The Votes Are In And The Suffolk County Board of Election Is a Winner!

“Things went very well”.  That’s how Ivan Young, assistant to Suffolk County Board of Election Commissioners, described the County’s experience with the new voting machines. Young stated “we had a good experience yesterday and unlike some other areas, our polling locations opened on time and with the exception of one minor incident, which involved a twenty minute down time, we had no problems.”

Even though things went well.  For some people  change is difficult and there are those who will always prefer the older lever machines.  But that is not an option for New York which mandated the use of new machines in the 2005 New York State Election Reform Modernization Act.  The use of lever machines was banned after 2007.  The county was forced into compliance by 2010.

Suffolk County BOE took steps to ensure a smooth transition into the new machines.  Election workers were trained.  Political parties and organizations like the League of Women Voters orchestrated training for  their members and the  public giving them the opportunity to learn how to use the machine prior to Election Day.  The BOE also surveyed all the polling facilities and evaluated the sites for their ability to accommodate the machines and the public. 

Each polling area was equipped with an “Ask Ed” device that lists every registered voter in Suffolk County.  This electronic device allows polling officials to determine whether or not a person is registered and if they have a party affiliation.  If a person is not located on the “Ask Ed” device, the person can fill out an affidavit vote and the legitimacy of the vote is determined at a later date.  For those who have special needs and are unable to use the new machines, a ballot marking device is available at every location. 

Closing up the new machines takes a slightly longer than the lever machines because the process is more involved. But even with the additional work required,  95% of the vote tallies were called in to the Board of Elections by 10:30 pm while in other counties they were still counting the votes.

All of this is to ensure that every one who is eligible to vote has the opportunity to vote. Suffolk County is ready for the November elections.

CUOMO ANNOUNCES AGREEMENT STOPPING SOFTWARE COMPANY “ECHOMETRIX” FROM SELLING CHILDREN’S PRIVATE ONLINE CONVERSATIONS TO MARKETERS

NEW YORK, NY (September 15, 2010) – Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo today announced a settlement that stops the software company Echometrix from gathering information from children’s private online conversations and offering it to paying marketers.

Echometrix is a New York-based software company that sells parental Internet monitoring software which allows parents and guardians to keep track of what their children do on the Internet.  In June 2009, Echometrix began offering a program to companies called “Pulse” that used its Internet monitoring software to secretly collect and analyze portions of children’s private online instant messaging conversations.  Pulse was marketed as a way for third party companies to get insight into what children privately said about products and services.  Echometrix did not disclose to parents and guardians that its Internet monitoring programs were collecting and analyzing children’s conversations for marketing purposes.  

“Echometrix sells software that protects children by gathering information for parents about what their kids are doing online, but at the same time it was marketing its data to outside companies without its customer’s knowledge,” said Attorney General Cuomo.  “This settlement prevents Echometrix from using the guise of children’s safety to undermine children’s privacy.  As my office works to ensure that the Internet is a safe place for children, we encourage all parents and guardians to maintain an active interest in what their children are doing online.”  

Under the settlement, Echometrix has agreed that it will not analyze or share with third parties any private communications, information, or online activity to which they have access.  Echometrix will also pay a $100,000 penalty to the State of New York.  Echometrix, which cooperated with the Attorney General’s office, ceased offering the Pulse product after the Attorney General commenced his investigation.

Parry Aftab, a nationally renowned lawyer specializing in Internet privacy and security law and founder of wiredsafety.org, said, “This is an exceptional case where a company claiming they were providing child protection technologies used those technologies to invade their privacy instead.  No company should sacrifice a child’s privacy for their personal profit.  Attorney General Cuomo has stepped in once again to help protect children and families.”

This case was handled by Acting Chief of the Internet Bureau Karen Geduldig, under the supervision of Deputy Attorney General for Economic Justice Michael Berlin and Executive Deputy Attorney General for Economic Justice Maria Vullo.

If It Sounds Too Good To Be True - It Probably Is!

Labor Department Warns New Yorkers About Online Employment Scams

 

Albany, NY (September 12, 2010) -

Today State Labor Commissioner Colleen C. Gardner alerted all New Yorkers on the growing number of online employment scam promising high salaries for very little work.  These solicitations are appearing on social media pages like Facebook and e-mail in boxes designed to lure desperate job seekers.  The Labor Department was notified of this scam by several job seekers who use the Labor Department’s Facebook page.

“In these difficult times, with so many New Yorkers desperately seeking employment, the idea of these predators targeting our vulnerable citizens is appalling,” said Labor Commissioner Colleen C. Gardner.  “These ‘jobs’ are not endorsed by the Department of Labor. If you want real jobs, we have them for you.  I encourage all unemployed New Yorkers to use our new Job Bank and visit a local One-Stop Career Center.”

Some suggestions for avoided these rip-off artists:

• In your e-mails, don’t open any unsolicited e-mails or any unscanned attachments, even if the attachments are from people with whom you usually communicate.
• In your Facebook pages and Twitter accounts, don’t “friend” recklessly and be especially wary of any unsolicited invitations.
• And never provide personal information except to a completely trusted and secure site.

  Remember the old saying - if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

And finally, if you feel you’ve been a victim of one of the scams contact your local law enforcement agency.

SHOOTING ON MAIN STREET IN SMITHTOWN

Shooting on Main Street

By Erica Jackson

This evening, around 5:00pm police say a Smithtown Parks police officer heard gun shots fired on Main Street. Upon arrival, the officer heard additional shots fired from an upper-level apartment on the south side of Main street near Maple Avenue.  Suffolk County Police officers, as well as Smithtown Fire Department ambulance were on the scene within minutes.

 

According to police, the gunman, who is now in custody, shot at cars on Main Street.  No one was injured, but two cars were hit, one of which is now missing one of its windows.

 

Police say several of the apartment’s occupants, two males, a female and a 21-month-old baby came out of the apartment on their own, however, a third male, who police have identified as the shooter, had to be removed by police.

 

Police have not yet released any other details.

Update on Wednesday, September 15, 2010 at 8:17AM by .

Suffolk County Police have arrested a Farmingville man for firing a pellet gun at two moving vehicles on West Main Street in Smithtown on Tuesday, September 14.

Police received calls at approximately 5 p.m. reporting that a man in a second floor apartment at 118 West Main St. was firing shots on West Main Street near Maple Avenue in Smithtown, damaging the windows of two moving vehicles. Responding officers, with the assistance of the Emergency Service Section, surrounded the building and located the suspect.

Curtis Windheim, 24, of 30 Linden Lane, Farmingville, was arrested at approximately 6:30 p.m. and taken to St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center of Smithtown for evaluation.

Windheim was charged with Reckless Endangerment 1st Degree, two counts of Criminal Mischief 4th Degree, and Resisting Arrest.

The investigation is continuing. Detectives are asking anyone who may have seen the incident or has any additional information to contact the Fourth Squad at 631-854-8452 or call anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.

A criminal charge is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Newt Gingrich Endorses Randy Altschuler

Washington, DC - Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, today endorsed Randy Altschuler to represent New York’s First Congressional District:

“I am proud to endorse Randy Altschuler for Congress.

“Randy came from a single family household, worked his way through Princeton and Harvard Business School and then started his own company. In just six years, he grew that business to thousands of employees. He achieved his success through hard work and entrepreneurial spirit. His record of achievement is a genuine American success story.

“Randy became a conservative Republican the old fashioned way; he felt the bite of the taxman and the sting of government red tape and regulation. He is a husband and a father who wants a better future for his son and the children of his community. He’s a job creator who understands that career politicians are killing jobs with high taxes and that ever growing deficits are jeopardizing our American way of life. He’s a patriot who realizes that as a nation we will attain peace through strength, not through appeasement.

“In short, Randy Altschuler is exactly the type of leader America needs in Congress today.”