Assembly Will Barclay

There have been a number of reported overdoses due to heroin and other opioids in recent months. According to the Centers for Disease Control, among people 25 to 64 years old, drug overdose caused more deaths than motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2012. Drug overdose death rates have been rising steadily since 1992 with a 117% increase from 1999 to 2012 alone.

In 1961, Ruth Colvin, a resident of Central New York, read an article in the newspaper claiming that more than 11,000 people in her town were unable to read. Shocked by this information, Ms. Colvin decided to take it upon herself to do something about it. It was defining moment for Ms. Colvin and her life’s work. She pioneered Literacy Volunteers of America, a program providing literacy tutoring to adults.

As Election Day draws closer, campaigns often ratchet up their rhetoric. The Governor’s campaign is doing just that. In effort to counter the “Stop Common Core” line that his opponent Rob Astorino is running on, Cuomo formed the Women’s Equality line. This is a political party formed by the Governor and his Democratic political allies to help advertise his support of a package of bills known as the Women’s Equality Act.

The Dream Act bill would allow illegal immigrants the opportunity to receive funding under New York’s college tuition and scholarship program. Additionally, I want to make you aware of the radical proposal the “New York is Home Act.” Proposed by two New York City legislators, this bill attempts to bypass federal immigration policy by creating “state citizenship.” Under their plan, illegal immigrants would have voting rights and the ability to run for public office.

The NYS Department of Education recently released the assessment results for third through eighth graders. The Department of Education reports there were some gains statewide over last year’s results. Statewide the percentage of students scoring on the math exam at or above the proficient level (receiving a score of 3 or 4) increased only slightly from 31.2% to 35.8%. The English Language Arts exam showed virtually no change, with 31.4% of New York students “proficient” as compared to last year’s score of 31.3% scoring proficient.

America was shocked and saddened when news of Robin Williams’ death hit last month. The iconic actor and comedian that made his fame making others laugh sadly took his own life. Many questions arose following his death and many counselors reminded us that even those with fame and fortune are not immune to suicidal tendencies and the mental illness which often triggers suicide.

News of tragedy struck again this month when State Police investigated a case in which a woman was stabbed and later died in Cazenovia. Her alleged killer is a man with whom she was living. Tragically, this scenario is too familiar. A third of all female homicide victims are killed by their domestic partner, according to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics. In New York State in 2012, that statistic is even higher; it’s estimated that 58% of all female homicide victims age 16 and older were killed by an intimate partner.

During the first week of September, the nation pauses to celebrate Labor Day. The holiday was created in the 1880s and by 1894, Congress passed an act naming the first Monday in September officially as Labor Day. The holiday grew in popularity as labor organizations grew across the country. Labor Day was created to encourage families to stop working for the day and to have fun. As such, parades and picnics are traditionally part of the weekend’s activities for many.

In 1994, the state began what’s called the Linked Deposit Program. LDP began as a way to assist and encourage manufacturers and small businesses to undertake investments, which would ultimately lead to a stronger economy. According to an annual report published recently, in 2013, more than 1,000 jobs were created and retained in New York thanks to LDP.