Leaders from communities large and small in the Finger Lakes are banding together to help each other open schools a little more than a month from now. 

The goal of the task force, which was convened by Common Ground Health, is to help ensure the health and safety of students, staff and the larger community by sharing approaches, experiences, and when possible, resources.

More than 40 leaders from public health, health care, education, government and nonprofits are involved in the group.

New York, fearing the financial implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, has decided to pull an item from this year’s ballot that would have asked voters to decide if the state should borrow $3 billion to fund a series of environmental projects related to climate change.

The Restore Mother Nature Bond Act, as it was called, was pulled from the ballot Thursday by the state Division of Budget over concerns about the state’s finances.

A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to halt a public charge rule in light of the coronavirus pandemic. 

For the first time in its 141-year history, Seabreeze will not open for the summer season this year.

The Norris family, which operates the park billed as “Rochester’s only family-owned and operated amusement park,” said they had been prepared for opening during Phase 4 of the state’s reopening plan on June 26. The park operators said they had a COVID-19 safety plan ready to go.

Since April, New York state has required people to wear masks when they are outside of their own homes and cannot maintain 6 feet of distance from each other.

That rule has two exceptions: Children under 2 years old, and people who cannot “medically tolerate a face-covering” are not required to wear masks.

The first exception is clear, but the second remains open for interpretation even months after Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s executive order took effect, said Dr. Mical Raz, a professor of history and health policy at the University of Rochester.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has written a letter to New York’s congressional delegation, urging them not to settle for a federal stimulus package that does not include aid to states hard hit by the coronavirus.

The plea comes as talks between House Democrats and Senate Republicans in Washington are down to the wire.

The Trump Administration has signed a deal to give a $765 million loan to Eastman Kodak, so that the company can produce critical components for pharmaceuticals.

Trump Administration and Kodak officials say this new venture should create at least 300 jobs in Rochester, the home of the 130-year-old company which has had tough times in recent years after digital photography largely replaced film.  A new division will see Kodak produce components used in generic drugs.

People traveling to New York from more than two-thirds of the country will now have to quarantine for at least two weeks upon entering the state, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday, after infection rates in three more states exceeded New York’s threshold.

A total of 34 states are now on New York’s quarantine list, meaning their infection rates are high enough that residents could pose a risk to New Yorkers upon entering the state.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo reacted angrily Monday to news that a new plan to be released by Republicans in the U.S. Senate will not include aid to states and local governments hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic. 

Republicans, who hold the majority in the U.S. Senate, are unlikely to propose additional money in their federal stimulus proposal for state and local governments suffering economic impact from the pandemic. 

Democrats, who are in charge in the House, want to include up to $1 trillion in aid.

A recent report from the Government Accountability Office says that the International Joint Commission, the agency that helps regulate water levels on Lake Ontario, needs to do a better job of communicating with the public.

The report was issued last week by the GAO, which is a non-partisan watchdog agency that reports to Congress. Its report focused on the way IJC has communicated elements of Plan 2014 than the controversy over the technical aspects of the plan, which regulates water levels on Lake Ontario.