ALBANY - New York will become the first state to make tuition at public colleges and universities free for middle-class students. The tuition initiative is part of a new $153 billion state budget approved Sunday by the state Senate, a day after the … [Read more...]
Members of State Senate Walk Away from Negotiations as Budget Deal Falls Apart
ALBANY - It appears that a deal has not been reached in the effort to pass a new state budget, now nearly a week overdue. Budget talks between the legislature and governor collapsed Wednesday night after members of the Senate left the Capitol, … [Read more...]
State Legislature Approves Extender Bills with No Sign of Budget Agreement
ALBANY - Four days into the month of April and there’s still not a state budget agreement in Albany. On Monday the State Assembly and Senate passed a series of extender bills to keep state government open and operating under spending approved in … [Read more...]
State Lawmakers Unable to Finalize 2017-18 Budget Before Deadline
ALBANY - For the first time since Andrew Cuomo became governor, New York lawmakers have been unable to deliver an on-time state budget. Faced with a recalcitrant Legislature and a failed negotiating strategy, Gov. Cuomo said late Sunday that he … [Read more...]
State Legislature Brings Forward Alternate Plans for Governor’s Excelsior Scholarship Program
ALBANY - Both the State Assembly and State Senate's one-house budgets have recommended changes to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s $163 million proposal to offer free tuition at public colleges in New York to some middle-class students. Cuomo’s plan – known as … [Read more...]
Jamestown School Board Gets Preliminary Look at Manageable 2017-18 Budget
JAMESTOWN - The Jamestown School District won’t be facing any layoffs and residents won’t see a tax increase in the 2017-18 school budget. That was the message Wednesday night from District Finance Director Vern Connors, who delivered a … [Read more...]
Teresi, Other Mayors Call for Increased Highway Aid from Albany
JAMESTOWN - Mayor Sam Teresi is hoping Jamestown will get more highway funding from the state. On Monday night the mayor updated the Jamestown City Council on an effort put forward by the New York State Conference of Mayor (NYCOM), requesting the … [Read more...]
County IDA Approves Revised PILOT for NRG Power Plant
NOTE: Updated March 2, 2017 to include a correction in the ninth graph on the scheduled PILOT agreement for NRG when the plant was mothballed, along with a quote from NRG Spokesman David Gaier, who provided WRFA with the correction. JAMESTOWN - … [Read more...]
Office for the Aging Announces ‘Step Up for Seniors’ Initiative to Raise Awareness about State Budget Cuts
MAYVILLE - The Chautauqua County Office for the Aging (OFA) is joining the Association on Aging in New York and other Area Agencies on Aging across the state for the “Step Up for Seniors” initiative. This initiative brings together seniors so they … [Read more...]
[LISTEN] Community Matters – Sam Teresi February 2017 Interview
MOBILE APP USERS: LISTEN HERE Originally airing Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017. WRFA public affairs director Jason Sample talks with Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi about the Governor Andrew Cuomo's proposed 2017-18 state budget and the impact it will have … [Read more...]