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Broome County Youth Bureau announces $190,000 in youth-programming grants
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — The Broome County government has announced $190,000 in grant funding for youth programs in the community. Broome County Executive Jason Garnar made

NUAIR conference lays automation groundwork for high-density vertiports
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — NUAIR on March 5 held an all-day virtual conference to further develop a plan that supports NASA’s advanced air mobility (AAM) efforts.

Audible executive Glover to keynote CenterState CEO annual meeting April 29
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — An executive with a New Jersey–based audiobook company will provide the keynote address at the upcoming virtual annual meeting of CenterState CEO,
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Onondaga County hotel occupancy rate falls 22.5 percent in February
SYRACUSE — Hotels in Onondaga County had significantly more vacant rooms in February than in the year-ago month, as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to hurt the hospitality business, according to a recent report. The hotel occupancy rate (rooms sold as a percentage of rooms available) in the county fell 22.5 percent to 37.5 percent in
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SYRACUSE — Hotels in Onondaga County had significantly more vacant rooms in February than in the year-ago month, as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to hurt the hospitality business, according to a recent report.
The hotel occupancy rate (rooms sold as a percentage of rooms available) in the county fell 22.5 percent to 37.5 percent in February compared to the year-prior period, according to STR, a Tennessee–based hotel market data and analytics company.
Revenue per available room (RevPar), a key industry gauge that measures how much money hotels are bringing in per available room, plunged 37.5 percent to $29.58 in February from February 2020.
Average daily rate (or ADR), which represents the average rental rate for a sold room, dipped 19.4 percent to $78.92 in February from the same month last year.
This report is the last month in which the year-over-year comparison will be to a month before the pandemic hit. Starting with the March STR hotel reports, the comparisons will be to months also affected significantly by the COVID crisis.
New York milk production slips nearly 2 percent in February
New York dairy farms produced almost 1.2 billion pounds of milk in February, down 1.8 percent from nearly 1.22 billion pounds in the year-ago month, the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) recently reported. Milk production per cow in the state averaged 1,910 pounds in February, off 1.8 percent from 1,945 pounds 12 months prior.
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New York dairy farms produced almost 1.2 billion pounds of milk in February, down 1.8 percent from nearly 1.22 billion pounds in the year-ago month, the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) recently reported.
Milk production per cow in the state averaged 1,910 pounds in February, off 1.8 percent from 1,945 pounds 12 months prior.
The number of milk cows on farms in New York state totaled 626,000 head in February, unchanged from February 2020, NASS reported.
On the milk-price front, New York dairy farmers in January were paid an average of $17.10 per hundredweight, down $1.20 from December and off $2.70 from January 2020.
In neighboring Pennsylvania, dairy farms produced 798 million pounds of milk in February, down 4.2 percent from a year earlier.
Broome County hotel occupancy rate declines nearly 18 percent in February
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — Broome County hotels saw fewer guests in February than in the year-prior month amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, according to a recent report. The hotel occupancy rate (rooms sold as a percentage of rooms available) in the county declined 17.8 percent to 40 percent in February, according to STR, a Tennessee–based hotel
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BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — Broome County hotels saw fewer guests in February than in the year-prior month amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, according to a recent report.
The hotel occupancy rate (rooms sold as a percentage of rooms available) in the county declined 17.8 percent to 40 percent in February, according to STR, a Tennessee–based hotel market data and analytics company. It marked the 13th straight monthly decrease in occupancy.
Broome County’s revenue per available room (RevPar), a key industry gauge that measures how much money hotels are bringing in per available room, plummeted 27.9 percent to $29.25.
Average daily rate (or ADR), which represents the average rental rate for a sold room, was down 12.3 percent to $73.20 in February.
This report is the last month in which the year-over-year comparison will be to a month before the pandemic hit. Starting with the March STR hotel reports, the comparisons will be to months also affected significantly by the COVID crisis.
New York egg production dips slightly in February
New York farms produced 136.9 million eggs in February, down 0.5 percent from 137.6 million eggs in the year-earlier period, the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) recently reported. The number of layers in the Empire State averaged 5.82 million in February, up 2.1 percent from 5.7 million layers a year prior. February egg production
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New York farms produced 136.9 million eggs in February, down 0.5 percent from 137.6 million eggs in the year-earlier period, the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) recently reported.
The number of layers in the Empire State averaged 5.82 million in February, up 2.1 percent from 5.7 million layers a year prior. February egg production per 100 layers fell nearly 2.6 percent to 2,351 eggs from 2,413 eggs in February 2020.
In neighboring Pennsylvania, farms produced almost 703 million eggs during February, down 4.9 percent from 739 million a year ago.
U.S. egg production totaled just over 8.6 billion eggs in February, off 3.8 percent from almost 8.95 billion eggs produced in February 2020.

Oneida Nation adds Perfect Pour Café at Point Place Casino
SULLIVAN, N.Y. — A new coffee house and wine bar called Perfect Pour Café is now operating at Point Place Casino in the Bridgeport area of the town of Sullivan in Madison County. The Oneida Indian Nation held a formal-opening ceremony on March 22. Perfect Pour has 10 workers, all of whom are Oneida Nation
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SULLIVAN, N.Y. — A new coffee house and wine bar called Perfect Pour Café is now operating at Point Place Casino in the Bridgeport area of the town of Sullivan in Madison County.
The Oneida Indian Nation held a formal-opening ceremony on March 22. Perfect Pour has 10 workers, all of whom are Oneida Nation employees, Joel Barkin, VP of communication for the Oneida Indian Nation, tells CNYBJ in an email.
Syracuse’s Hayner Hoyt Corporation managed the construction effort, the Oneida Nation said. The planning for the coffee house and wine bar started back in October and construction began in January, according to Barkin.
The café’s design elements were “sourced locally,” including the white marble and tiles for the main coffee bar from Syracuse–based Roma Tiles and the interior and exterior signs created by Canastota–based Victory Signs.
Sheila Aggarwal, a senior lead interior designer with Zausmer, Frisch, Scruton and Aggarwal of Syracuse, handled the interior design work.
The café has a menu of gourmet coffee, exclusively from Utica Coffee, coffee-inspired cocktails, wines and beers, as well as handmade pastries and artisan sandwiches from the same award-winning culinary team at Turning Stone.
“Grand openings are always a special celebration in Central New York, and the opening of Perfect Pour Café means that much more as it signifies the beginning of our collective recovery,” Ray Halbritter, CEO of Oneida Nation Enterprises and Oneida Indian Nation representative, said. “Perfect Pour Café is a unique destination for guests to enjoy some much needed time with friends, while still remaining safe.”
The new café begins operations not long after Point Place Casino observed its third anniversary. Since opening, Point Place Casino has expanded its gaming floor twice and added a sports book called the Lounge with Caesars Sports, the Oneida Indian Nation noted.

Griffiss Institute announces new president and CEO
ROME, N.Y. — The Griffiss Institute in Rome has selected Heather Hage as its next president and CEO. She succeeds William Wolf, the organization’s first-ever
Stay up-to-date on the companies, people and issues that impact businesses in Syracuse, Central New York and beyond.