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Oneida County Tourism plans first annual legislative breakfast event
UTICA, N.Y. — Oneida County Tourism (OCT), in partnership with the New York State Hospitality & Tourism Association (NYSHTA), will host the first-ever Central New York Legislative Networking Breakfast on Friday, May 9. It will be held from 9-11 a.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton’s Crystal Ballroom at 102 Lafayette St. in Utica. “We’re proud […]
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UTICA, N.Y. — Oneida County Tourism (OCT), in partnership with the New York State Hospitality & Tourism Association (NYSHTA), will host the first-ever Central New York Legislative Networking Breakfast on Friday, May 9.
It will be held from 9-11 a.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton’s Crystal Ballroom at 102 Lafayette St. in Utica.
“We’re proud to host the CNY Legislative Networking Breakfast for the first time, in partnership with NYSHTA,” OCT President Sarah Foster Calero (pictured) announced. “As the leading voice for lodging and tourism in New York state, NYSHTA plays a critical role in advocating for policies that support our industry. Bringing together regional partners like Oneida County government, Mohawk Valley EDGE, the Greater Utica Chamber, and The Genesis Group allows us to collectively engage with our elected officials and highlight the importance of tourism as an economic driver across Central New York and the Mohawk Valley.”
The inaugural event will bring together tourism, hospitality, business, and government leaders from across the region to engage in open dialogue with local and state leaders. Attendees will hear about legislative issues directly affecting the industry and the broader regional economy.
Topics on the agenda include short-term rental legislation, ADA website compliance, tourism-promotion matching grants, and hotel and resort fees.
The event is open to all partners in the tourism, hospitality, and business community including hotels, attractions, event organizers, and restaurants.
The cost is $35 for members of any of the partnering organizations, or $50 for non-members.
More information, including registration, is available on the NYSHTA website.

Regional finalists named in New York Business Plan Competition
MARCY, N.Y. — SUNY Polytechnic Institute hosted the Mohawk Valley Regional Competition of the New York Business Plan Competition on April 4. The event selected

25th Syracuse Nationals car show to include Batmobile, specialty-car exhibits, Winfield tribute
SULLIVAN, N.Y. — The Batmobile, George Jetson’s flying car, Scooby-Doo’s Mystery Machine, and the return of the American Motor Drome Co. Wall of Death are
Most CNY regions gained jobs in January versus a year ago
Unemployment rates were mixed in the latest month The Syracuse, Utica–Rome, Watertown–Fort Drum, Binghamton, and Ithaca regions all gained jobs between January 2024 and this past January, while the Elmira area saw no change in jobs in the same period. That’s according to the latest monthly employment report that the New York State Department of
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The Syracuse, Utica–Rome, Watertown–Fort Drum, Binghamton, and Ithaca regions all gained jobs between January 2024 and this past January, while the Elmira area saw no change in jobs in the same period.
That’s according to the latest monthly employment report that the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) issued on March 13.
The Syracuse region gained 6,500 jobs in the past year, an increase of 2.1 percent.
Elsewhere, the Utica–Rome metro area added 300 jobs, a rise of 0.2 percent; the Watertown–Fort Drum region picked up 1,000 positions, an increase of 2.5 percent; the Binghamton area gained 100 jobs, an uptick of 0.1 percent; the Ithaca region added 1,000 positions, a jump of 2 percent; and the Elmira metro area neither gained nor lost jobs in the past year.
New York state as a whole added 182,600 jobs, an increase of 1.9 percent, in that 12-month period. The state economy also gained more than 20,000 jobs, or a 0.2 percent rise, between December 2024 and January 2025, the NYSDOL said.
Among industries, professional & business services added 18,400 jobs statewide, an increase of 1.3 percent, in the period between January 2024 and January 2025; government jobs increased by 27,200 positions, or 1.9 percent; and private education & health services jobs rose by 104,500, or 4.6 percent.
Unemployment rates in the Syracuse, Watertown–Fort Drum, and Ithaca regions fell in January compared to a year earlier.
However, the jobless rates in the Utica–Rome, Binghamton, and Elmira regions rose in January 2025 compared to January 2024. The figures are part of the latest NYSDOL data released on March 18.
The jobless rate in the Syracuse area fell to 4.2 percent in January from 4.3 percent in January 2024.
Around the region, the Watertown–Fort Drum area’s unemployment rate dipped to 5.8 percent from 5.9 percent; and the Ithaca region’s jobless number hit 3.4 percent, down from 3.6 percent. The Utica–Rome metro area’s rate climbed to 4.6 percent from 4.5 percent; the Binghamton region’s unemployment number rose to 4.8 percent from 4.7 percent; and the Elmira area’s jobless rate reached 4.4 percent, up from 4.2 percent in the same month a year earlier.
The local-unemployment data isn’t seasonally adjusted, meaning the figures don’t reflect seasonal influences such as holiday hires.
The unemployment rates are calculated following procedures prescribed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the state Labor Department said.
The January statewide unemployment figure of 4.4 percent was higher compared to the 4.2 percent rate reported in January 2024, according to department statistics.
The federal government calculates New York’s unemployment rate partly based upon the results of a monthly telephone survey of 3,100 state households that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics conducts.

2025 Nonprofit Awards Event Photos
Photos from the 2025 Nonprofit Awards. Photography courtesy of Ana Gil Photography.

Buffalo Bills hold topping-out ceremony for new stadium as construction continues
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills on Friday held a topping-out ceremony to mark the lifting and placing of the last major roof module

Wolfspeed, Inc., (NYSE: WOLF) has named a replacement for former CEO Gregg Lowe, who the company ousted last November amid struggling sales and a capital restructuring plan. On March 27, the North Carolina company — which operates a chip fab in Marcy — announced former Micron Technology executive Robert Feurle will take on the CEO
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Wolfspeed, Inc., (NYSE: WOLF) has named a replacement for former CEO Gregg Lowe, who the company ousted last November amid struggling sales and a capital restructuring plan.
On March 27, the North Carolina company — which operates a chip fab in Marcy — announced former Micron Technology executive Robert Feurle will take on the CEO role beginning May 1.
A citizen of both the United States and Germany, Feurle will relocate to North Carolina and work closely with Board Chair Thomas Werner, who served as interim executive chairman while the company searched for a new leader.
“We are excited to welcome Robert to Wolfspeed to lead the company into its next chapter,” Werner said in announcing the news. “With a history of delivering significant operational enhancements and profitability improvements, and deep industry expertise, we are confident that Robert is the right individual to take the helm during this stage in the company’s lifecycle. His history of driving success and operational excellence in each of his previous roles is a significant contributor to our decision to appoint him as CEO. The board and I look forward to working closely with Robert to successfully navigate near-term market dynamics and ultimately position the company for long-term value creation.”
Bringing 20 years of leadership experience to the role, Feurle most recently served as executive VP and general manager of the Opto Semiconductors Business Unit at ams-OSRAM AG, where he managed more than 10,000 employees at sites around the world. While there, he expanded market share and accelerated the introduction of LED and laser products into automotive and new advanced LED applications.
Prior to that, he served at Infineon Technologies, Micron Technology, Qimonda, and Siemens. Feurle holds a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Applied Sciences in Konstanz, Germany.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to lead Wolfspeed during such a transformative period,” Feurle said. “During my tenure at Infineon, I became intimately familiar with the silicon carbide industry and saw firsthand Wolfspeed’s impressive leadership in the space. I believe we have just begun to scratch the surface of the vast potential of silicon carbide. Wolfspeed’s world-class facilities, exceptional talent, and robust intellectual property, position us to maintain and expand our market leadership.”
He joins Wolfspeed as the company continues to focus on improving its financial performance and accelerating its path to generate positive free cash flow, taking aggressive steps to strengthen its balance sheet and raise capital.
“With all of the company’s competitive advantages, I feel very confident that we will be able to work through this transformative period to refresh the operating plan, improve financial performance, and accelerate our path to positive free cash flow,” Feurle said.
The day after announcing Feurle as the new CEO, Wolfspeed announced it has received $192.1 million in cash tax refunds from the advanced manufacturing tax credit under Section 48D — a portion of the approximately $1 billion in refunds the company expects to receive. As of the end of the second quarter of fiscal year 2025, Wolfspeed had accrued a total of $865 million in Section 48D tax credits. The company will use the tax-credit proceeds to strengthen its capital structure and for general corporate purposes.
Wolfspeed expects its cash balance at the end of its fiscal third quarter of 2025 will be about $1.3 billion including the tax credits.
As a result, the company reaffirmed its business outlook for the third quarter, forecasting revenue from continuing operations of between $170 million and $200 million and a projected loss of between $295 million to $270 million, or between $1.89 and $1.73 per share.
Wolfspeed continues to explore alternatives regarding its convertible notes and remains in a dialogue with its lenders including Apollo and Renesas.
Wolfspeed’s stock price was down 61 percent year to date, and 90 percent over the last 12-month period, as of mid-afternoon trading on Friday, April 4.

Le Moyne selects former interim president to deliver commencement address
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The man who once served as interim president of Le Moyne College will deliver the college’s undergraduate commencement address to the graduating

Daneli Partners, a leadership development and executive coaching firm dedicated to developing leaders, igniting their energy, and helping to drive business success, has promoted Paul

Report shows housing need in Oneida County
Oneida County needs more housing. That is the takeaway from the Oneida County Housing Market Inventory Assessment and Strategy Report, commissioned by the county and
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