News Briefs Part Two: August 7, 2025

Waller Appointed to NYSCA

ALBANY—Sydney Waller, curator and owner of the Cooperstown gallery The Art Garage, was confirmed to the New York State Council on the Arts by the State Senate, Governor Kathy Hochul announced on June 13. Raised in Connecticut and France, Waller holds a degree in art history and a graduate degree in education. She ran the Pioneer Gallery in The Smithy, co-founded Gallery 53 and led the international “Diamonds are Forever” baseball art show for the Smithsonian and New York State Museum. For more information, visit The Art Garage Facebook page. 

Otsego WWII Stories To Be Told

HARTWICK—On Thursday, August 14 at 6:30 p.m., the Otsego County Historical Association will feature a presentation at the Kinney Memorial Library by James Greenberg, titled “Stories Behind the Stars, Otsego County’s World War II Fallen.” Greenberg, retired director of teaching, learning and technology at SUNY Oneonta, has researched the profiles of many of the Otsego County natives who were killed during WWII. This project is sponsored by “Stories Behind the Stars,” a national network of volunteers dedicated to writing the stories of every American killed in WWII. The program is free of charge and refreshments will be served after the presentation. Kinney Memorial Library is located at 3240 County Road 11, Hartwick.

Kids’ Art Camp Returns

COOPERSTOWN—Nicholas Stein will instruct a five-day Kids’ Art Camp for children ages 6-14 at the Cooperstown Art Association from 1-3 p.m. on August 11-15. Registration is $30.00 per day or $145.00 per week for CAA members, or $35.00 per day or $170.00 per week for non-members. Participants should bring proper clothing, a water bottle and a snack. Each day will focus on a specific project: multi-media abstract self-portraits on Monday, taste-resist city skylines on Tuesday, nature printmaking on Wednesday, color emotion wheels on Thursday and a collaborative mural on Friday. Seats are limited. Contact gallery@cooperstownart.com or (607) 547-9777 to register.

NAACP Announces Picnic, New Officers

ONEONTA—The Oneonta Area NAACP will hold its annual community picnic from noon to 4 p.m. at Neahwa Park on Saturday, August 16. The public is invited to enjoy music, refreshments, games and community discussions. The chapter also recently resumed in-person meetings at the Yoga Center at 50 Dietz Street, under new leadership elected last November. Poletta Louis is now branch president, assisted by Vice President Erin Wagner, Treasurer Dan Maskin, Secretary Marilyn Simurro and Assistant Secretary Paul Conway. General membership meetings are held on the second Thursday of every month. The chapter continues to respond to local allegations of discrimination against people of color and promote overall respect for human rights.

New York Achieves ‘Unaffected’ HPAI Status

ALBANY—The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets announced on July 16 that the state achieved “unaffected” status in the USDA’s National Milk Testing Strategy to detect highly pathogenic avian influenza in dairy herds. The state enhanced its testing strategy in January in response to ongoing nationwide outbreaks. To date, there have been no detections of HPAI in dairy cattle in New York. For more information, visit agriculture.ny.gov/news/new-york-state-announces-further-proactive-measures-monitor-hpai-livestock-following-outbreak.

Registration Open for Sidney 5K

SIDNEY—The Wakeman Coffee Company and Muddy River Farm Brewery have partnered to host the inaugural Sidney Brew-to-Brew 5K road race at 11 a.m. on Sunday, September 6. Runners and walkers of all ability levels are invited to start the morning with a coffee, enjoy a scenic course and drink a cold beer at the finish line. Registration is $25.00 through August 30, increasing to $35.60 on August 31 and to $46.20 for same-day registration. All participants will receive a T-shirt, a medal upon completion and drink tokens for both sponsoring businesses. Proceeds will benefit The Uplift Collective (formerly the Sidney Center Improvement Group) and the Delaware Valley Humane Society. Registration is open at runsignup.com/Race/NY/Sidney/SidneyBrewToBrew5K.

SBA Launches Center for Faith

WASHINGTON, DC—Pursuant to the Trump administration’s Executive Order 14205, the U.S. Small Business Administration launched a Center for Faith and eliminated a Biden-era prohibition on SBA disaster relief loans for faith-based organizations. The new office is intended to provide faith-based businesses and community organizations access to capital, counseling and government contracting opportunities. For more information, visit sba.gov/faith.

Public Comment on Community College Rulemaking Opens

ALBANY—SUNY Chancellor John B. King announced a series of public listening sessions on a proposed rule to improve leadership at New York State community colleges. In November, the SUNY Board of Trustees approved a resolution to increase accountability and transparency in the presidential search process, followed in January by a resolution to limit the duration of temporary leadership. A pilot program established for searches during the 2024-25 academic year improved speed and efficiency in the successful appointment of five community college presidents. The board and senior SUNY staff will hold two in-person listening sessions at the following locations: Erie Community College B Building, room B-207, on Tuesday, August 12 at a time to be announced later; Farmingdale State College, Campus Center Ballroom A and Meeting Room A, on Wednesday, August 13 at a time to be announced. There will be a virtual listening session from 4-6 p.m. on Monday, August 18. Information on each session, including registration materials, the proposed rule and guidelines of the rulemaking process, is available at suny.edu/about/leadership/CCrulemaking/. New Yorkers who wish to submit a comment may do so using this website through Monday, August 18.

‘Samurai Baseball’ Tie-In Events Scheduled

COOPERSTOWN—The Art Garage’s “Samurai Baseball” exhibition, a fine-arts examination of baseball featuring work by 15 artists, is on display at 689 Beaver Meadow Road through September. The gallery is open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and other days by appointment. Text or call (315) 941-9607 for more information or to make an appointment. Featured artist Robert Seward will give a talk at 5 p.m. on Thursday, August 14, with doors opening at 4:30 and refreshments available. Artist in residence Marcie Schwartzman will demonstrate traditional Japanese shishito stitching from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 23. There will be large panel discussions featuring many artists from the exhibit at 5 p.m. on Thursday, August 28 and Wednesday, September 3, with doors opening at 4:30 both days. Space is limited and reservations are recommended but not required.

Gas Price Back Up a Cent

UTICA—The average price of gasoline in New York State ticked back up a cent to $3.17 per gallon over the week ending Monday, August 4, AAA Northeast announced. This returns it to the price of two weeks ago. Gas is two cents lower than last month and 41 cents lower than this day last year. Domestic demand increased slightly over the week, although it remains lower than historic averages for this time of year. Stockpiles in the Northeast region declined but remain higher than last year. To view the full report, visit gasprices.aaa.com.

Delhi Culinary Team Wins National Competition

LAS VEGAS—The SUNY Delhi hot food student team took first place at the prestigious 2025 American Culinary Federation Student Team of the Year competition. Team Delhi earned a near-perfect gold medal score of 97 with a four-course “Journey through the Catskills Mountains” meal, featuring locally-sourced produce, dairy, fish and lamb. They earned high marks for timing, cleanliness and performance under pressure. Captained by Brennan Spencer, the team included Sarthak Thapa, Moses Rojas and Matthew Caliendo, with Jahnasia Sutton and Joseph Kariuki as apprentices. Chef Victor Sommo and Chef Sean Pehrsson coached the team for hundreds of hours in preparation.

OCCA Honors Albright, Waterfield

COOPERSTOWN—The Otsego County Conservation Association named Matt Albright and Holly Waterfield its 2025 Conservationists of the Year, an annual award honoring individuals that make significant contributions to conservation and education in Otsego County. Albright has served in the SUNY Oneonta Biological Field Station for more than 35 years, conducting vital research on stormwater runoff, nutrient cycling and invasive species. Waterfield, who joined the BFS in 2007, has led studies on fisheries, septic systems and harmful algae blooms. Both have advanced scientific understanding, helped to shape local conservation policy through research and community outreach, and educated generations of upcoming scientists and preservation workers. OCCA will also present its inaugural Junior Conservationist of the Year Award to Elias MacLeish, a Cooperstown Central School senior who has revitalized the school’s LaCava Nature Center. The awards will be presented at OCCA’s Annual Dinner at Creekside Station in Hartwick on Sunday, August 24. For more information, to purchase tickets or to make a donation, visit occainfo.org.

SUNY Launches Research Leadership Academy

ALBANY—The State University of New York announced the launch of the SUNY Research Leadership Academy to cultivate a new generation of researchers in the science, technology, engineering, math and medicine fields. Thirty STEMM faculty members from across the SUNY system will be selected for the yearlong training program designed by Stony Brook University. The application is available online or by contacting research_academy@stonybrook.edu. The deadline is Friday, August 15.

Capitol Exhibit to Celebrate NY Human Rights Law

ALBANY—The New York State Division of Human Rights and Office of General Services opened an exhibit in the State Capitol to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the New York State Human Rights Law. On display in the Governor’s Reception Room on the second floor, the exhibition explores pivotal moments in the development of anti-discrimination action under one of the country’s most comprehensive pieces of human rights legislation. Highlights include the 1950s expansion to prohibit discrimination in housing and public businesses; the 1974 expansion to fight discrimination against disabled individuals, nearly two decades before the Americans with Disabilities Act; early efforts to prevent discrimination against HIV/AIDS patients in the 1980s; the 2003 expansion to protect sexual orientation; the 2019 strengthening of workplace sexual harassment protections; and the 2023 extension of the statute of limitations for discrimination claims from one to three years. Admission is free and the display will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays through September 1.

Keep Mohawk Valley Beautiful Receives Grant

UTICA—Keep Mohawk Valley Beautiful, a local affiliate of Keep America Beautiful and committee of the Mohawk Valley Economic Development District, Inc., received a $20,000.00 Keep American Beautiful Dr. MLK Jr. Community Improvement Grant. It will be used for green space and play area improvements at the Mohawk Valley Community Action Agency Cornerstone Head Start Building at 1100 Miller Street in Utica. The project includes pollinator-friendly plants, a sensory bridge, walking path, wind chimes and benches to improve quality of life for children attending the Head Start program and provide an opportunity to learn about the outdoors. For more information, visit mvedd.org/kmvb.

Helios Seeks Matsuo Award Nominations

ONEONTA—Helios Care seeks nominations for the third annual Dr. Yoshiro Matsuo Compassionate Care Award. The prestigious award honors one individual who lives or works in Otsego, Schoharie or Delaware counties and serves others in any capacity. They must exhibit Dr. Matsuo’s attributes of leadership, selfless service, benevolence and compassion. The award winner will receive a $500.00 cash prize, a commemorative award and recognition at the Grand Oneonta Opry Country Music Fundraiser for Hospice at Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center on Friday, October 10. Nominations must be submitted at http://helioscare.org/compassionate-care-award/ by Friday, August 22.

FSC Closes Season with Logan’s ‘Red’

FRANKLIN—Franklin Stage Company will close its 29th season with a production of John Logan’s play “Red,” based on the life of painter Mark Rothko, running from August 8-24. Performances are held at Chapel Hall, 25 Institute Street in Franklin, with evening shows beginning at 7:30 p.m. There are also Saturday matinees at 3 p.m. and Sunday shows at 5 p.m. Admission is free, with a suggested donation of $25.00. For more information or to reserve seats, visit franklinstagecompany.org.

Choral Society Announces Auditions

ONEONTA—Catskill Choral Society will hold auditions for new members and Dox Apprentices at the First Presbyterian Church, 296 Main Street in Oneonta, from 5-6:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 28. All voices are welcome and sight reading is not required. CCS rehearses from 7-9:30 p.m. every Thursday at the Unitarian Universalist Society, with the next performances scheduled for Friday and Saturday, December 5 and 6. The Dox Apprentice program is open by audition to high-school sophomores, juniors and seniors, who receive private vocal coaching in addition to participation in the chorus. Contact auditions@catskillchoralsociety.org to schedule a 10-minute time slot. The Children’s (ages 6-10) and Youth (11-16) choirs will also hold auditions at the end of August. Rehearsals are each Tuesday from 4-4:45 and 5-5:45 p.m., respectively, at the First Presbyterian Church. To schedule an audition, contact cdonaldson@stny.rr.com.

DVS Seeks Feedback from Women Veterans

ALBANY—The New York State Department of Veterans’ Services released a short, confidential survey for female veterans across the state. It takes less than two minutes to complete and will provide valuable feedback on health care, mental health, childcare, employment, education and other key veterans’ issues and services. Women veterans are urged to complete the survey at https://forms.office.com/g/firLyyAz09 by the end of the year.