Farmington resident David Shields is running for Town Board. On this edition of FLX Today, we continue our series talking with candidates for local office across the Finger Lakes. Shields has a young family, and calls Farmington home. For him, the decision to run for Town Board was a personal one that came from a few interactions that left him believing more was possible. Among his campaign priorities: Improving town communication, engaging with residents of the growing town, prioritizing economic development through small business growth and entrepreneurship, and identifying housing opportunities that reach a wider range of potential residents.

Wolcott Town Supervisor Lynn Chatfield doesn’t mince words when it comes to the community he calls home. On this edition of FLX Today, we continue our series talking with candidates for local office across the Finger Lakes, catching up with the man running for another term as supervisor in the town of Wolcott. Poverty, struggling first responder ranks, and finding grant money for much needed infrastructure projects are among the issues that keep him most-busy and most-concerned for the long-term health of his community.

On this edition of FLX Today we begin our candidate spotlight series, featuring those running for elected office across the Finger Lakes. Kyle Brimm is a Republican, running for a new term as Ward 6 councilor.

Check out the full-interview on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.

On this edition of FLX Today we begin a new monthly series catching up with Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck. Recruiting efforts, an expected contract with the Weedsport Central School District to expand the School Resource Officer program there, as well as an update on a series of larcenies at school events in Port Byron and Cato were among the topics discussed.

Legislation in Congress aims to provide money to rural communities in New York and across the U.S. The Rebuild Rural America Act would allocate $50-billion to make it easier for rural areas to access federal grant money for a slew of different projects. In New York, this could mean providing funds for counties with aging housing stock, to make it more accessible for seniors or people with limited mobility.

Before New York's legislative session ended, lawmakers expanded vote-by-mail access.
The New York Early Mail Voter Act allows registered voters to get early mail voting ballots through an application to their local Board of Elections.
Currently, 35 states and Washington, D.C. allow "no excuse" absentee voting. Though Census data finds less than half of New Yorkers voted in an unconventional manner, the change between 2016 and 2020 was more than 35%.
Brett Edkins, managing director for policy and political affairs at Stand Up America, said New York voters will benefit.

The Bipartisan State Commission will start work immediately. After the 2020 census, the commission did not agree on a new map, leading to a lengthy legal challenge. It ended with a state court judge overseeing the new map's redrawing process for the 2022 elections.

On this edition of FLX Today it's all about what's happening at one of the region's favorite spots. The Montezuma Audubon Center and Montezuma Wildlife Refuge are excellent destinations this time of year; and today we are joined by Chris Lajewski, who discusses recent volunteer efforts to clear out invasive species from waterways at the Refuge, and upcoming events.

A new campaign aims to bolster public education and student learning.
The American Federation of Teachers' Real Solutions for Kids and Communities campaign aims to boost a variety of issues schools are lagging behind in.
In New York and across the U.S. schools are still working to address learning loss from the pandemic. The latest scores from the National Assessment of Educational Progress show reading and math scores hit 1970s levels.
AFT President Randi Weingarten said reading is a cornerstone of this new campaign.
"Getting books into young people's hands, it's just a start," said Weingarten. "The ability to read is a fundamental right and teaching children to read is the most fundamental responsibility of school."
Other elements of the campaign include garnering more support staff and necessary teacher resources, and making strides to improve youth mental health.
A 2023 survey finds 92% of parents want to see schools provide mental health services for students.
New York's 2024 budget allocated $50 million to expand mental-health services for school-aged children, and to fund school-based mental-health services.
But, many challenges lie ahead to ensure schools and children see the fruits of AFT's labor. House Republicans have proposed vast cuts to Title One programs in the upcoming budget.
U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said politicians working to broaden parents' rights need to shift their focus to more pressing educational needs.
"How about the parent's right to a well-resourced neighborhood school instead of seeing their tax dollars go to vouchers?" said Cardona. "How about the parent's right to make sure their children have fully staffed schools, with highly qualified teachers, not a cast of substitute teachers because their state has no problem with their teachers making less than $40,000 a year."
An Economic Policy Institute study finds New York's own voucher programs were only slightly effective, with a single cohort of students.
Other studies find vouchers had negative impacts on New York City students' math scores.

Some one-time grant funding has made the difference between renters in rural New York having a safe place to live - or having to move.

The McNeil Park Apartments, in Copenhagen, is an income-based complex for seniors and adults with disabilities. When it was purchased in 2020 by the Copenhagen Happy Acres Housing Fund, McNeil Park was in a state of disrepair.

But Snow Belt Housing Company, which manages the complex, applied for a Covid-19 Community Development Block Grant.

Snow Belt Executive Director Jaylyn Heames described what would have happened had the grant not come through.