Economy
GlobalFoundries Announces Further Expansion in Saratoga County
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“Why is this so important? Because whether you know it or not, almost every device, every machine you own, depends on a chip.”
broadband
Sherburne Officials Seek Funding To Get Municipal Broadband Off The Ground
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“Getting these costs nailed down is really the next step.”
App NEWS
Tucked Into New PA State Budget, Millions In Sales Tax Breaks For Server Farms
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Under the tax code section of last month’s budget agreement, any company that builds a center in the Keystone State won’t have to pay sales tax on the thousands of pieces of equipment needed.
Education
Groups Partner With State to Expand High-Speed Internet Access to Affordable Housing
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“This initiative will help create affordable connected homes that equip residents with the tools necessary to thrive in the modern world.”
5G
The Debate Over 5G In Ithaca
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“Why would you want to install 100 facilities when you can do it with three?”
Crime and Justice
Wegmans Says Customers’ Personal Data May Have Been Exposed
|
Wegmans recently notified customers that two databases used for the company’s internal business purposes were inadvertently left open to potential outside access.
anna kelles
NY Senate Passes Crypto Moratorium, Assembly Prospects Remain Unclear
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Among those in opposition are union groups.
Andrew Cuomo
Cuomo Addresses Bitcoin Mining: “There Are Serious Concerns”
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Any bills passed would require Cuomo’s signature.
Economy
Schumer Requests Funds For ‘Video Game Accelerator’ Program
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“Gaming is one of the hottest, and fastest growing industries and companies close to home. More people do video games than watch movies. Look at Hollywood. We can become the Hollywood of gaming.”
American Jobs Plan
Schumer Talks Broadband With Chenango Leaders
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“We’re going to try to make sure that it’s really good broadband.”
App NEWS
Tenney, Chenango Leaders Discuss Broadband Expansion Plan
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“The school district has trouble with their teachers getting access to the students. Some of the hospitals and medical units have trouble getting access to people in the rural areas.”
Education
Surveys Created To Identify Remaining Broadband Dark Spots In New York
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“When so many people had to work and learn and play at home, the lack of broadband internet service clearly became a real problem for those families.”
Fox News Again Urges New York Court To Dismiss Smartmatic’s $2.7 Billion Lawsuit
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Fox News says its coverage of bogus election-fraud claims was “accurate and disinterested” and is protected by the First Amendment.
WNYC Fires ‘On The Media’ Co-Host Bob Garfield For Alleged Bullying
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According to a statement from New York Public Radio, an outside investigation found that Garfield violated the company’s anti-bullying policy. He was the subject of a similar investigation in 2020.
Energy
New York Lawmakers Seek to Expand Electric Vehicle Access By Allowing Direct Sales
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“We want to make it easier for customers to have access to them wherever you live in New York state, not just in the downstate markets.”
Education
Bridging A Digital Divide, Subsidized Internet Program Enrollment Begins
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A new federal program will provide low-income residents with a monthly stipend to help pay for internet service.
Government
High-Speed Internet Could Face Tighter Regulation In New York
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The legislation would allow the state to treat high-speed internet as a utility, which would empower regulators to drill down on the industry, like they do with other utilities.
Government
Contact Tracing Data Breach Exposed Personal Data For Over 72K Pennsylvanians
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The state says it will not renew its contract with the agency after the incident.
App NEWS
Schumer Seeks To Boost Semiconductor Industry, Targeting New York
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“While we, the United States, and our genius created the chips, and we are the leader in creating the most advanced chips, we don’t make them here as much as we should.”
Education
AutismUp’s Facebook Group Supports Caregivers
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“I’ll go inside the bathroom, just for a quick second, and I’ll cry. But then I’m like, you know what, let me get myself together, everything’s going to be OK.”
Education
Starting In June, New York Will Require $15 High-Speed Internet for Low-Income Families
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“For America, broadband holds great power. It will either be the great equalizer for society, or it will be the great divider.”
Environment
Aboard The Lake Guardian, Scientists Fish For The Story Of Lake Ontario
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When the ice melts each spring, the ship visits each of the five lakes to measure basic water quality and sample the “lower food web” — the tiny animals, plants, and algae that support fish and other aquatic life.
Education
New York To Set $15 Per Month Price Cap on High-Speed Internet for Low-Income Earners
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The deal will also require the state to study access and reliability of high-speed internet service statewide, including in historically underserved rural areas.
amphibians
Researchers Work To Protect Spotted Salamander
|
“A car just went by, hopefully not crushing any amphibians.”
App NEWS
Using Drones To Distribute COVID Test Kits
|
“This is the future that you’re seeing, in how packages are going to be delivered both business to business and have packages going from businesses to consumers.”
Government
After Pocket Veto, Cuomo Will Propose Legislation to Study Broadband Access in New York
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The legislation would have required the Public Service Commission to study the availability, affordability, and reliability of high-speed internet
Government
Digital Privacy Advocate Urges Lawmakers to Reject Measure In Cuomo’s Budget
|
“Privacy legislation is extraordinarily complex and hard to get right, and we will likely have one bite at the apple, so we need to be sure we are getting it right this time.”
Government
Cuomo to Decide Fate of Bill to Study Broadband in NY
|
If Cuomo doesn’t act on the bill by the end of the month, it will quietly disappear in the form of a pocket veto, which means lawmakers would have to pass it again for his consideration.
App NEWS
Lawmakers Say Residents In State Run Homes Should Have WiFi
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“These residents have been as isolated as ever before, many have not been able to see their parents, their families at all.”
Emerald Ash Borer Leads To Cornell Plan To Cut Some Ash Trees, Save Others
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“As the ash borer population increases and the tree health declines, they become a safety hazard.”
Government
New York Governor Proposes High-Speed Internet Price Cap for Low-Income Families
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“A basic high-speed internet plan costs on average more than $50 per month. For too many families, this just isn’t affordable.”
Economy
Spectrum To Double Internet Speeds In Multiple New York Markets
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Expansion includes Elmira, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, and Buffalo in New York state.
Government
Smartphone App Warns Of Contact With COVID Carriers
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“The COVID-Alert New York does not track your location, your movement or use GPS. It does not collect or store any personal information. It is completely anonymous.”
App NEWS
To Contain Binghamton Cluster, Broome County Prepares to Deploy State Rapid Testing
|
The majority of cases are not driven by college students, either. Garnar said just 21 of the 193 active cases are Binghamton University students.
App NEWS
SUNY-Wide Pooled COVID-19 Testing May Be More Effective, Expert Says
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“When you provide a sample for a test, it is a snapshot in time. It’s a false situation to assume it protects you going forward.”
ag department
Officials: USDA Hemp Regulations Are Onerous
|
“We really are asking our farmers to be patient as we try to work this out with the federal government.”
App NEWS
NIH Vaccine Testing Underway In Binghamton
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The study is scheduled to last two years, but a vaccine might be ready for the public sooner.
binghamton university
Instead Of Tossing Them, Researchers Suspect N-95 Masks Could Be Sanitized And Reused
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One of the grant-funded projects at Binghamton University looks at how to best disinfect and reuse N-95 masks.
Government
Pandemic Exposed Inequality In Access To Broadband, Officials Say
|
“If we’re going to get serious about bridging the urban-rural divide and making sure that schoolchildren are not left behind then we have to work together to do a few things.”
App NEWS
From Conference Calls To Zoom, Local Governments Employ Range Of Technologies For Public Meetings
|
Digital divide remains a major challenge in some parts of Pennsylvania
In Deal With New York Attorney General, Zoom To Crack Down on Zoombombing,
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Zoom has agreed to launch a new internal data security program and will take other steps to combat hacker disruptions, a practice that has become known as Zoombombing.
Health
Virtual Comfort: How Patients And Families Stay Connected In The Age Of Coronavirus
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“As soon as he saw her face on that iPad, you could see relief in him immediately. She said, ‘Sing with me, Bob’, and he started singing and I literally started crying right there.”
COVID-19 Antibodies May Be Key To A Cure
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Infusing plasma from the recovered into the ill is an old treatment, shown by Dr. Emil von Behring’s 1901 Nobel Prize for infusing plasma into those sick with diphtheria, leading to a cure.
Economy
As Business Moves Online, IT Jobs More Essential Than Ever — For Now
|
For almost every tactile experience in the pre-COVID-19 world, there is now an online analog.
New York Hospitals Struggle To Get Virus Testing Online Amid Patient Surge
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On-site testing was delayed for weeks at a Brooklyn hospital that has been designated COVID-19 only. Rapid on-site testing can help hospitals prevent the virus from spreading inside their facilities.
App NEWS
3rd Person Tested for COVID-19 In Tompkins County, Officials Say Risk Of Getting It Is Still Very Low In The County
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39 people in Tompkins County are under quarantine.
Anthony Brindisi
Lockheed Martin’s Owego Plant Wins Contract To Make Parts For Drone-Killing Laser
|
The High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) system can defend American naval vessels against drones, small boats and cruise missiles.
Health
Telemedicine Increasingly Used For Behavioral Health Services
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According to health insurer Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, about a third of all the telemedicine visits from its patients in upstate New York last year were used for behavioral health services, up from 25% in 2018.
Economy
New York Attorney General Will Not Appeal Ruling That Favored T-Mobile – Sprint Merger
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Instead, the New York Attorney General says her office hopes to work with all parties to make sure consumers get the best pricing and service possible.
App NEWS
Improper Disposal Of Cellphone Suspected In Taylor Garbage Fire
|
According to the U.S. Fire Administration, between 2009 and 2017 lithium-ion batteries were the “root cause” of at least 195 fires.
The Annual Great Backyard Bird Count Has Begun
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The Count lasts four days from Friday through Monday, February 14-17, 2020. You don’t even have to have a backyard to participate.
New York Considers Appeal; Judge Favors T-Mobile Takeover Of Sprint
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“There is no doubt that reducing the mobile market from four to three will be bad for consumers, bad for workers, and bad for innovation.”
App NEWS
Cornell Student Tested For Novel Coronavirus
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“We should definitely be careful and cautious but it has all the makings of a situation that could spiral out of control in terms of public panic.”
News
Top Secret For Years, Kodak-Designed Space-Age Spy Camera Comes Home
|
“It’s something we designed and built in Rochester, and this one didn’t fly in space, but 48 others exactly like it did.”
Government
After Decades Of Frustration, Auditor Says PA’s Statewide Radio System May Soon Work Properly
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The old system was expensive, and its coverage was so spotty that police and other first responders couldn’t rely on it for communication.
App NEWS
‘Bazooka To A Knife Fight’? The Plan To Close PA Cyber Charter Schools
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The proposal would close all cyber charters in the commonwealth by the 2020-21 school year.
2020 Visions In The Sky: A Preview Of Astronomical Events
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It won’t be long after the start of a new year when astronomy buffs can enjoy the first of a few special events that will take place in the sky.
App NEWS
Binghamton University Nobel Laureate Accepts His Prize
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Nobel Laureate and Binghamton University Professor Dr. Stan Whittingham accepted his prize Tuesday in Stockholm, Sweden. At the same time, BU held a watch party in Vestal.
News
No Cash For The Salvation Army Kettle? Now You Can Donate With Your Phone
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This year, the agency is trying to keep the campaign relevant by adding some new technology options for giving.
Economy
Work Complete On 50 Mile Drone Test Corridor In New York
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Central New York’s emerging drone industry is taking some major steps forward, as construction of the infrastructure is complete for the unmanned traffic management drone corridor.
Government
Brindisi Plan Targets Internet Providers, Spectrum, On Rising Costs
|
“What we have found is these companies are very secretive. They don’t want to shed too much light on their business practices. But to me, sunshine is the best disinfectant.”
Education
PA Lawmakers Host Rural Kids—And Their Robots
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Officials are hoping early exposure to science and tech will give rural students a leg up in rapidly modernizing fields, like agriculture.
PA Researchers Call CRISPR Approach To Fighting Cancer ‘Promising’
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Attempts to use the gene-editing tool CRISPR to develop a treatment for cancer seem safe and feasible in the earliest findings from the first three patients. “So far, so good,” scientists say.
App NEWS
Most Plastics Break Down Into Tiny Pieces Before They Reach The Great Lakes. This PA Researcher Studies Them Before They Degrade
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Plastic doesn’t go away, but it breaks down in the environment. One bottle can degrade into hundreds, even thousands, of tiny pieces of plastic the size of a grain of sand, which can be eaten by birds or fish.
Nobel Laureate Explains How Lithium-Ion Battery Was Created And Its Future
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Stan Whittingham is regarded as the man who laid the groundwork for the science.
App NEWS
Proposed Legislation Meant To Clarify Reports On Internet Availability, Speeds In Rural New York
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“This legislative package will require more accurate data from internet service providers and ensure that new broadband service funded through the FCC will deliver internet at speeds required for the modern era.”
App NEWS
After Hearing, Broadband Advocates Target Solutions In Rural Areas
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Last week, Congressman Antonio Delgado hosted a hearing in Columbia County where the public and some experts had the ear of the Federal Communications Commission, the agency responsible for broadband.
Featured in Category
Binghamton University Professor Shares Nobel Prize In Chemistry For Development Of Lithium-Ion Batteries
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Scientists from New York, Texas and Japan have jointly received the award, according to an announcement of The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm.
Antonio Delgado
Rep. Delgado To Host Congressional Field Hearing On Rural Broadband
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The hearing is expected to cover how internet access affects students, small businesses and rural hospitals.
App NEWS
Rural Access To Broadband Internet Focus Of State Hearing
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State lawmakers will lead a hearing in Albany Wednesday that focuses on rural access to broadband, an issue the state has tried to improve.
App NEWS
A Clash On Cyber Charters Kicks Off Fall Legislative Session In Harrisburg
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Gov. Wolf’s proposal includes specific measures that could limit cyber charter school growth
Uncategorized
Cornell Particle Accelerator Receives $7.1M Grant from Air Force
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The new high energy x-ray beams will also be available to manufacturers.
Is Facebook Too Big? New York’s Attorney General Wants To Know
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Attorneys general from eight states and the District of Columbia have launched a probe into Facebook and its market dominance. The Justice Department has also launched an antitrust review of big tech.
Crime and Justice
Postal Feature Might Protect Mail From ‘Porch Pirates’
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For people concerned about “porch pirates” walking off with their packages, the U.S. Postal Service offers a free service to help customers keep track of their mail.
News
Congressman Warns Of ‘Catastrophic Event’ During Cybersecurity Roundtable
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“I think businesses and entities don’t always pay enough attention to the cyber issues and as the threat builds and conflicts grow internationally, it’s a very serious component.”
Google Owes New York Millions Over Allegations YouTube Collected Kids’ Personal Info
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Google will pay a $170 million to settle the Federal Trade Commission and the New York Attorney General’s allegations that YouTube collected personal information from children.
Education
Research Shows Thousands Could Be Saved With Better Air Quality Standards
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New research from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh shows thousands of lives could be saved each year if air quality standards were tightened.
Finger Lakes Hosts Nation’s First Hemp Seed Bank
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U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) recently announced that the project will get $500,000 of federal funding. The new seed bank will be located at Cornell AgriTech in Geneva, New York.
Environment
Senator Says USDA Wrongly Halted Research Into Honeybees
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“At this time, when our bees are dying off, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has done a very quiet but very dumb thing. They’ve stopped collecting critical scientific data on honeybees.”
Crime and Justice
Brindisi Calls For Probe After Graphic Photos Of Utica Murder Stayed On Social Media
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The alleged killer of Bianca Devins posted images of her death on social media that remained visible on platforms like Instagram for more than a week.
Anti-fracking movement
New York Study: Fracking Causes Environmental Damage, Birth Defects
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A New York metastudy details the adverse effects fracking has on Pennsylvania’s environment, its climate and human health.
Brindisi-Backed Crackdown On Robocalls Passes House
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FCC estimates more than 47 billion robocalls were made to phones in the U.S. in 2018
Health
Does The Common Cold Virus Kill Bladder Cancer?
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The very early stage British research says bladder cancer cells can be injected with the Coxsackie cold virus to kill the cancer cells.
App NEWS
PA Attorney General Hopes Equifax Settlement Is A Warning To Similar Companies
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“If you’re going to be obtaining personal information from people, it’s important that you invest that money to protect their information, or you could be facing something similar.”
New York Senator Issues Warning Against Viral Russia-Based Face-Morphing App
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FaceApp’s surge in popularity has driven New York Sen. Chuck Schumer to call for a federal investigation into the St. Petersburg-developed app over potential “national security and privacy risks” to Americans.
App NEWS
Firefighter’s Memorial Service Includes A Reflection On The Job’s Cancer Risks
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“If Daryl were here, she would tell you, just as I and others have been doing for years now. Don’t mess with cancer. It is insidious and relentless.”
Using Food Stamps For Online Grocery Shopping Gets Easier In New York
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Walmart is expanding a program for food stamp recipients to buy groceries online and pick them up in stores. It’s the latest move to give them more options in the era of online shopping.
New York Architects Use Age Simulation Suit To Build Empathy With Older Folks
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A New York architecture firm is turning to an age simulation suit to let its designers experience the physical impairments of old age while navigating public spaces, like airports.
To Safely Study Volcanoes, Scientists Come To Upstate New York?
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Studying active volcanoes can be dangerous. Which is why a group of scientists from around the world came together to simulate volcanic blasts. What they’re learning will help them at a real eruption.
New Parking Tech Makes Remote Validation Possible For Ithaca Businesses
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“When the customer goes back to the garage with the ticket, it’ll show they owe nothing or they’ll owe a less amount depending on what the discount was.”
Cornell Scientists Find Natural Fungi That Kill Invasive Spotted Lanternfly
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The spotted lanternfly eats away at the bark of trees. It’s a threat to some commercial crops that are big in New York like grapes and apples.
App NEWS
Wegmans App Lets Customers Scan And Bag Groceries As They Shop
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A Wegmans senior vice president says as technology has evolved to enable more self-service, customers are increasingly looking for options that save time and allow them to shop how they want.
First PA Patients Treated With CRISPR As Human Gene-Editing Trials Get Underway
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This could be a crucial year for the powerful gene-editing technique CRISPR as Pennsylvania researchers start testing it in patients to treat diseases such as cancer, blindness and sickle cell disease.
Weill Cornell Researchers Find High Fructose Corn Syrup Feeds Colon Tumors
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“The sugar is being directly eaten by the tumor, and the tumor can use that sugar to grow.”
Computer Problems, Weather Cause Major Flight Delays In New York
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The FAA says the issue that affected Southwest, Delta and other carriers has been resolved. But with hundreds of flights affected, the delays could linger.
New York Woman Wants To Create This: *Insert Afro Emoji Here*
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Writer Rhianna Jones is petitioning the Unicode Consortium for an emoji of a person with an Afro.
Affordable Care Act
Rep. Delgado Wants More Practicality In Broadband Access
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New York has a program that aims to expand access across the state. But NY-19 Congressman Antonio Delgado said some practical changes to implementing broadband could help speed things along.
Man Pleads Guilty In New York To Fleecing Facebook And Google Of $100 Million
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Evaldas Rimasauskas admitted to his role in helping to orchestrate a two-year-long scam that tricked employees into wiring more than $100 million to his own company’s bank accounts.
PA Researchers: Human Genomics Research Has A Diversity Problem
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Studies on the genetics of human diseases have focused largely on people of European descent. Pennsylvania Researchers say this lack of diversity is bad science and exacerbates health inequities.
Energy
Japan Looks Beyond Electric Cars And Envisions A ‘Hydrogen Society’
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The country has ambitious goals to become the “hydrogen society,” and right now, the focus is on its automakers.
News
‘Hyperloop’ Cargo From Philly To Pittsburgh? It May Not Be Far-Fetched
|
Envision commercial goods packed in giant capsules and moving in vacuum-sealed steel tubes hurtling from one end of the state to the other in under a half hour.
binghamton
New Smoke Detector Law Takes Effect April 1
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A lot of people may have been busy changing out batteries in their smoke detectors, but New York state is moving away from selling those kinds of devices.
Economy
Schumer Pushes Mohawk Valley As Federal Quantum Computing Site
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U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) wants the Mohawk Valley to be at the center of one of the next big things in the world of technology: quantum computing. And researchers at SUNY Polytechnic Institute and Rome Labs are already working on it.
binghamton
Schumer: Police Need New Tools, Not A National Emergency Nor A Wall
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During a stop in Elmira, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer predicted lawsuits challenging the President’s declaration of a national emergency will be successful.
New York’s ‘Grandfather Of Climate Science’ Dies At 87
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Wallace Broecker was an early advocate for reducing fossil fuels to avoid the disruptive effects of climate change and brought the term “global warming” into the mainstream.
New York Scientists Get Back To Basics To Make Childbirth Safer
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Remarkably little is known about the fundamentals of how a woman carries a baby inside her. Two Columbia University researchers aim to change that, to reduce the number of kids born too soon.
Government
Schumer Wants Tougher Action Against Online Blackmailers
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Senator Chuck Schumer is calling on lawmakers to make online predator blackmailing a federal crime. That’s when someone steals your personal information online and threatens you with it.
VIDEO: New York Inventor Inspired By Childhood Memories Of Fungus
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As a child on a New York farm, Eben Bayer helped his dad shovel wood chips in the barn. That’s where he noticed a stretchy web of fungus that became the basis of his biodegradable packing material.
New York Experiments Aim To Create Gene-Edited Human Embryos
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Despite outrage over gene editing in China that affected the birth of twins, research is underway in New York to assess the safety and effectiveness of CRISPR tools to edit genes in human embryos.
News
Summit Will Promote Improved Internet Access In The Finger Lakes
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Bridging the internet access gap in the Finger Lakes is the focus of a summit today in Geneva. The Finger Lakes Digital Inclusion Coalition is meeting to discuss how a lack of internet access at home can affect communities in the region.
Visa Overstays Exceeded Illegal Border Crossings, Say New York Researchers
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A study also finds that the unauthorized population from Mexico has declined by 1.3 million people since 2010.
Featured in Category
Lack Of Funding Poses Challenges For Expanding Broadband Access In PA
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A group representing rural Pennsylvanians says expanding high speed broadband internet access in the state needs to be a priority this year, but acknowledges funding for infrastructure upgrades continues to be a challenge.
News
SUNY Nears Completion Of Blight-Resistant American Chestnut Trees
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Scientists at SUNY ESF have been trying to bring back the American chestnut tree for decades. Three to four billion of the trees were destroyed by blight in the first half of the 20th century, but researchers are now getting close to bringing back an American chestnut resistant to blight.
activated carbon
A New Disposal Method For Unused Medications Offered By PA Clinics
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A health network in Pennsylvania’s Tioga County hopes to reduce the abuse of unused medications by making them harder to find. Nationally, young people who abuse prescription opioids usually get them from friends and relatives.
‘No Evidence Of Extraterrestrial Activity,’ As New York City Is Bathed In Blue Light
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Utility company Con Edison says the light emanated from “a sustained electrical arc flash that was visible across a wide area.” Witnesses had many other ideas.
Education
PA Researchers Push For Answers On Carbon Capture: Will It Stay Where We Put It?
|
If power plants that burn fossil fuels could capture their carbon emissions and store them somewhere, it would go a long way toward preventing greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere.
Google Will Spend $1 Billion For New York Campus On Hudson River
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“In fact, we’re growing faster outside the [San Francisco] Bay Area than within it,” says Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat, a senior vice president of both Google and its parent company, Alphabet.
New York Girls And Their Moms Get Candid About Phones And Social Media
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About half of all teens say they’ve tried to cut back on their phone use. But one of the girls we spoke with says that’s hard when “it’s obviously designed to be addictive.”
Environment
In 2018, Harmful Algal Blooms On Cayuga Lake Increased Five-Fold Over The Year Before
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Significantly more harmful algal blooms were reported on Cayuga Lake this year than in 2017. A local non-profit reports the 2018 blooms were more likely to contain toxins harmful humans and small mammals, like cats and dogs.
Evelyn Berezin, New York Scientist Behind Groundbreaking Word Processor, Dies At 93
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Berezin studied physics but, despairing of the job market in physics, she turned to the rapidly transforming computer industry. She invented the first truly computerized system for word processing.
binghamton
New York Firm Will Build NASA’s Next-Generation Space Telescope
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Harris Corporation has been awarded a nearly $196 million contract to help build a space-based telescope. The work involves the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope, or WFIRST, for short.
Education
Researchers Say Most Of PA Lacks Access To High-Speed Broadband
|
Statewide research from Penn State finds that there’s a severe lack of connectivity to high-speed broadband internet for much of Pennsylvania. The preliminary results of the study suggest that the problem is far worse than experts initially estimated.
Neil DeGrasse Tyson Rejects Claims Of Sexual Misconduct
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Three women have accused the astrophysicist of inappropriate behavior. One says she quit her job on his TV show “Cosmos” because of it.
New York Students Learn The Technology And Ethics Of Gene Editing
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It’s a gene-editing technology which offers promise in both medicine and agriculture but also comes with serious ethical and moral considerations. University at Buffalo students are now getting hands-on training, and taking on the ethical questions, in what is known as CRISPR.
Economy
Amazon New York HQ Could Spur Investment In Upstate’s Drone Corridor
|
Reaction has been mixed to Amazon’s selection of Long Island City in Queens as one of its new headquarters, promising 25,000 high-paying jobs. But Syracuse business leaders said they are expecting a spill-over effect of investment in central New York, because of the region’s drone corridor.
binghamton
Cornell Finds Laboratory Head Falsified Data
|
Cornell University has found that a prominent professor and researcher violated federal regulations and was “reckless” in his research conduct.
News
Facial Recognition Technology Is A New Tool In Locating Lost Pets
|
ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – Lost pets might find their way home sooner, thanks to new facial recognition technology.
Education
School Districts Hit By Cyberattacks; Senator Schumer Calls For Investigation
|
SYRACUSE, NY (WRVO) – Dozens of central New York School Districts are coping with a rash of cyberattacks that has put data about students at risk.
Government
Drone Advocates Hopeful For More Federal Research Money
|
SYRACUSE, NY (WRVO) – Boosters of drone technology in central New York are hoping the federal government comes through with some new research dollars in the coming months.
Education
Science Scores Soar, But All Other PA Test Scores Flat In 2018
|
KEYSTONE CROSSROADS – Student performance on Pennsylvania’s suite of standardized tests didn’t change much in 2018, with the exception of science scores, which shot up 12 percentage points.
New York’s Online-Only Restaurants: The Future, Or The End Of Dining Out?
|
Uber has helped create about 800 “virtual restaurants” in the U.S. — eateries that only exist online. Uber says its delivery service helps restaurants grow, but some in the industry see downsides.
A.I. Produced ‘Portrait’ Will Go Up For Auction In New York
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The print, called Edmond de Belamy, is a blurry depiction of what could be a “a man of the church” floating within a gilt frame. In place of the artist’s signature is a math equation.
Food and Farms
Research In PA Could Inform Future Hemp Production In Mid-Atlantic
|
Rapho Township, PA (WITF) — Farmers and researchers in 23 counties have been studying industrial hemp in trial crops this year. The former cash crop could see a resurgence if a U.S. Senate version of the federal Farm Bill is passed later this year.
New York Scientists Find What Could Be A History-Making Moon
|
Scientists have detected plenty of planets outside our solar system. Now, they say, they’ve found the first moon circling one of them.
Rep. Tom Reed Says He Supports Net Neutrality. Some Constituents Want Action.
|
ITHACA, NY (WSKG) – Some constituents are urging Congressman Tom Reed to take action to support net neutrality. Reed represents New York’s 23rd congressional district, which stretches from Ithaca to Jamestown. Seven people met with a member of his staff in Ithaca on Tuesday morning. Back in December, the Federal Communications Commission repealed 2015 net neutrality rules that required internet providers to allow equal access to all web content. Congressman Reed supported the repeal.
Health
Researchers Need More Participants For Alzheimer’s Studies
|
ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – Most American adults are worried they’ll develop Alzheimer’s, but they’re also optimistic that there will be a cure for the disease in their lifetimes, according to survey results released Monday.
Wegmans First American Supermarket To Offer App-Based Service For Blind Shoppers
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BUFFALO, NY (WBFO) – An app service known as Aira offer blind or visually-impaired users the opportunity to use their smartphone as a second set of eyes, in order to perform tasks including shopping. Wegmans has become the first supermarket chain in the nation to offer the service.
Education
Some Science And High Tech Jobs Simply Not Accessible
|
Although the Americans with Disabilities Act requires that public institutions make accommodations for people, students in STEM education – science, technology, engineering, and mathematics – still feel like they are being pushed out.
Economy
New Solar Tech Made Completely in the Southern Tier Will Save Energy, Costs For Industry
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NYSERDA, a New York State agency that works on energy research and development, announced a new tech product completely manufactured in the Southern Tier.
Government
NYS Launches Effort To Eliminate Hepatitis C
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New York is now home to the nation’s first strategy to eliminate hepatitis C, according to Governor Andrew Cuomo. The governor unveiled a $5-million program Friday that he said will expand access to clean syringes, increase funding for hepatitis C treatment, and remove barriers to insurance coverage for people getting that treatment.
cable
NYS Public Service Commission rescinds approval of Charter-Time Warner merger
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New York State is taking tough action against Charter Communications, the parent company for Spectrum cable and internet services.
On Friday, the New York State Public Service Commission revoked its approval of the 2016 merger agreement between Charter and Time Warner Cable. The PSC contends that Charter failed to deliver the benefits to state residents that were part of the merger approval.
Rep. Reed Wants To Grow High Tech Industry, But Some Manufacturers Say They Need Workers Who Can Read
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At Rep. Reed’s manufacturing summit, he said there’s an opportunity for growing the high tech industry in his district, which includes Geneva, Jamestown and Elmira. But, one manufacturer in the area says her biggest challenge is just finding employees who can show up for work on time and read a tape measure.
Featured in Category
Feds’ Internet Subsidy Proposals Would Hurt The Poor, PUC says
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HARRISBURG, PA (WSKG) — In the last year, the Federal Communications Commission has been circulating and seeking comment on a proposal that would, among other things, make major changes to a program that helps get internet access to low-income people.
Government
Hoping To Accelerate Broadband Upgrades, PA Considers Taking Over FCC Duties
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HARRISBURG, PA (WSKG) — The state Public Utility Commission is considering taking over jurisdiction of certain utilities from the federal government in an effort to boost efforts to bring high-speed broadband to underserved rural areas.
binghamton
Cornell Researchers Developing Speedy Test For Bacteria In Beach Water
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ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – A group of researchers at Cornell University has developed a new, faster test to determine whether bacteria are present in beach water.
News
Study Aims To Accurately Evaluate Broadband Availability In PA
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KEYSTONE CROSSROADS – In his office on Penn State’s main campus, Sascha Meinrath, a professor of telecommunications, tested his internet speed.
An Experiment Designed By New York Students Now In Orbit
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BUFFALO, NY (WBFO) – An experiment created by a team of students from one Western New York School is heading to the International Space Station. They were able to watch video of a launch carrying their work into space while on a trip to Washington, DC Friday morning.
Government
New York’s Public Service Commission Fines Spectrum Parent $2M
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ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – The New York State Public Service Commission has laid down the law to Charter Communications – the parent company of Spectrum – in a scathing order, for failing to meet the terms set when Charter acquired Time Warner Cable in 2016.
cornell
Particle Accelerator Upgrades Keep Cornell Competitive
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Students running around the track at Cornell University’s Charles F. Berman field might not realize that about five stories down there’s another track sending atoms circling – a particle accelerator. It was shut down this week for massive upgrades.
Government
Central New York Drone Corridor Left Out Of National Project
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SYRACUSE, NY (WRVO) – The 50-mile drone corridor that the state is building in central New York will not be part of a new federal pilot program meant to accelerate drone integration into national airspace.
Arts
Class of 2018 Introduced At The World Video Game Hall Of Fame
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ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – The fourth class of the Strong’s World Video Game Hall of Fame includes a game experts say helped launch the multi-billion dollar video game industry, and another that has changed the way people consume sports video games, and the way actual sports games are broadcast.
American Museum Of Natural History In New York Grappling With A Board Member Dilemma
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Climate-change activists have launched a campaign to get the American Museum of Natural History in New York City to sever ties with board member Rebekah Mercer, whose family foundation has poured millions of dollars into funding climate change denial organizations.
News
Science Museum Discovers Rare Elephant Bird Egg Among Its Collection
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Buffalo, NY (WBFO) – A recent discovery at the Buffalo Museum of Science has the scientific community buzzing. A team uncovered a fully-intact elephant bird egg while digitally cataloging the museum’s oological collection.
Health
How A High School Concussion Inspired A Tech Startup
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Matt Roda of Lancaster County was a junior in high school when a single hockey game changed his entire life, putting him on a path to try and better identify and treat concussions.
Arts & Culture
Developers Want Kinder, Gentler Video Games
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ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – Local game developers are spent the weekend creating video games based on kindness at the Rochester Institute of Technology. The event, or “game jam” was hosted by iThrive Games, a company who aims to empower and inspire teens through video games. They hold these weekend long brainstorming sessions across the country, based on different elements such as kindness, or empathy. Senior Creative Director for iThrive Games, Heidi McDonald, McDonald says she’s noticed a trend in young developers wanting to make deeper, more compassionate games. “Pew-pew is fun, vroom vroom is fun, but I think we are at a place where both the player base and the developers want something deeper, they want something more.
Featured in Category
State AG Pushes For Stronger Date Protection Laws, 9 Million New Yorkers Hit In 2017
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SYRACUSE, NY (WSKG) – More than nine million New Yorkers had their personal data exposed last year according to a new report from state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. That is more than four times the number of New Yorkers impacted in 2016. The vast majority of the exposed data in 2017 came from the breach at consumer reporting agency Equifax.
Health
Finger Lakes Health Targeted By Ransomware Computer Attack
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ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – A health care system is dealing with an attack on its computer system. Finger Lakes Health, which includes hospitals in Geneva and Penn Yan, as well as long term care facilities, and primary care practices is dealing with a ransomware type attack.
News
Cornell Researchers Discover Destructive Emerald Ash Borer In Tompkins County
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Ithaca, NY (WSKG) – Emerald ash borers have been found in Tompkins County. Researchers at Cornell University spotted the insects in one tree in the University’s Arnot Forest. The forest is 4,500 acres and stretches across Tompkins and Schuyler counties.
Environment
Love Stinks During Skunk Mating Season
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Skunks may be roaming more freely these days as it’s skunk mating season.
Featured in Category
With Net Neutrality Decision, This Model Could Offer More Broadband Choices For Rural Customers
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Opponents of Thursday’s FCC decision to roll back net neutrality rules are concerned about the effect on broadband internet access, especially in rural areas. Bringing broadband to these areas can be expensive. For the last couple years, the FCC had regulated the internet as a utility. Now, that’s changed and some fear providers won’t have the incentive to bring better access to rural areas. One solution could be open access networks. These supply the infrastructure for broadband internet; things like fiber are laid down.
Rural Companies Connect Neighbors Through New York Broadband Program
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New York’s Broadband for All program hopes to bring broadband speed internet to the entire state by the end of 2018. This has led to an opportunity for local companies in rural areas, who are taking advantage of the state funds to expand to underserved customers. “How Many of Us Are There?” Husband and wife duo Bill Gruber and Helen McLean live in Franklin, New York. Their home sits among the rolling hills of rural Delaware County.
How To Bring Broadband To Rural New Yorkers
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Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers lack what the FCC considers “broadband speed” internet. As part of our series on the issues at stake in this election, WSKG’s Sarah Gager and Gabe Altieri discuss the problem and possible solutions. Interview Highlights
On why is rural broadband important
Gabe Altieri: Well, this is a big problem for a lot of people. I took a trip to Windsor to meet Steve Herz. He’s a former Broome County Legislator and led a charge to get funding for rural broadband about a decade ago.