Recent Articles from Tara Buck
IRS issues debt cancellation guidance
Primarily in response to the recent credit crunch in the United States, including mortgage foreclosures, the IRS recently issued Publication 4681, “Canceled Debts, Foreclosures, Repossessions and Abandonments.” While the primary focus of the publication relates to homeowners caught in the immediate “mortgage meltdown,” it also covers credit card debt cancellation and person[...]
Rental market summit crowds Rochester City Hall
A full house of local landlords and representatives from a variety of city neighborhood associations gathered at Rochester’s first rental market summit held Tuesday at City Hall. The summit derived from the Rochester City-Wide Housing Market Study, which last year resulted in a set of recommendations used as a guide for future planning efforts. Mayor […]
Resentencing and the Drug Law Reform Acts
The New York State Legislature enacted reforms to the “Rockefeller drug laws” to allow resentencing to reduce lengthy prison sentences previously imposed. However, resentencing under the two Drug Law Reform Acts is not automatic. The first DLRA (L 2004, ch 738, § 36), applies to a defendant who received a sentence of 15 years to […]
Realtors: Watch words when advertising
Potential homeowners often look to advertisements and home descriptions to get a better idea whether a property will fit their needs. It is a Realtor’s responsibility to ensure those ads not to discriminate or offend. According to Realtor Magazine, seemingly harmless words may trigger a complaint. The key to composing advertising that’s compliant with the […]
Construction inputs surge in May
Construction economists are predicting a slowdown in commercial construction starts this summer compared to last year as prices for materials continue to rise along with energy costs. Construction input prices rose 2.6 percent in May, according to the June 17 report of the producer price index (PPI) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Over the […]
New life for NE neighborhood
As several neighborhoods in the City of Rochester tackle blight and crime, one Northeast section is getting a facelift that could help avoid further decay. The Realtors Charitable Foundation and NeighborWorks Rochester this week announced a new partnership set up to benefit one of Rochester’s “in-the-middle” neighborhoods. RCF is committing more than $50,000 over the […]
Home sales warming up for early summer
Existing single-family home sales are up by 10.7 percent compared to last month, according statistics released last week by the Genesee Region Real Estate Information Service (GENRIS), the information subsidiary of the Greater Rochester Association of Realtors (GRAR). The number of homes listed for sale increased by 3.6 percent compared to April 2008, and decreased […]
Real estate shaping up for second half
A gain in the level of home sales is foreshadowing an improvement for the second half of the year, according to the latest market health forecast from the National Association of Realtors (NAR). The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contracts signed in April, rose 6.3 percent to 88.2 from a reading […]
Community development work honored
Last week, NeighborWorks Rochester held the sixth annual Standing Together Achieving Results (STAR) Awards, honoring winners in a variety of efforts towards community development in Rochester. Shane Bartholf was honored for economic development, having redeveloped the former Emmanuel Baptist Church, built in 1831, into the Halo Lofts at 60 Grove Place. Bartholf owns Empire Living […]
Event attempts to curb foreclosures locally
The City of Rochester, along with much of the rest of the country, is facing damaging numbers of foreclosures due to subprime and other predatory loan types. This Saturday, The Housing Council of Rochester will host its first foreclosure prevention event, designed to offer homeowners the opportunity to talk with foreclosure prevention counselors and attorneys […]
Western New York On The Move
EPIC Advisors Inc. announced Robert Newton, a business manager with the company, was awarded the Accredited Investment Fiduciary Analyst (AIFA®) designation from Fiduciary 360. The designation signifies the ability to perform fiduciary assessments measuring how well investment fiduciaries are fulfilling their duties to a defined standard of care and is the culmination of a three-day […]
Nonresidential employment down nationally, not locally
Nonresidential building construction suffered additional job losses in May as employment declined natinally by 5,900 jobs on a seasonally-adjusted basis, according to the June 6 employment report by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. In the 12-month period from May 2007 to May 2008, seasonally-adjusted, nonresidential building construction employment was down by [&hel[...]
Case Digests
- Fourth Department – Mental Hygiene Law: Charles L. v. State of New York
- Second Circuit – Medicaid and Medicare certification: U.S. ex rel. Quartararo v. Cath. Health Sys. Of Long Island Inc.
- Fourth Department – Waiver of indictment: People v. King
- Fourth Department – Speedy trial: People v. Jordan
- Fourth Department – Rosario material: People v. Dennard
- Second Circuit – Magnuson-Stevens Act: State of New York v. Raimondo
- Fourth Department – Plea: People v. Davis
- Second Circuit – Revocation of minimum sentence: Bangs v. Walter William Smith, et al.
- Fourth Department – Relation-back doctrine: CHS Inc. v. Land O’Lakes Purina Feed, et al.
- Fourth Department – Unlawful arrest: People v. Burke
- Fourth Department – Attempted criminal possession of a controlled substance: People v. Brown
- Second Circuit – Immigration: Paucar v. Garland
Law News
- N.Y. Court of Appeals reverses gun conviction
- NY board approves cannabis lawsuit settlements, paves way for retail dispensaries
- NY Court of Appeals reverses murder conviction because of illegal police search
- NY Court of Appeals reverses gun conviction over ineffective counsel
- Split court affirms gun conviction, finding search and arrest were legal
- NY appeals court vacates drug conviction over illegal police search
- Split Court of Appeals strips Police Accountability Board of disciplinary power
- Manslaughter conviction reversed after appeals court finds insufficient evidence