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Broome County, NYS Early Intervention Program needs providers
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — The Broome County Health Department this month is spotlighting its Early Intervention Program. It’s part of the New York State Early Intervention initiative, which is part of a national program that serves infants and toddlers with developmental disabilities and delays and their families. The program is open to children under age 3 […]
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BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — The Broome County Health Department this month is spotlighting its Early Intervention Program. It’s part of the New York State Early Intervention initiative, which is part of a national program that serves infants and toddlers with developmental disabilities and delays and their families.
The program is open to children under age 3 who have a confirmed disability or established physical, cognitive, communication, social-emotional, and/or adaptive developmental delay and is designed to help those children grow and develop. Services include evaluation services; home visits; speech, physical, and other therapies; child-development groups; family counseling; and even occasionally help with transportation. Services are provided with no out-of-pocket cost to families.
The county’s and state’s Early Intervention Program currently faces a shortage of qualified providers to deliver these services. The program is actively seeking certified and licensed audiologists, behavior analysts, mental-health practitioners, nurses, nutritionists/dieticians, occupational therapists, physical therapists, psychologists, social workers, speech-language pathologists, and teachers. More information about working with the NYS Early Intervention Program is available at https://health.ny.gov/EINeedsYou

Recapping the 2023 CenterState CEO annual meeting
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — CenterState CEO recognized five organizations during its April 26 annual meeting at the Nicholas J. Pirro Convention Center at Oncenter. The recipients included Mower, American Fashion Network, and Collins Barber & Beauty Shop. Besides the awards, those gathered also heard from a keynote speaker and Robert Simpson, president and CEO of CenterState
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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — CenterState CEO recognized five organizations during its April 26 annual meeting at the Nicholas J. Pirro Convention Center at Oncenter.
The recipients included Mower, American Fashion Network, and Collins Barber & Beauty Shop.
Besides the awards, those gathered also heard from a keynote speaker and Robert Simpson, president and CEO of CenterState CEO.
The event focused on the theme, “Amplifying Opportunity,” and “highlighted Central New York’s progress and explored efforts to ensure all growth is equitable,” per CenterState CEO’s news release about the annual meeting.
The gathering also marked the release of CenterState CEO’s annual report.
Business of the Year awards
CenterState CEO announced its Business of the Year award winners, recognizing the outstanding achievements of regional businesses and organizations in five categories.
Mower, a Syracuse–based advertising, marketing, and public-relations agency, prevailed in the “More than 50 Employees” category. Additional finalists included Air Innovations Inc. and King + King Architects.
DeWitt–based American Fashion Network won in the “Fewer than 50 Employees” category. Other finalists included Chimera Integrations and M3 Placement and Partnership
Collins Barber & Beauty Shop took the top prize in the “Minority-owned Business” category, which is presented in partnership with the Upstate Minority Economic Alliance. The other finalists for the honor included JHP Industrial Supplies Co. and Melody’s.
Symphoria won in the “Nonprofit” category with additional finalists that included Friends of the Rosamond Gifford Zoo and On Point for College.
Oswego Health triumphed in the “Community Involvement” category. Additional finalists included Digital Hyve and National Grid.
Speakers
The CenterState CEO annual meeting included a keynote presentation from David Hall, managing partner at Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund. In his remarks, Hall talked about how post-pandemic, midsized cities such as Syracuse are poised to become tech hubs, and what leaders of these communities can do to drive these opportunities.
In his remarks, Simpson shared a message about the shifting economic forces that — in conjunction with massive investments — are expected to impact every aspect of the regional economy. He called on community stakeholders to work together to develop and execute strategies that will ensure the entire community benefits from this growth.
“Our community is no longer in a state of status quo. Micron is an incredible force that has changed our region’s economic trajectory, but it is not the only force working to our advantage,” Simpson said. “The memory market is growing rapidly; offshoring that once devastated our economy is shifting to our benefit; Central New York’s stable and resilient climate is a critical asset to people and businesses. All of this will fuel new opportunities. Our community has the power to shape the speed and direction of this progress. The real challenge is amplifying that growth while ensuring progress doesn’t come at the cost of our region’s accessible natural and cultural amenities, affordability and quality of life, the very things that attracted investments in the first place.”
Most Central New York regions gained jobs in past year
The six Central New York subregions produced job growth ranging from a low of 0 percent to a high of 2.6 percent in the last year, according to the most recent state jobs report. The Syracuse, Utica–Rome, Watertown–Fort Drum, Binghamton, and Elmira regions gained jobs between March 2022 and this past March, according to the
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The six Central New York subregions produced job growth ranging from a low of 0 percent to a high of 2.6 percent in the last year, according to the most recent state jobs report.
The Syracuse, Utica–Rome, Watertown–Fort Drum, Binghamton, and Elmira regions gained jobs between March 2022 and this past March, according to the employment report that the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) issued on April 20. The Ithaca area had no change in jobs in the last 12 months, per the NYSDOL data.
March jobs data by CNY subregion
The Syracuse region gained 8,000 jobs in the past year, an increase of 2.6 percent.
The Utica–Rome metro area picked up 2,200 positions, a rise of 1.8 percent; the Watertown–Fort Drum region added 300 jobs, up 0.8 percent; the Binghamton area gained 2,000 jobs, an increase of 2.1 percent; the Ithaca region posted no change in jobs (+/- 0.0 percent) in the last year; and the Elmira area gained 300 jobs, a rise of 0.9 percent.
New York state as a whole added nearly 257,000 jobs, an increase of 2.7 percent, in the last 12 months. The state economy also gained more than 18,000 jobs, a 0.2 percent rise, between February and March of this year, the NYSDOL said.

ConMed hikes full-year revenue guidance after Q1 sales rise
ConMed Corporation (NYSE: CNMD) reported that sales increased nearly 22 percent in the first quarter of 2023 as surgical-procedure volumes grew, pushing the medical-device manufacturer to increase its revenue guidance for the full year. ConMed’s net income for the quarter was $1.8 million, down from $14.9 million for the same quarter a year ago, and
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ConMed Corporation (NYSE: CNMD) reported that sales increased nearly 22 percent in the first quarter of 2023 as surgical-procedure volumes grew, pushing the medical-device manufacturer to increase its revenue guidance for the full year.
ConMed’s net income for the quarter was $1.8 million, down from $14.9 million for the same quarter a year ago, and earnings per share decreased 87.2 percent from 41 cents per share to 6 cents per share.
“Overall, I’m very encouraged by the quarter and the company’s performance,” President/CEO Curt Hartman said during an April 26 conference call with investors. “We were able to ship the warehouse-related backlog, benefited from increased surgical procedure volumes and staffing-level improvements, [and] saw incremental improvements to global supply-chain constraints..”
Hartman said he’s pleased with the positive results of two acquisitions in 2022. ConMed acquired In2Bones Global, Inc. and Biorez, Inc. last year. Memphis–based In2Bones Global, Inc., develops, manufactures, and distributes medical devices such as implants, fracture systems, biologics, and related hardware for the treatment of disorders and injuries to the hand, wrist, elbow, foot, and ankle. Based in New Haven, Connecticut, Biorez is a medical-device startup focused on advancing the healing of soft tissue using its proprietary BioBrace Implant technology.
“While still early, both of these transactions have lived up to and exceeded our expectations, and we remain convinced it will be transformative to our overall revenue and margin performance in the years ahead,” he said.
Based on its first-quarter results, ConMed boosted its revenue guidance for the full year, now expecting revenue between $1.205 billion and $1.25 billion, up from a range of $1.17 billion and $1.22 billion. The company’s forecast for earnings per share increased from a range of $3.20 to $3.45 per share to a new range of $3.30 to $3.50 per share.
Analysts took note of the ConMed improvements.
“ConMed exited the first quarter on a strong note, wherein both earnings and revenues beat their respective consensus mark,” a Zacks Research report noted. The manufacturer made a good recovery from fourth-quarter 2022 shipping delays and had strong order flow. “However, rising costs of goods and higher operating expenses completely offset strong top-line growth, which led to a decline in earnings,” Zacks said.
ConMed’s stock price closed at $124.88 on May 2. That’s up nearly 41 percent year to date.
ConMed manufactures surgical devices and equipment for minimally invasive procedures for surgical areas including orthopedics, general surgery, gynecology, neurosurgery, thoracic surgery, and gastroenterology. The company moved its corporate headquarters from 525 French Road in New Hartford to Largo, Florida in 2021. It maintains manufacturing, finance, human resources, legal, and other corporate functions at its New Hartford facility.

New York closed home sales dive 28 percent in March
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York realtors sold 7,633 previously owned homes in March, a 28.4 percent decline from 10,664 homes sold in the year-earlier month. Pending sales also declined more than 11 percent, foreshadowing further drops in closed home sales in the next couple of months. That’s according to the March monthly housing report that
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ALBANY, N.Y. — New York realtors sold 7,633 previously owned homes in March, a 28.4 percent decline from 10,664 homes sold in the year-earlier month.
Pending sales also declined more than 11 percent, foreshadowing further drops in closed home sales in the next couple of months.
That’s according to the March monthly housing report that the New York Association of Realtors (NYSAR) issued on April 20.
For the 41st straight month in year-over-year comparisons, housing inventory dropped across the Empire State, further hampering house sales, NYSAR said in its report.
New York’s new listings fell 22.9 percent to 13,228 in March from 17,166 in March 2022. Pending sales totaled 11,118 in March, a drop of 11.2 percent from 12,519 pending sales in the same month in 2022, according to the NYSAR data.
The recent trend of declining home prices continued in the third month of this year. The March statewide median sales price was $377,000, down 6.1 percent from the March 2022 median sales price of $401,500.
The months’ supply of homes for sale at the end of March stood at 2.9 months, up 3.6 percent from 2.8 months a year prior, per NYSAR’s report. A 6-month to 6.5-month supply is considered to be a balanced market, the association said.
The inventory of homes for sale totaled 30,298 in March, off 12.4 percent from the March 2022 figure of 34,605.
All home-sales data is compiled from multiple-listing services in New York, and it includes townhomes and condominiums in addition to existing single-family homes, according to NYSAR.

Environmental-survey work starts at Micron site
CLAY, N.Y. — Environmental-survey work has started at the White Pine Commerce Park in the town of Clay where Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MU) plans to build a semiconductor campus. “Right now, we’ll be doing environmental permitting throughout 2023 and into 2024. After we complete that process, we’ll begin the ground preparation and construction,” Scott
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CLAY, N.Y. — Environmental-survey work has started at the White Pine Commerce Park in the town of Clay where Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MU) plans to build a semiconductor campus.
“Right now, we’ll be doing environmental permitting throughout 2023 and into 2024. After we complete that process, we’ll begin the ground preparation and construction,” Scott Gatzemeier, corporate VP of front-end expansion at Micron, said in speaking with reporters at the site on April 28. A short time earlier, Micron and local officials gathered to announce the start of the environmental work.
“A fab of this scale … 600,000 square feet of cleanroom but 1.2 million square feet under roof … It’s going to take two years for us to build that up and then we’ll start manufacturing and bringing in literally thousands of semiconductor equipment tools and ramping it throughout the rest of the decade,” Gatzemeier added.
“For us, partnering with … various state agencies to bring this project to life is just a historic moment for Micron,” Sanjay Mehrotra, president and CEO of Micron Technology, said in his remarks. He delivered remarks on the property at 8699 Burnett Road in the town of Clay.
It was on Oct. 4, 2022 that Micron announced plans to invest up to $100 billion over the next 20-plus years on a semiconductor-manufacturing campus at the White Pine Commerce Park in the town of Clay.
“This is … the start of the project as we go through the design and environmental-impact study phase and environmental permitting,” Gatzemeier said during the April 28 formal announcement.
Mehrotra noted that Gatzemeier led Micron’s team that selected the site in Clay to build the semiconductor campus.
CME Associates, Inc., a DeWitt–based engineering technology corporation, provided Micron officials an update on its plan for conducting an environmental survey of the site.
“And that reflects the commitment of Micron to building an environmentally friendly, sustainable, and, of course, community-friendly site here,” Mehrotra said. “So, this is really an important milestone, important start to this project.”
A piece of equipment from CME Associates was parked on the property not far from the tent in which Micron and local officials provided their project update.
In his remarks, the Micron CEO went on to say that it’s a 20-year project, and the site, which currently has acres of shrubbery, will have four “major” buildings and each structure will be the size of “10 football fields.”
“So, a total [of] 40 football fields worth of cleanroom space. Each of them being 600,000 square feet … 2.4 million square feet of cleanroom space that will be built over the course of 20 years,” Mehrotra added.
The project will lead to the creation of 50,000 jobs over that 20-year period, including 9,000 Micron employees and 41,000 jobs in the community to support this “massive operation,” the Micron CEO noted.
“And yes, it will be massive because memory is becoming a massive part of our lives, of every business.in the world today,” he added. “You all have heard about ChatGPT, generative AI [artificial intelligence] and we are just barely seeing the tip of the iceberg for AI. So, AI … industrial IoT … all of these require more data. They require more insights from data. Data lives in the kind of memory that will built here in Clay.”
Mehrotra went on to say that it’s not just about technology and production. It is “absolutely about” sustainable operations, efficient operations, and workforce development. Recruiting 50,000 workers is going to “require reaching out” to the community, underserved populations, those populations that have been underrepresented in technology.
Ask Rusty: How Much Can I Earn in my First Year on Social Security?
Dear Rusty: My 62nd birthday is in late August of this year. I would like to start collecting Social Security, but after reading about the need to keep my earnings less than $21,240 in the first year it doesn’t seem fair to those who have birthdays later in the year. I will have earned a
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Dear Rusty: My 62nd birthday is in late August of this year. I would like to start collecting Social Security, but after reading about the need to keep my earnings less than $21,240 in the first year it doesn’t seem fair to those who have birthdays later in the year. I will have earned a lot by the end of August. Or am I missing the part where the year starts from the day you retire? Or is it a fiscal year? Please elaborate?
Signed: Looking Ahead
Dear Looking Ahead: Born in late August, your first month of eligibility for Social Security (SS) will be September (you must be 62 for an entire month to be eligible for SS benefits). If you start your benefits in September, for the months of September through December 2023, you’ll have a monthly earnings limit of $1,770. If you exceed that limit in any of those four months, you won’t be eligible for SS benefits in any month that the $1,770 monthly limit is exceeded. If you exceed the monthly limit in all of those months, you won’t be entitled to any benefits in 2023, unless using the annual earnings-limit formula to determine your penalty would result in a lesser amount.
The penalty for exceeding the annual limit is $1 for every $2 you are over the 2023 limit and, if using that formula yields a penalty which is less than for exceeding the 2023 monthly limit for September to December, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will use the annual limit instead of the monthly limit to compute your penalty. Thus, your annual earnings earned before September will only count if using the annual limit will result in less of a penalty than using the monthly limit for the months after your benefits start. If you plan to retire from working before September, then there will be no penalty for exceeding the annual earnings limit prior to that. But if you continue to work full time there will likely be a penalty that will cause the SSA to take away some of your benefits.
Starting in 2024, only the annual earnings limit (which will be a bit more than the 2023 annual limit) will apply to you. Generally, if you continue working full time and will significantly exceed the annual earnings limit, it may be wise to reconsider claiming your Social Security until your income is below or closer to the annual limit each year — or until you reach your full retirement age, after which the earnings limit no longer applies. And if you do claim early and exceed the earnings limit, and if you have benefits taken away for some number of months to satisfy the penalty, you’ll get time-credit for those months after you reach your full retirement age. That credit will, essentially, move your claim date forward by the number of months you didn’t receive SS benefits, increasing your benefit amount accordingly after your full retirement age.
Russell Gloor is a national Social Security advisor at the AMAC Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC). The 2.4-million-member AMAC says it is a senior advocacy organization. Send your questions to: ssadvisor@amacfoundation.org.
Author’s note: This article is intended for information purposes only and does not represent legal or financial guidance. It presents the opinions and interpretations of the AMAC Foundation’s staff, trained and accredited by the National Social Security Association (NSSA). The NSSA and the AMAC Foundation and its staff are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any other governmental entity.

Talberg joins NYISO board of directors
RENSSELAER, N.Y. — The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), the nonprofit that operates New York state’s power grid, added Sally Talberg to its board of directors, effective April 18. She has more than 25 years of experience in the energy and environmental fields, with an emphasis on utility regulation and electricity markets, according to
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RENSSELAER, N.Y. — The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), the nonprofit that operates New York state’s power grid, added Sally Talberg to its board of directors, effective April 18.
She has more than 25 years of experience in the energy and environmental fields, with an emphasis on utility regulation and electricity markets, according to an NYISO news release.
From 2013-2020, Talberg served as a commissioner on the Michigan Public Service Commission. As chair from 2016-2020, she led the agency in formulating strategic priorities, oversaw about 180 employees, and managed a $25 million budget. Talberg also represented the organization on various state, regional, and national boards and committees. She has previously served as an unaffiliated board member of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas and Michigan’s Interagency Environmental Justice Task Force.
“It is a privilege to welcome Sally to the NYISO’s Board of Directors. Her extensive experience will be invaluable as the Board guides the NYISO during this historic period of industry change,” NYISO Chairman Daniel Hill said in the release. “We look forward to Sally’s contributions as we work to meet the state’s climate mandates, ensure grid reliability, and competitive wholesale markets during the grid in transition.”
Talberg holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental and natural-resources policy studies from Michigan State University and a master’s degree in public affairs from the University of Texas at Austin.
The NYISO is responsible for operating the state’s bulk electricity grid, administering New York’s competitive wholesale electricity markets, conducting comprehensive long-term planning for the state’s electric-power system, and advancing the technological infrastructure of the electric system serving the Empire State.
The NYISO board is an independent body consisting of 10 members with vast expertise in the energy sector.

Shineman Foundation awards more than $272K to regional nonprofits
OSWEGO, N.Y. — The Richard S. Shineman Foundation announced it has awarded grants to 11 Oswego County not-for-profit organizations in its first grant round of 2023 at its April board meeting. The projects encompass a range of focus areas, including health and human services, respite care, education and workforce development, and the arts. The foundation
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OSWEGO, N.Y. — The Richard S. Shineman Foundation announced it has awarded grants to 11 Oswego County not-for-profit organizations in its first grant round of 2023 at its April board meeting.
The projects encompass a range of focus areas, including health and human services, respite care, education and workforce development, and the arts. The foundation said its mission is to be a catalyst for change to enhance the quality of life in Oswego County.
The funded projects will benefit Oswego County on several fronts. The largest award, $74,600, was given to Fulton Family YMCA to support its Camp and Outdoor Recreation for Youth — designed as an outdoor recreation space — that provides summer and after-school programming to local youth. The second-biggest grant, $60,000, was awarded to On Point for College to support college-bound students with comprehensive support that includes the college-application process, college visits, and needed resources to ensure their success.
The Shineman Foundation also awarded several grants to support the arts community in Oswego County. The CNY Community Arts Center received a grant to revamp its website and develop a user-friendly online registration system. The Ontario Center for the Performing Arts, which operates the Oswego Music Hall, was awarded a grant to conduct targeted marketing with the goal of increasing its membership and audience. Symphoria received a multi-year grant to expand its Music for Oswego programming throughout Oswego County.
The Central New York Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Alliance was awarded a disease-prevention education outreach grant for Oswego County services and programming. David’s Refuge was provided a grant to support respite, wellness, and community programming for Oswego County residents. The H. Lee White Museum received a matching grant to support its educational tall ship project.
Three mini-grants were awarded and included a mini-grant to Oswego Industries to support a redesign of its website. The State Street Methodist Church was awarded a mini grant for its Helping Hands Program, which provides under-resourced community members with toiletries and paper products. Peaceful Remedies received a mini grant to support Circle Talk for Men programming and technology upgrades.

Rome Health continues work to centralize, modernize facilities
ROME, N.Y. — Rome Health is continuing the transformation it began about two years ago when it changed its name from Rome Memorial Hospital to Rome Health. The name more accurately reflects the breadth of services the organization provides, COO Ryan Thompson says, and Rome Health continues to work to make sure its facilities adequately
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ROME, N.Y. — Rome Health is continuing the transformation it began about two years ago when it changed its name from Rome Memorial Hospital to Rome Health.
The name more accurately reflects the breadth of services the organization provides, COO Ryan Thompson says, and Rome Health continues to work to make sure its facilities adequately support those services.
“It’s very exciting to watch us transform as a health system,” he says.
That transformation kicked off with an $11.3 million project, completed last November, to renovate the Rome Health Medical Center, located at 1500 James St., and bring together services that were previously spread out.
“We’ve co-located services together,” Thompson says. “This is where the majority of medical imaging takes place.” The 31,000-square-foot, two-story medical center gives patients better access to primary care with other services, such as cardiology, located nearby.
“We also have our community pharmacy … right in the medical center,” he adds. The pharmacy also opened last November. Along with providing medication for hospital patients, the pharmacy provides a convenient option for patients to get prescriptions filled following an appointment.
The changes are all about driving convenience for the patient, Thompson notes, but also factor in provider and staff needs as well. “It was a team that built it together.”
Rome Health also just cut the ribbon on its new women’s surgical services suite located on the fourth floor adjacent to the maternity department. While maternity services have been great, there was no getting around the fact that women who ended up needing a c-section had to be brought in an elevator to the first-floor operating rooms, Thompson says.
Now, those needing surgery travel just a short way down the hall. “It’s going to be a much better experience for the moms,” he says.

Rome Health received a $3 million grant from Oneida County’s American Rescue Plan Act funding for the project. Work on the women’s surgical suite began last September and it will be fully open in June.
This fall, Rome Health expects to break ground on a $30 million project to build four new operating rooms to replace ones that have been in use for more than 57 years. It will use $26 million in state health care facility transformation grant funds for the project.
“We just wanted to modernize surgical services,” Thompson says. The new rooms will be larger and contain the electrical systems necessary for advancements in medical technology such as robotics.
With surgical volume increasing 26 percent between 2020 and 2021, the need is great. The hospital has seen growth in general surgery as well as weight-loss surgery, and spine surgery. “We’re currently in the design phase,” Thompson says, with hopes to start work in late fall.
When the new operating rooms are complete, Rome Health will transform the old operating rooms into pre- and post-operating room space.
“As things continue to evolve and change, you want to be able to evolve and change with that,” Thompson says. Modernizing Rome Health’s facilities to offer new technology means Rome residents won’t have to travel to Utica or Syracuse to receive care. “We’re redefining what community-based health care is to our community.”
“People want and need their health care to be delivered locally,” he says. “It needs to be convenient to them.”
The nonprofit Rome Health provides everything from primary care to specialty care to patients. It is an affiliate of St. Joseph’s Health and an affiliated clinical site of New York Medical College.
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