOME Rochester initiative, since 2003 the city has used the ACA program to rehabilitate 750 formerly vacant foreclosed homes and sell them back to first-time homebuyers. “While the City of Rochester is … [Read more...] about Schumer helps secure federal approval for Rochester anti-zombie home program
Charles schumer
Schumer calls for more inspectors following rail bridge collapse
window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-c', container: 'taboola-interstitial-gallery-thumbnails-4', placement: 'Interstitial Gallery Thumbnails 4', target_type: 'mix' }); _taboola.push({flush: true}); Image 1of/4 CaptionClose Image 1 of 4 Pieces of a railroad bridge fell onto Route 9J near Castleton-on-Hudson Feb. 20, 2018. (Martin Miller / Special to the Times Union) Pieces of a railroad bridge fell onto Route 9J near Castleton-on-Hudson Feb. 20, 2018. (Martin Miller / Special to the Times Union) Image 2 of 4 Pieces of a railroad bridge fell onto Route 9J near Castleton-on-Hudson Feb. 20, 2018. (Martin Miller / Special to the Times Union) Pieces of a railroad bridge fell onto Route 9J near Castleton-on-Hudson Feb. 20, 2018. (Martin Miller / Special to the Times Union) Image 3 of 4 Pieces of a railroad bridge fell onto Route 9J near Castleton-on-Hudson Feb. 20, 2018. (Martin Miller / Special to the Times Union) Pieces of … [Read more...] about Schumer calls for more inspectors following rail bridge collapse
Schumer asks feds for independent inspection of Syracuse rail bridges
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer urged the Federal Railroad Administration today to conduct independent inspections of privately-owned rail bridges in Syracuse, warning the partial collapse of a bridge last month was an ominous warning sign. Schumer, D-N.Y., wrote a letter today to FRA Director Ronald Batory, telling him that the agency's response to the July 5 collapse along South Clinton Street in downtown Syracuse was inadequate. Schumer said the federal government shouldn't accept the conclusion of the private railroad that owns and inspects its own bridges - the New York, Susquehanna & Western Railroad - that the Syracuse bridges are safe. "In a certain sense, it's like the fox guarding the hen house," Schumer said in a conference call with reporters. "They sort of have a bias to say the bridge is clear and all is well, even if that might not be true." New York state requires publicly-owned rail bridges to be inspected by government experts every other year. But … [Read more...] about Schumer asks feds for independent inspection of Syracuse rail bridges
Schumer renews call for more railroad bridge inspectors
Steve Orr Rochester Democrat and Chronicle Published 4:50 p.m. UTC Aug 1, 2018 Citing the recent partial collapse of a railroad bridge in downtown Syracuse, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer renewed a call Wednesday for more federal rail-bridge inspectors. Schumer, New York's senior Democratic senator, said the Federal Railroad Administration has assigned only three inspectors to watch over 3,000 railroad bridges in New York, and many more in other eastern states. "It should serve as an eye-opening wake up call," Schumer said of the incident in Syracuse. "It does not take a rail safety expert to know the math simply doesn’t add up." No one was hurt in the July 5 incident, in which concrete sidewalls along a stretch of elevated tracks fell to the roadway below. The bridge, owned by the New York, Susquehanna & Western Railway, remained standing. Railroads that own bridges that carry tracks over roads, rivers and ravines are required to inspect them annually and submit a … [Read more...] about Schumer renews call for more railroad bridge inspectors
Schumer makes final appeal for US to rescind tariff that hurts American newspapers
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer made a final public appeal Wednesday against a U.S. tariff on Canadian paper, warning that thousands of American jobs are at risk in the newspaper and publishing industry. Schumer, D-N.Y., said he hopes U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross considers the broader impact on the economy when his department decides next week whether to make the tariff permanent on uncoated groundwood paper. The paper is used as newsprint by newspapers. The Commerce Department imposed a temporary tariff of up to 22 percent in March. Schumer told Ross in a phone call earlier this month that the tariff has resulted in cutbacks and job losses at newspapers across the United States, and threatens the existence of small, community newspapers. "The only saving grace here, if you can call it that, is that these tariffs are temporary," Schumer said Wednesday in a conference call with reporters. Schumer said he made a strong case with Ross, who seemed to understand the gravity … [Read more...] about Schumer makes final appeal for US to rescind tariff that hurts American newspapers