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SUNY Erie offering free tuition program for adults starting in the fall

SUNY Erie offering free tuition program for adults starting in the fall

Yahoo16-05-2025

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Adults from New York who don't already have a college degree can apply to earn a free associates degree at SUNY Erie this fall through a new program.
New Yorkers aged 25-55 years old are eligible to apply to the SUNY Reconnect program. After financial aid is applied, the program will cover the cost of tuition, fees, books and supplies.
The program covers in-demand fields such as advanced manufacturing, engineering, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, green and renewable energy, nursing and other health fields, and technology.
Students who are already enrolled at SUNY Erie and those who have college credits can apply. In addition, students in the program can attend classes part-time or full-time.
Click here for more information.
Kayleigh Hunter-Gasperini joined the News 4 team in 2024 as a Digital Video Producer. She is a graduate of Chatham University.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Getting saucy! Connecticut tourism bureau buys billboards in New York City to declare its pizza the best
Getting saucy! Connecticut tourism bureau buys billboards in New York City to declare its pizza the best

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Getting saucy! Connecticut tourism bureau buys billboards in New York City to declare its pizza the best

Things are getting saucy in the Big Apple over pizza. Connecticut has waged a war against New York for the title of 'Pizza Capital of the United States' – with a series of aggressive billboards around New York City claiming The Nutmeg State's slice reigns supreme. Billboards from Connecticut's Office of Statewide Marketing and Tourism claiming 'The Nation's Best Pizza – Not you, New York' have recently started popping up across parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn. The signs urge New Yorkers to 'tell us why CT pizza's #1' by calling 1-844-CTPIZZA or visiting to give a 'pizza' their mind. Some of the bold billboards were even positioned above New York City slice shops – including one positioned behind 2 Bros Pizza by Port Authority Bus Terminal, a likely strategic move to ensure commuters catch the message. Billboards were also stationed in high-traffic areas such as Times Square and Mott Street to egg on the rivalry between neighboring states. While New York is known for its thin crust or Sicilian slice, Connecticut has its own version of the thin crust that is more well-done than the New York version. Social media posts from Connecticut's tourism department packed more punch – with one reading 'Hey New York Pizza, There's No Shame in 2nd Place,' while others called out other cities and states with their own distinct pizza styles including New Jersey, Chicago and Detroit. While the signs were largely lighthearted, New Yorkers weren't taking the bait, with some taking to the Internet to call out Connecticut for being cheesy. 'Sounds like someone has an inferiority complex,' one Facebook user wrote underneath a photo of one of the billboards. 'They really do live in their own little bubble,' another added. One commentator chimed in: 'CT Pizza is garbage.' A commentator from Connecticut said the state should target lesser rivals, writing, 'I think New Haven pizza is the best, but we shouldn't be fighting with New York and New Jersey. We're all in the pizza belt. We should be fighting with Detroit and Chicago.' While some Connecticut residents lauded the claim, others were left flabbergasted. 'That is BS!! We are NOT the pizza capital of the world!!' one Facebook user said. The bold advertising strategy comes less than a year after Connecticut implemented several 'Welcome to Connecticut: Home of the Pizza Capital of the United States' signs throughout the state. Connecticut tourism officials said they also hope to implement the marketing move in other pizza hubs in hopes to get more visitors coming to the state.

Can Zohran Mamdani's Volunteer Army Pull Off An Election Day Upset?
Can Zohran Mamdani's Volunteer Army Pull Off An Election Day Upset?

Yahoo

time6 hours ago

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Can Zohran Mamdani's Volunteer Army Pull Off An Election Day Upset?

This article was produced in partnership with THE CITY, a nonprofit newsroom covering New York City. On a glum Wednesday evening recently, most New Yorkers were tucked away in their apartments, avoiding the persistent drizzle. This is exactly the scenario Mohit Sani and Dylan Halper were hoping for. Halper drums a cheery knock on the door of an Upper East Side apartment. A woman named Maria steps out, pushing her yapping dog behind her. 'My name is Dylan, and this is Mohit. We're volunteers with Zohran Mamdani's campaign for mayor,' Halper begins. Just 18 years old but already a canvassing veteran, Halper is partnered up with Sani, a first-timer, so Halper takes the lead. 'Democrat or Republican?' Maria asks skeptically. She's never heard of Mamdani before. 'Democrat,' Halper reassures her, 'he wants to freeze the rent for rent-stabilized tenants.' 'That's me!' she exclaims. Soon, Maria says the magic words: 'He's got my vote.' She even thanks the two volunteers for coming. Halper and Sani are among the thousands of volunteers who are aiming to elect the 33-year-old Mamdani as the next mayor of New York City. A state Assembly member from Queens and a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), Mamdani is running on a platform of affordability: free buses, city-run grocery stores, universal child care and a rent freeze. So far, he's beaten expectations, emerging from a pack of progressives as a strong number two in the polls. His progressive campaign plank, delivered via slick social media videos, earned him support from the 'terminally online.' And he's maxed out his campaign contributions with individual donors: Over 27,000 people have donated to his campaign — 12,000 more than city Comptroller Brad Lander, the candidate with the next highest number of donors. To his supporters, Mamdani is a young Bernie Sanders or a socialist Barack Obama. But to his detractors, he is inexperienced, a 'show pony,' a nepo baby and even an antisemite. If elected, Mamdani would be the first Muslim mayor of New York, and his views on what he unapologetically refers to as a genocide in Gaza have made him vulnerable to attacks from pro-Israel candidates — the mainstream position for NYC politicians, who have made visits to Israel part and parcel of the job. And he's still lagging former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has been polling first in the contest before he even entered it and has maintained a solid lead since, although a recent Emerson poll has Mamdani closing the gap to single digits in the final round of a ranked choice voting tally. Cuomo has raised the most money and is backed by well-funded local super PACs called independent expenditure groups. But the Mamdani campaign is banking on one thing to set them apart: their ground game. According to the campaign, nearly 30,000 people have signed up to canvass, and they've knocked on more than 750,000 doors. Mamdani has called it 'the largest volunteer operation in NYC history.' It's certainly the largest one happening this election cycle. Mamdani's canvassers are in every borough, every night of the week. It can be a thankless task. In the city, volunteers must work their way into apartment buildings, past doormen and buzzer systems — often only to find themselves on the ground floor of one of New York's infamous walk-ups. And more often than not, no one is home. But that does not discourage Halper and Sani. Halper, a member of the DSA like Mamdani, is inspired by the candidate's vision for New York City. But like many other volunteers, he's not immune to the pull of something much more tangible — merch. All Mamdani volunteers receive a 'ZetroCard' — it looks like a MetroCard, but with spaces on the back to mark how many times they've canvassed. Halper has heard that if he fills out the card fast enough, he'll get a poster — a coveted keepsake that he can't get anywhere else. In fact, none of the campaign's swag is available for purchase — a result of New York City's campaign finance laws, according to Mamdani spokesperson Andrew Epstein. It's turned Zohran-branded items into cult collectibles — like vibrant yellow bandanas decorated with classic NYC iconography such as pigeons and hot dogs — worn by volunteers or tied onto their tote bags. And the only way to get one is to show up — something the campaign makes very easy to do. 'I've thought about volunteering for other things, and no one replies to your emails, or you have to apply and go do this thing, and then they only have one shift a week — and it's when you work,' said Anna Henderson, 25. But the Mamdani signups are simple and numerous: 'When I decided to do it, I just clicked on a day I could go in my neighborhood and just went,' Henderson said. Now, she's a seasoned Lower East Side canvasser. The low barrier to entry — and the opportunity to canvass in your own neighborhood — has benefits and drawbacks. On one hand, volunteers can pull in their own neighborhood-specific information, like a local bus that was free due to Mamdani's legislation. On the other, it leaves some neighborhoods like Williamsburg and Astoria canvass-dense, while the entire South Bronx has no canvasses at all. One field lead in The Bronx, Maxwell Dickinson, ventured out on a Saturday afternoon with a diverse group of volunteers, including multiple people over 40, a vital demographic Mamdani needs but has not yet cornered. Originally from Miami, Dickinson now lives in Riverdale. He likes to open his canvassing conversations with Mamdani's free bus platform and mentions universal child care if he sees a kid in the apartment. 'Personally, I've never mentioned that he's in the DSA, especially being from Miami,' Dickinson said, referring to that city's socialism-skeptical Cuban population. 'But maybe that's me being paranoid.' The Bronx canvassers know that their borough is being underserved. Over coffee and pancakes at a diner, they chat after the canvass about ways to expand their operation. One volunteer said she thinks Parkchester would be receptive to Mamdani because of its large Bengali population. Another suggested that the campaign partner with local organizations to help get the word out. 'You need people who are from there,' Dickinson agreed. Mamdani is following in the footsteps — literally — of another NYC Democratic Socialist: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. In 2018, Ocasio-Cortez touted her ground game as essential to her defeat of incumbent Rep. Joseph Crowley. Her worn-down shoes, once displayed in a Cornell museum, became a symbol of how speaking to people face-to-face could make the difference for underdog candidates. (Ocasio-Cortez has not yet made an endorsement in the mayoral race.) But Ocasio-Cortez had to mobilize voters in her district in The Bronx and Queens only; Mamdani needs to reach people across the five boroughs. The turnout for the congressional primary was also incredibly low — at only 11.8% of registered Democratic voters — so the supporters Ocasio-Cortez reached through her door-knocking had an outsized effect. Because Mamdani's canvasses are mostly available in neighborhoods where many volunteers live, it's easy to see where his voter base lies: Bushwick and Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, the East Village in Manhattan and Astoria in Queens offer the most frequent canvass opportunities at five days a week. But the younger, often transplant-heavy population of those neighborhoods may not actually turn out for the election. In 2021, the west side of Manhattan — from Greenwich Village up to Columbia University — had some of the highest voter turnout at between 30% to 40%, whereas Bushwick in Brooklyn saw around 14%. Plus, younger voters are notorious for staying home: Only 18% of registered Dems between 18 and 29 voted in the 2021 mayoral primary, compared to over double that percentage for 70- to 79-year-olds. The median age of a New York primary voter is 54. Some Mamdani organizers are trying to change that. At first, Myesha Choudry canvassed for Mamdani everywhere from Hillside, Queens, to Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, to Staten Island. She was especially inspired by her conversations with small business owners in Jackson Heights. 'I was literally speaking about New York City politics in Bangla, in my native language, to New Yorkers who had been here for decades and decades,' she said. But unlike those she spoke to, Choudry wanted to reach people who haven't lived in the city long enough to get a feel for local politics — and may not plan to stay long enough to care. 'I feel like it's so important for young adults who have been living the dream in New York to uplift New York as well,' explained Choudry. To get young New Yorkers off of their phones and into their communities, she was part of creating Hot Girls 4 Zohran. The organization, which is not affiliated with the campaign, hosts picnics, postering sessions, raves, fundraisers and, of course, canvasses. Bright and early on a Sunday morning, 15 of the Hot Girls chatted and cheered as they made their way down Central Park West, papering lampposts with pink posters that paired a Mamdani plank with an instruction not to rank Cuomo — a position the official canvassers take, as well. 'Cuomo's literally hiding from New Yorkers because he knows if he's confronted about his platform, he's screwed,' one said, taping a poster. Cuomo has appeared at very few candidate forums, and is not taking an on-the-street campaign approach. 'I saw something like 'New York deserves a hot mayor,' and that's true. Hot girls deserve a hot mayor.' Compared to Mamdani and most of the field, Cuomo has avoided many public appearances, and for some, the sexual harassment allegations that drove him out of office — which Cuomo continues to deny — may be disqualifying. But his campaign has amassed a formidable slate of boosters. Cuomo has picked up major endorsements from large unions — even those who called for his resignation in 2021 — whose money, influence and members go a long way in city elections. He's also focused on courting Black clergy members in a bid to win over a demographic that helped propel Mayor Eric Adams to victory last cycle. 'The benefits of what he's doing is to maintain a frontrunner status — to not let opponents attack you personally,' explained political consultant Hank Sheinkopf. 'They're empty voices talking into a vacuum, and he's not responding to them, which makes them less consequential.' Of course, the canvassers want Mamdani to win. And increasingly, at least to the volunteers, his campaign seems like less of a long shot. 'I am not under any illusions that he has it in the bag,' said Henderson from the Lower East Side. 'But I don't think it's impossible. It doesn't feel like a lost cause,' she said. 'I guess I'm canvass-pilled.' After his first time canvassing, the experience on the Upper East Side has left Sani more energized than when he began. 'I look at my past self, and I see someone who watched John Oliver, watched 'The Daily Show,' watched Hasan Minhaj, and I felt politically active — but when I look back, I did nothing,' Sani mused. 'I was angry all day, but nothing happened from that anger.' 'Now, I do not watch John Oliver, I do not watch 'The Daily Show,' I do not watch Hasan Minhaj. And I'm a thousand times more politically active,' he continued. 'And then I can go to bed at night, and I'm not stressed existentially about it.' But inspiring 29,000 canvassers may not be enough. With early voting starting on June 14 and primary day just three weeks away, the volunteer army still has a lot of work to do to inspire voters — and it's running out of time. Inside the cramped vestibule of an Upper East Side apartment, Sani hits the buzzer. He's pushed a few so far, with no answer. But this time, a garbled voice comes from the other side, asking: Who's there? 'I'm here to talk about Zohran,' Sani says, rushing through the words. But the voice on the other end is confused: 'What?' 'I'm here to talk to tenants about Zohran Mamdani?' Sani tries again. No acknowledgement. One last try: 'I'm here to talk about the election?' 'Oh,' says the voice on the other end, sounding disappointed. 'You woke me up. I was sleeping.' 'I'm sorry for waking you up,' Sani says. He's genuinely contrite and, turning to Halper, asks, 'Did I do something wrong?'

Toughness and Trump featured in New York City mayoral candidate's new ad
Toughness and Trump featured in New York City mayoral candidate's new ad

Politico

time9 hours ago

  • Politico

Toughness and Trump featured in New York City mayoral candidate's new ad

NEW YORK — Democrat Scott Stringer's mayoral campaign will release a TV ad Wednesday casting the bespectacled former city comptroller as an understated tough guy to lead the nation's largest city. 'Toughest' features Stringer, who has polled behind Andrew Cuomo, Zohran Mamdani and Comptroller Brad Lander, speaking directly to the camera as he walks down a street. The 30-second spot is part of a seven-figure buy and will appear on broadcast, cable and digital channels. 'Look, real New Yorkers know: The loudest guy on the block is never the toughest,' Stringer says as images of Cuomo, Mayor Eric Adams and President Donald Trump are shown. The ad — Stringer's second spot of his campaign — will be unveiled hours before nine Democratic candidates square off in the first televised debate ahead of the June 24 primary that is co-sponsored by POLITICO and WNBC. Stringer is expected to make toughness part of his closing argument in the coming weeks. Stringer defines 'tough' in the spot as 'taking on party bosses to save rent stabilization laws, fighting corruption as comptroller and saying no to Cuomo's vicious budget cuts.' ''Tough' is putting New Yorkers first,' he says. As he did in his first spot, Stringer calls Trump a 'schmuck' and pledges to keep the Republican president out of the deep-blue city's affairs. Perceptions of mayoral toughness have been a common thread, dating back to John Lindsay calling the job 'the second toughest' in America behind being president. Stringer's ad follows campaign spots from other candidates who have also cast themselves as assertive figures. Lander, his successor in the comptroller's office, released an ad featuring him crushing Teslas in a junkyard — a reference to Trump pal Elon Musk. Another Lander video showed the candidate boxing. The perceived weakness of Cuomo's Democratic opponents has pushed them to show they can be tough. The frontrunning Cuomo has also positioned himself as a tough politician, but critics allege it's a front for bullying and poor behavior. Stringer has spent nearly $1.9 million on television ads since launching his race last year, according to media tracking firm AdImpact. An Emerson College poll last month showed him trailing Cuomo, Mamdani and Lander. The survey found he placed fourth in an 11-candidate field in the first round of the city's ranked-choice voting system. He received 9 percent of the vote and was eliminated by the eighth round with 13.2 percent.

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