Dear eNews Reader,
Our Legislative Session ended earlier this month. Since then I’ve been enjoying many of our local activities like the Greek Festival, St. Anthony’s, Sacred Heart Ukrainian Festival, Vestal Front Street Days, Rumble Ponies Baseball, and more. We’re now gearing up to celebrate the Rod Serling Centennial: 1924-2024. The Serling statue will be going up in Rec Park this summer and there will be other activities going on to celebrate the centennial of Rod Serling’s birth on Christmas Day.
Donna
BU Launches Energy Storage Initiative in Johnson City
Last week, I was invited to the official kick-off of the National Science Foundation (NSF): Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine at the former Gannett Building in Johnson City. Led by Binghamton University, Battery NY will play a central role in our country’s clean energy future. The New Energy New York team has put in years of hard work to help our area become a federally designated hub for battery innovation and manufacturing.
Honored to Receive “Excellence in Leadership Award”
The Early Care & Learning Council is the coordinating agency for Child Care Resource Centers across the state. I was honored to receive the “Excellence in Leadership” Award at their annual meeting earlier this month. A special thank you to Jenn Perney and everyone at the Family Enrichment Network who nominated me. I have always prioritized high quality, affordable child care for all, and will continue to advocate for universal child care in NYS.
Memorial Pool & Splash Pad Opens in Vestal
Little Venice Receives Historic Designation
Little Venice became the first local business in my Assembly District to be placed on the NYS Historic Business Preservation Registry. With this designation, the restaurant is now featured on the program’s interactive online map and will display an official registry certificate and window decal. I nominated them because as Binghamton’s oldest Italian restaurant, they have made a significant contribution to the city’s history and identity during their 78 years in business. In addition to their food, I also enjoy the extensive art collection they have on display in the restaurant. I look forward to more businesses receiving this designation in the months ahead.
Commissioner Bray and SUNY Chancellor King Visit Broome
Earlier this month, Jackie Bray, Commissioner of the NYS Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Services, visited the O.L. Davis Fire Company in Endwell. She presented four new firefighters with funds from our new Volunteer Firefighter Training Stipend Program. We put these funds in the state budget to make it easier to attract new volunteers into the fire service. We can never thank these firefighters enough for the work they do to protect our communities.
Last week, SUNY Chancellor John King visited Binghamton University, where representatives from 25 SUNY schools learned how to incorporate BU’s Community Schools model into their own campuses. He then visited SUNY Broome for a tour of the Decker Health Science Center and participated in a Healthcare Workforce Roundtable. The Chancellor, alongside President Tony Hawkins, announced that SUNY Broome would be hiring new healthcare faculty and providing additional mental health services to students with funds we included in this year’s state budget.
