The Oswego Common Council Chambers were filled to standing-room-only capacity Wednesday. For about an hour, freshman U.S. Congressman John Katko responded to questions regarding economic development in Oswego County. For a time, he met one-on-one with some people following the session. Katko said he was overwhelmed by the attendance. It shows that the community cares and that’s a really good thing, he said.
Senator Patty Ritchie announced that the Senate’s proposed budget plan would hike aid to schools by $1.9 billion, and completely eliminate the aid-cutting GEA, or Gap Elimination Adjustment, that’s been squeezing local schools to balance the state budget, when the funds should be going into classrooms. The Senate’s increase is $800 million more than that proposed by the Governor.
State Senator Patty Ritchie today (March 11) announced that the Senate’s 2015-16 Budget Plan includes record funding for agriculture programs, including full support for her landmark “Grown in New York” plan that links consumers and local farms and preserves the future of family farming in the state. The Senate’s budget plan increases support for agriculture by more than $20 million above the Governor’s proposal.
A handful of residents spoke out Tuesday on possible cuts CENTRO is considering. About a dozen people attended a public hearing in the County Legislature Chambers. The company is facing a nearly $5 million deficit and is looking at reducing bus service to close that gap. Revenues from state subsidies, which haven’t increased with the cost of operations, are behind the proposed cuts.
School district budget planning is always a stressful, emotional and time-consuming process. But this year, it’s much more difficult. Monday evening the Oswego City School District Board of Education met for committee and regular sessions, but the spotlight was on an item that wasn’t even listed on the agenda…the budget. Governor Andrew Cuomo is basically holding school districts throughout the state hostage as he refuses to allow a state aid run.
Mayor Tom Gillen announced Monday night that U.S. Congressman John Katko will host a listening session in Oswego. Each listening session focuses on a unique topic, providing a platform for a discussion of districtwide priorities. The Oswego session will deal with economic development in Oswego County. It will be held Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Oswego City Hall,
13 W. Oneida St., the mayor said.
The city still has a developer and is moving ahead with the best interest of the city in mind, the mayor said. Two lawsuits brought against the city lost; as did the two appeals, he added. Going forward, the plans will be totally transparent, he said and urged residents to contact him or the councilors for more information.
Audiences will hear from top experts on the War of 1812 during the fifth annual Oswego International War of 1812 Symposium scheduled for April 17, 18 and 19 at the Lake Ontario Event and Conference Center, 26 E. First St., Oswego. “This is another banner year for the symposium in being able to provide such a high caliber of presenters,” said Fort Ontario State Historic Site Superintendent Paul Lear, chairman of the Oswego International War of 1812 Symposium Committee
Recently, Mexico Wish Kid Alyssa David got the surprise of a lifetime as she celebrated her 14th birthday. Make-A-Wish Central New York presented her with a personalized Arctic Cat all-terrain vehicle. Alyssa has a life-threatening gastrointestinal disorder and her one true wish was for an ATV to spend more time outdoors with family and friends.
Matt Herron, whose photographs of the Civil Rights Movement in the mid-1960s have appeared in publications around the globe, will give a free artist’s talk at 7 p.m. March 24, in SUNY Oswego’s Marano Campus Center auditorium, as part of the college’s semester-long exploration of race and identity titled “Race. Place. Being.” As a young man, Herron volunteered to help document black Americans’ struggle for voting and other rights on behalf of the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee.
All Content Copyright Dot Publishing 2024. All Submissions Become Property of Dot Publishing All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.