Dear eNews Reader,
Fall is a beautiful time of the year with lots to do. Farm Days last weekend was great and I’m looking forward to apple picking to make my one apple pie of the year. There’s also a lot of serious work being done on many fronts. Here are a few highlights from September.
Donna
2-1-1 Call Center to Get Major Expansion
Earlier this month, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie joined me in Vestal to announce a $1M Assembly grant to expand the United Way of Broome County’s 2-1-1 Regional Call Center. An invaluable resource in our community, 2-1-1 provides round-the-clock information and referral services to individuals and families in need. They also provide vital information during extreme weather events or other community-wide events like COVID.
Rod Serling Statue Unveiled at Recreation Park
In honor of the 100 year anniversary of Rod Serling’s birth, a statue of the “Twilight Zone” creator was unveiled in Rec Park. The statue overlooks his childhood neighborhood and the park he loved to play in. The Rec Park carousel is featured in the famous TZ episode “Walking Distance.” I provided a $50K Assembly grant to help jumpstart the fundraising effort and coordinated most of the details for the statue installation and unveiling.
VINES Officially Opens New Headquarters
Honored to Receive LUMA Muse Award
I always look forward to the second week in September when the LUMA Projection Arts Festival returns to Downtown Binghamton. I am proud to be a long-time supporter of this remarkable event and this year I was honored to receive their 2024 LUMA Muse Award. Tens of thousands of people attended this amazing two day festival.
Making Progress to #RescueEMS
I have helped organize a statewide campaign to raise awareness and pass legislation to benefit with our struggling EMS providers. Two more bills to #RescueEMS were recently signed into law. One will allows EMS to be paid for treating someone in place or transporting them somewhere other than a hospital. The other bill will allow EMS providers to carry blood products on board their ambulances. Together these measures will bring in much-needed revenue and save countless lives. Our next priority will be to pass legislation that defines ambulance service as “essential” under State law.
Celebrating Local Anniversaries
Senator Webb and I passed a joint Legislative Resolution in honor of the Broome County Office for Aging’s 50th anniversary and longstanding dedication to our community. We presented it at the Broome West Senior Center in Endicott during their annual Grandparent’s Night. Also this month we recognized Southern Tier Independent Restaurants (STIR) for 10 years of promoting our region’s local, vibrant restaurant scene and supporting the next generation of culinary professionals.