Latest news with #ChrisRyan
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Over $1 billion given to CNY in New York State Budget
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — Central New York will see more than $1 billion in funding from the New York State Fiscal Year 2026 Enacted Budget. According to State Senator Chris Ryan, these investments include education funding, workforce development, transportation infrastructure, healthcare, veterans resources, and Micron-related projects to support the region's transformation into a global semiconductor hub. Here's a breakdown of how the money allocated will be used in the 50th Senate District. A total of $32,327,845 will be allocated for local roads and transportation for the 50th Senate District. This includes: ● CHIPS – $19,513,300 (8.12% increase) ● Extreme Winter Recovery (EWR) – $3,042,555 ● PAVE-NY – $4,493,502 ● Pave Our Potholes (POP) – $2,995,668 ● State Touring Routes (STR) – $2,282,818 An additional $116 million will be provided for water infrastructure investments tied to Micron's planned semiconductor facility, supporting system capacity upgrades and clean water access for surrounding communities. $450 million in capital funding will be provided for SUNY Upstate's new emergency room, which serves 17 counties in the state. SUNY Oswego receives $16 million, part of a $114 million increase in SUNY operating aid, and an additional $5.2 million in capital funding for campus-wide maintenance. Over $5 million is included for job training and economic growth: ● $1 million – Manufacturers Intermediary Apprenticeship Program (MIAP) ● $750,000 – Manufacturers Association of Central New York (MACNY) ● $500,000 – MACNY's Real Life Rosies ● $1.5 million – CenterState CEO (through Empire State Development) ● $100,000 – Workforce development with Onondaga Community College to enhance care for people with disabilities The Excelsior Jobs Program was also extended by five years, adding new reporting requirements tied to semiconductor research and workforce development, and requiring employers using workforce retention credits to maintain staffing levels or face a reduced credit. The State Budget provides $778,522,939 in school aid to 16 school districts in Senate District 50, a 5.4% increase over last year's budget. ● North Syracuse – $98,588,383 ● Liverpool – $93,229,526 ● Fulton – $67,191,488 ● Baldwinsville – $66,050,099 ● Central Square – $62,338,954 ● Oswego – $60,933,976 ● West Genesee – $56,790,734 ● East Syracuse Minoa – $47,347,746 ● Mexico – $38,934,037 ● Fayetteville-Manlius – $36,152,664 ● Hannibal – $33,662,589 ● Phoenix – $33,030,645 ● Solvay – $25,309,271 ● Jamesville-DeWitt – $24,716,222 ● Westhill – $24,323,692 ● Lyncourt – $9,922,913 $150,000 was allocated to Best Buddies to expand inclusive school-based programs fostering friendships between students with and without intellectual disabilities; $500,000 for Boys & Girls Club mental health programs; and $1 million for the Nutrition Initiative, increased from $750,000 in last year's budget. The Budget supports veterans through a $192,400 allocation to Onondaga County and $104,000 to Oswego County as part of the Joseph P. Dwyer Veteran Peer to Peer Services Program. ● $250,000 for the Syracuse Crunch, supporting CNY's AHL team ● $50,000 for the CNY Lyme & Tick-Borne Disease Alliance The 50th Senate District covers Onondaga and Oswego Counties Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBC
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
ECMAs end on high note, with a dozen more awards for N.L. musicians
The East Coast Music Awards has come and gone, and some Newfoundland and Labrador musicians are walking away with new trophies and memories. Brazilian duo Ana and Eric, based in St. John's, opened the event's second awards show with a gentle acoustic performance Sunday morning. Eighteen music awards and six industry awards were given out, in addition to honorary awards. Twelve of Sunday's winners are from Newfoundland and Labrador. Heather Feather took home the prize for children's artist of the year. She said in a speech that her "world fell apart" when she became disabled, but she was able to lean on the music community. "All of a sudden, everyone just rallied closer," she said. Dance release of the year went to 17-year-old Summer Bennett. "Even being nominated is crazy," Bennett said. The 2024 CBC Searchlight Top Teen promised she wouldn't cry on stage, despite the surprise. "It's really special," she said. "I started writing music at six years old. Trying to write pop music is, of course, very different from anything else." Celebrating the win in her home province — where dance music isn't the most popular genre — made the moment even more meaningful, said Bennett. Some tears were shed in the audience as the honorary musicians' achievement award went to the late Chris Ryan, who died unexpectedly in October. Ryan was the kind of person who would support a fellow musician in a heartbeat, said his partner Amber Miller, who accepted the award. "He opened for festivals at a moment's notice, most recently cancelling his own birthday party so he could play guitar for another musician so they could be in the spotlight," said Miller. Nearly every person in the room stood to give applause when Miller walked off stage. The show-stopping moments continued when experimental hardcore band The Order of the Precious Blood took the time to dedicate their award to the music scene they came from. The five-piece group, fronted by Paul Brake, won loud release of the year. "A band like us doesn't exist in a vacuum," Brake said to the audience. "There's such a rich culture of this kind of music on the east coast." Brake riddled the names of dozens of bands from Newfoundland and Labrador and other Atlantic Canadian provinces, adding that his band's award belongs to all of them. In an interview after the event, the vocalist said he wanted to use his platform to lift up artists who feel as though they aren't recognized in the larger music industry. "We want to make sure that … their names are heard in rooms that they wouldn't get spoken in otherwise," said Brake. "Once you get playing and you find your voice, the sky's the limit." The remaining Newfoundland and Labrador winners from Sunday are:
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
State senators discuss issues facing state budget after fifth extension is passed
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — It'll be try number six at the state budget when lawmakers meet again in Albany later this week. 'We're doing the budget extender to meet payroll. We're going to back here Thursday doing the same,' said State Senator Chris Ryan. 'While we're doing that, we'll be passing those extenders. We're still talking and negotiating.' As a freshman, the state senator is learning how much law-making, not just number crunching, bogs down the process. 'This is new to me, but some of the issues that we are hung up on are pretty heavy on the policy side,' Ryan said. 'Specifically, cell phone bans and discovery laws, so we're working through those. I'm hopeful and optimistic.' State senators discuss issues facing state budget after fifth extension is passed Apartment building fire in Cicero Tuesday afternoon After 34 years at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo, zoo's director plans to retire Mid-State officers indicted in Nantwi beating death Comedian Colin Mochrie bringing 'Asking for Trouble' tour to CNY State Senator Rachel May is hoping to get the state budget done before school budget season. 'Very soon, school districts have to vote on their budgets and they need to know what's coming from the state government,' she said. 'That is what makes it urgent to get this done.' And trying to keep central New Yorkers happy in the process. 'My district includes four of the Finger Lakes and clean water infrastructure is incredibly important to my constituents in that area, but also Syracuse,' May said. 'So we are trying hard to get a substantial amount of money. ' Recent conversations have her freshly optimistic that the budget will be passed as soon as next week — only three weeks late. Included in the version of the budget passed by the senate and assembly is $20 million for the Syracuse airport, $450 million for Upstate hospital and $35 million for the regional market. They just have to get the governor to agree. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
History shows school district asked for State DOT's help with Route 11 years before student was seriously hurt
HASTINGS, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — Years before a 12-year-old student was hit by a car on Route 11, history shows repeated requests for the State Department of Transportation to enhance safety outside Central Square Middle School. Letters obtained by NewsChannel 9, dating back 25 years, show written requests for the DOT to install a traffic signal at Route 11's intersection with the middle school's driveway. The letters indicate that the school district made the request at least four times: in 2000, 2004, 2013, and 2016. Each time, responding representatives for the State DOT indicate the agency conducted studies at the intersection and rejected a traffic signal or light outside the middle school. In an August 1, 2016 letter to State Senator Pattie Ritchie, the Oswego-area state senator at the time, DOT Commissioner Matthew Driscoll wrote: 'The study was very comprehensive and included an analysis of a six-year accident history, a three-day traffic count during school peak periods, and evaluation of the on-site conditions. The traffic volumes were below the minimum needed to warrant a signal, and the accident history did not support making any changes to the intersection.' The initial request from Senator Richie said, 'Parents, village officials in Central Square and members of the community all agree that the addition of a traffic light would greatly contribute to improved safety at the school. This traffic light would help ease the spike in traffic during times when parents are dropping off and picking kids up, as well as ease the difficulty for school buses.' 'NYSDOT staff will continue to monitor the intersection for a change in conditions that would warrant a restudy,' Driscoll concluded his letter. On Wednesday, Central Square School Superintendent Tom Colabufo told NewsChannel 9 he's renewing the district's efforts to get the DOT to improve safety in front of the middle school. Colabufo said he's been in touch with Hastings Town Supervisor Tony Bush and State Senator Chris Ryan. Colabufo said installation of a traffic light, as has been requested for years before his administration, would come with a crosswalk to benefit the safety of students crossing the street. Senator Chris Ryan's office confirms it heard from Colabufo on Wednesday and commits to renewing the conversation with the State DOT's engineers. Through a spokesperson, Senator Ryan said, 'It is deeply concerning to learn that numerous attempts and requests to initiate a light or crosswalk did not come to fruition. The recent accident involving a Central Square student is a tragic reminder that we must prioritize the safety of our children over traffic convenience.' Another letter obtained by NewsChannel 9 shows the Town of Hastings discontinued employment of a crossing guard used by the district in 2007. '…the Town of Hastings will no longer provide this service and your employment is terminated as of this date,' wrote then-Supervisor James Weatherup to the crossing guard. In 2004, lawyers for the Central Square School District said state law requires crossing guards to be employed by the municipal government, not the school district. In a statement to NewsChannel 9 on Tuesday, when asked about the safety concerns on Route 11, a State DOT spokesperson said: 'Safety is always the priority of the New York State Department of Transportation. As the recent pedestrian-involved crash is the subject of a law enforcement investigation, we cannot comment further at this time.' 'My office has heard from the Central Square School District Superintendent Tom Colabufo regarding previous conversations with the Department of Transportation about installing a traffic light and crosswalk in front of Central Square Middle School—conversations that predate my time in office. It is deeply concerning to learn that numerous attempts and requests to initiate a light or crosswalk did not come to fruition. The recent accident involving a Central Square student is a tragic reminder that we must prioritize the safety of our children over traffic convenience. I am fully committed to reigniting this conversation with the DOT and will advocate for the necessary safety measures to be implemented as soon as possible. The safety of our students, families and community members must come first. I look forward to working with the District, local leaders and state officials to ensure that no family has to endure this kind of heartbreak again.' New York State Senator Chris Ryan (D), Geddes – 50th District Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
