radioNOVO News NY News Roundup for August 20, 2926

Good morning. Here is your New York State Roundup.In healthcare news, New York ranks third-worst in the nation for hospital patient experience according to a new analysis of federal survey data. The state averaged two-point-seven-six out of five stars across one hundred thirty-four hospitals, trailing the national average of three-point-two-nine. Rankings were evaluated on medical staff responsiveness, communication, and overall patient satisfaction, with only Florida and New Jersey receiving lower average ratings.Turning to state government, capital leaders in Albany are warning of what they call the city’s most serious fiscal crisis in decades. Midyear budget figures released by Mayor Dorcey Applyrs reveal a projected twenty-two-million-dollar deficit for this year and a thirty-three-million-dollar gap next year, driven by rising employee health insurance costs, higher debt payments, and surging overtime expenses. City leaders have requested an independent audit from State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli before presenting their upcoming budget.In Western New York, a state of emergency remains in effect for the city of Niagara Falls. Mayor Rob Restaino declared the emergency over deteriorating roadways and widespread property blight, blaming city council members for failing to approve necessary funding. Restaino says the thirty-day emergency order could be extended as the city works to address public safety risks.In judicial news out of Buffalo, a man has been sentenced for a second time in a decades-old murder case. Brian Scott Lorenz was sentenced to thirty-seven-and-a-half years in prison for the nineteen-ninety-three killing of Deborah Meindl. Lorenz originally received the same sentence in nineteen-ninety-four, but his conviction was wiped out in twenty-twenty-three before prosecutors secured a new conviction.And in consumer news across the Empire State, drivers are seeing a slight break at the pump this week, with Triple-A reporting the average price for regular fuel in New York down to four dollars and twelve cents a gallon.For more news from across the state and your local community, download the radioNOVO app. I’m Codi Gaboff, radioNOVO News, a service of Seven Mountains Media.