Opinion

PALMESANO Highlighting the importance of organ donation year-round

As April has come to an end, it is important to remember its significance as "National Donate Life Month." Since I first stepped on the Assembly floor in 2011, raising awareness about organ donation has been a very personal issue to me and one of my top legislative priorities. The numbers have improved incrementally over the years, and this year we have reached over 50% for enrollment in New York, but we still have so much work to do.

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LETTER TO THE EDITOR Milo Republican Committee endorses candidates

As the Town of Milo Republican Committee Chairperson, I am pleased to announce that the Milo Committee endorsed the following candidates for office at the Nov. 4 General Election at our April 23, 2025 meeting: Gene Spanneut, Milo Town Council James Harris, Milo Town Council Adam Christensen, Milo Town Highway Superintendent Trista Day, Milo Town Clerk Patricia Christensen, Yates County Treasurer Tad Smith, Yates County Coroner Todd Casella, Yates County District Attorney Stacey Banach Gerhardt, Penn Yan Central School District Board of Education.

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O'MARA: 'RecruitNY all about protecting the future'

Local volunteer fire departments across the region and statewide are once highlighting one of New York's most daunting challenges: the recruitment and retention of local volunteer firefighters and EMTs. FASNY undertook a "Light Up NY Red" campaign throughout the past coinciding with the annual RecruitNY weekend on Saturday and Sunday, April 26-27, when volunteer fire departments statewide open their doors to raise public awareness.

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AFTER THOUGHTS It's time to discuss our collective future

So, how are your plans for 2025 going? Have you had to make some changes to the path you had set for the next few months? Like, deciding to not take an expensive trip? Or, finally sitting down to take a closer look at your household budget? Putting big purchases and big home improvement projects on hold? Taking steps to lengthen your vehicle's life or cut down on the miles you're putting on it? Eating fewer meals out or changing your meal plan at home? As the uncertainty about the economy continues and the local tourism and growing seasons approach, some local folks have decided now is the time to get together and discuss these issues. Some of your friends and neighbors are making plans for a non-partisan public event they are calling, "Impact on Services: A Yates County Conversation" that will be held May 29 at the Penn Yan First Baptist Church.

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PALMESANO Bipartisan support of new life-saving organ donation legislation

ALBANY - New York State Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes and Assemblyman Phil Palmesano hosted a large, bipartisan group of state legislators, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Commissioner, leadership from Donate Life New York State, and impacted New Yorkers today at the Capitol to celebrate Donate Life Month and advocate for the Helping Equal Access to Registrations for Transplants (HEART) Act (S.7151A / A.7617). The HEART Act would repeal New York's ban on multi-listing, allowing patients to register at multiple transplant centers simultaneously and improving access to life-saving organs for low-income New Yorkers.

Read MorePALMESANO Bipartisan support of new life-saving organ donation legislation