Regional News Briefs: September 22, 2026

Human Trafficking Subject of Conference

JOHNSON CITY—The Southern Tier Human Trafficking Task Force will host a free community awareness conference, “Predators, Grooming, and Exploitation: What Every Community Should Know about Human Trafficking,” on Saturday, November 14 from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The event will be held at United with Christ Church, 1025 Robinson Hill Road, Johnson City. The conference will feature an experienced group of presenters and community partners representing a range of agencies and organizations involved in prevention, investigation, victim services, and community education. Participating organizations include the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, New York State Department of Labor, Broome County District Attorney’s Office, Crime Victims Assistance Center, FBI Task Force and The Potter’s Hands Foundation. The program will also include a powerful survivor testimony, providing an important first-hand perspective on the realities and impact of human trafficking, organizers said. The STHTTF brings together law enforcement agencies, government organizations, service providers, advocates, and community partners committed to increasing awareness, prevention through education and collaboration, supporting victims and survivors, and strengthening the community response to trafficking and exploitation. Broome, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Otsego, Tioga and Tompkins counties are represented on the STHTTF.

NYS Among Top 10 in Student Loan Debt

NEW YORK STATE—New York has the ninth-highest student loan debt in the U.S. at $6,060.00 per person, according to a new study from the digital personal finance company Achieve. Georgia has the highest student loan debt of any state, averaging $7,120.00 per person, 30.4 percent above the national average. Maryland ranks second at $6,830.00, while New Jersey places third at $6,540.00 and is one of only four states where student debt increased over the year. The U.S. average fell by 1.8 percent, from $5,560.00 to $5,460.00 per person, with student loan debt declining in 43 states. According to the report, student loan debt has fallen across most of the U.S. over the past year, but residents in some states are still carrying thousands of dollars more than the national average. Achieve analyzed data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to reveal where student loan debt per person is highest. The study compared balances in Q4 2024 and Q4 2025 before ranking the states according to the latest figures. Each state was also compared with the Q4 2025 national average of $5,460.00. The 10 states with the highest student loan debt are Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Massachusetts (tied), Mississippi (tied), South Carolina (tied), Virginia, New York and Louisiana. Wyoming has the lowest student loan debt of any state, averaging just $3,180.00 per person. That is 41.8 percent below the national average, or $2,280.00 less than the typical U.S. figure. Wyoming also recorded the biggest percentage decline anywhere in the country, with balances falling by $350.00, or 9.9 percent.

Crisis Line Will Serve LGBTQIA+ Youth, Young Adults

ALBANY—The New York State Office of Mental Health announced the availability of $1.8 million on Monday, September 21 to establish a dedicated crisis lifeline to support New York’s LGBTQIA+ youth and young adults and to train crisis counselors to be responsive to the needs of individuals in this community. The proposed crisis line will fill a critical gap for young people in New York’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning, intersex, and asexual community, after the federal government removed the “press 3” option for 988 in July 2025, officials said. Prior to being shuttered, this specialized service had been used by between 50,000 and 60,000 young people per month nationwide. OMH is providing $1.2 million annually over five years for an existing qualified organization that operates a 24/7 crisis service for LGBTQIA+ youth and young adults, allowing the state to expand access to specialized services while benefiting from established clinical expertise. The funding opportunity also includes a one-time award of $600,000.00 to train hundreds of local crisis counselors who answer 988 calls to handle the needs and concerns specific to young people in the LGBTQIA+ community. Look for “MH263037—Health-led Community Behavioral Health Crisis Response Pilots Round 2” on https://omh.ny.gov to learn more.

HUD Increases Flexibility, Lowers Barriers

WASHINGTON, DC—The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently announced updates to its public housing demolition and disposition program to make it easier for public housing authorities to address distressed public housing and maintain affordable housing in their communities through redevelopment. The updated guidelines focus on three main areas: expanding the definition of obsolete buildings; barriers for small agencies; and relief for financially struggling properties. To learn more about these updates, visit www.hud.gov.

Oreo Dominates Social Media

UNITED STATES— A new study has determined the most marketable and popular food and snack brands in the U.S. Oreo is the most popular snack brand on social media, with 11,400,000 total posts across Instagram and TikTok. Snickers earns second place with 1,926,700 posts, while Doritos rounds out the top three with 1,556,400 posts. Using data from YouGov, the most famous food and snack brands were identified and then their social media data was analyzed to determine which brands generated the most social media posts that use each brand’s hashtag. The top 10 most popular food and snack brands in the U.S. are Oreo, Snickers, Doritos, Skittles, Lucky Charms, Lay’s, Cheetos, Hershey’s, Pringles and Starburst. “The brands that have a high YouGov fame score like Oreo and Doritos have secured universal awareness,” said Digital Marketing Consultant Chris Laas, “but their real advantage is built on short-form video engagement, where TikTok likes and hashtag volume directly fuel cultural relevance and impulse purchases. High awareness can get a brand onto the shelf, but social platform velocity is what turns a passive household name into an active commercial asset.” 

NYS Announces Funds for Health Crisis Response

ALBANY—On September 21, The New York State Office of Mental Health announced the availability of up to $8 million to help additional communities statewide build a behavioral health-led crisis response system. The funding will help establish or expand four teams—including at least one in a rural community—that use trained behavioral health professionals and include peer workers to provide a safe, compassionate response for New Yorkers in crisis. “By continuing to grow a health-led response system, we can help communities to safely and compassionately support those individuals who experience a behavioral health crisis,” Office of Mental Health Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan said. “This pilot program is building a health-led behavioral health crisis response model that will better serve our communities statewide.” Communities including those in Otsego County can apply for up to $2 million to either build or expand a crisis response system. The funding is aimed at ensuring these systems are trauma-informed, community-based, and prioritize racial equity, cultural humility, and harm reduction for New Yorkers across their lifespan. Visit https://omh.ny.gov/ to learn more.

Funds Support Disadvantaged Farmers

ALBANY—New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball announced on Monday, September 21 that applications are now open for the second offering of the Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Farmer Grant Program. The grant program aims to expand opportunities to farmers who are less likely to enter or succeed in the agricultural field, due to discrimination and the inability to access resources. Funding is available for a wide range of start-up and operational costs, including support for marketing, training, and more. The Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Farmers Grant Program is administered by the Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust. Funding will be offered under the program name “Landing Access: Novel Directions Project.” A total of $750,000.00 is available to famers through this program, with grants of up to $50,000.00 available in this second offering. Subsequent funding opportunities to be announced in the coming weeks will offer awards of up to $250,000.00. Applications opened on September 23 and will be available through November 30. Questions regarding the LAND Project can be sent to hutch@nefoclandtrust.org.

Average New York Gas Price up 9 Cents

UTICA—Northeast pump prices keep surging above seasonal records as global petroleum markets face deepening disruption from the war with Iran, according to AAA Northeast. Prices for regular unleaded across the Northeast have soared since mid-August and are now at the highest ever for this time of year and close to yearly highs reached in May, not long after the war began. Regional diesel prices, which have risen even more sharply than gasoline prices, are either at record levels or approaching highs set in 2022. The continued rise in gas prices is driven in large part by higher oil prices, which settled above $100.00 a barrel for a second week in a row by the time trading stopped on Friday. Tighter inventories have been another factor putting upward pressure on pump prices, though the latest data from the Energy Information Administration showed some slight improvement to domestic stockpiles. As of Monday, September 21, the average gas price in New York is up 9 cents from last week ($4.39), averaging $4.48 per gallon. That price is up 33 cents from a month ago ($4.15) and up $1.16 from the same day last year ($3.23). New York’s average gas price is 8 cents higher than the national average. Search for average gas prices on national, state, and metro levels by regular, plus, premium, and diesel at https://gasprices.aaa.com/.

Ag, Markets Releases Criteria for Comment

ALBANY—The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, in collaboration with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, has released for public comment new proposed eligibility guidelines to allocate funding for climate resilient farming projects under the $4.2 billion Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022. Feedback from the draft criteria will be used to develop forthcoming grant opportunities offered through AGM’s Climate Resilient Farming program. State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball said, “Our farmers have always been on the front lines of meaningful, sustainable efforts to preserve our natural resources and fight against climate change, and the Climate Resilient Farming program has been a huge part of that mission. Supplementing our existing work with Bond Act funding will only further support our farmers participating in this terrific program who are working hard to implement best management practices while remaining competitive, profitable, and sustainable.” The public is encouraged to comment on the draft eligibility guidelines, which are available at https://dec.ny.gov. Public comments are to be submitted in writing to Jennifer Clifford, 10B Airline Drive, Albany, NY 12223 or Jennifer.Clifford@agriculture.ny.gov no later than Friday, October 16 at 5 p.m. For more information and to sign up for progress updates, go to the Environmental Bond Act webpage.