California takes high speed rail funding

Legislators in California approved a measure to introduce high speed rail to the golden state. High speed rail has long been a dream of some politicians in New York, including US Senator Chuck Schumer. In passing the measure that legalized work on the project California snapped up federal money that had originally been earmarked for a high speed rail project in Florida. That project had been rejected as too expensive by Florida voter, leaving the money orphaned. Following the failure of the Florida project, Sen. Schumer had promoted the idea of installing high speed rail lines in New York, however, that idea fell by the wayside in the face of New York’s budget crisis.

Consumer confidence up in Western New York

In spite of the flagging economy and persistent unemployment, consumer confidence remained strong in Western New York for the period April-June. Sienna pollsters recorded a confidence level of 78.7 points, the second highest in New York after the New York City region. Other areas of the state improved in confidence, with Albany rising to match the Rochester area. “After huge confidence gains in every area during the first quarter, only Albany continued to experience a substantial increase while Buffalo, Mid Hudson and Rochester had modest gains,” Siena Research Institute director Douglas Lonnstrom said.