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Oneonta, N.Y., Thursday, October 10, 2024
Volume 16, No. 50
Iron String Press Partners with SUNY-led Reporting Initiative STAFF REPORT
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COOPERSTOWN n article written by SUNY Oneonta student Tony Savio, published on Thursday, September 26 by Iron String Press, marks the beginning of a partnership that aims to address the problem of declining civic engagement and local “news deserts” throughout New York State. That story, titled “City Council Approves Stage, Discusses Zoning of Markets,” is the first in a series of articles to be provided by the advanced journalism students of SUNY Oneonta’s Dr. Gayane Torosyan. Thanks to a collaboration between the SUNY system’s Institute for Local News and Iron String Press, these student-written articles will focus on meetings of the City of Oneonta Common Council and will be published in “Hometown Oneonta,” “The Freeman’s Journal” and on AllOtsego.com. SUNY Oneonta part-time instructor and local media expert Cassandra Miller fact-checked and revised Savio’s story before submitting it to the editor of Iron String Press. Miller offered to help students covering future events by sharing background and contact information related to local news and public affairs. “I was the youngest person at the City Council meeting,” Savio said, excited to learn that his story was going to be published: “That’s awesome! … And will I write a similar piece for the next meeting with her help as well?” According to officials, “The Institute for Local News at SUNY engages
students in university-led reporting programs with local media partners to bolster local news coverage while giving students real-world learning experiences in multi-media storytelling and communications.” Torosyan is the ILN lead for SUNY Oneonta. Her role is to guide students in the writing of professional-level news stories in their classes, which are then delivered publication-ready to Iron String Press. Through this partnership, students get a guided internship-like learning experience resulting in published work for their portfolios, while understaffed and resourcestrapped local news outlets such as ISP get much-needed original content covering important community issues, officials said. SUNY’s ILN initiative is being developed in coordination with the national Center for Community News at the University of Vermont. SUNY Oneonta Communication and Media faculty member Dr. Andrew Bottomley is a member of ILN’s Faculty Advisory Committee and the program’s coordinator on the SUNY Oneonta campus. “We ran a pilot for the ILN during the spring 2024 semester and found that the syllabi for our journalism and media production courses needed to be adjusted to match the real-life deadlines of local news outlets. Students wrote interesting stories, but the “shelf life” of their topics required better planning,” Torosyan said. Both Torosyan and Bottomley were recently honored by the Center for Community News for their efforts in Continued on page 9
► orha invites public to picnic, page 2
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ONEONTA pringbrook announced last week that it will receive $5 million to advance its mission of supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Philanthropist and Paychex founder Tom Golisano has made a $360 million donation to more than 80 nonprofit organizations, including universities, healthcare providers, animal care groups, and others across Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse, and nearby regions in New York State. Among the beneficiaries, Springbrook—an organization with a long-standing relationship with
By TERESA WINCHESTER
► AI has risky hidden costs, page 4
GILBERTSVILLE riginal. Whimsical. Colorful. Resourceful. These four adjectives begin, at least, to describe lifelong quilter Ellen Adams and her work. A member of the Night Owl Quilters in the Delhi area and the Calico Geese Quilters in Liberty, Adams was the featured quilter at the 28th annual Major’s Inn Quilt Show, held October 4-6. Adams is also an inductee of the Catskill Mountain Quilters’ Hall of Fame in Arkville, an umbrella organization for quilting guilds in Sullivan, Greene, Delaware, Ulster and Schoharie counties. Sitting in a room dedicated to her work, Adams chatted freely with visitors, telling them about the themes, materials and special circumstances of her 33 pieces featured at the Major’s Inn. When not engaged with visi-
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► CFM: A Market for all seasons, page 4 ► reactions to op-ed piece on palestine, pages 4 and 6 ► Take at-home actions to preserve birds, page 5 ► good things to come from streetscape project, page 6 ► Your choice of ghost tours, page 12 Follow Breaking News On Photo by Teresa Winchester
ELLEN ADAMS
98715 21709
Springbrook Receives $5 Million from Philanthropist Golisano Tom Golisano—was among one of the largest recipients. Golisano’s generosity is rooted in his philosophy of giving back. “The only wealth you get to keep is that which you give away,” he shared while announcing the award, emphasizing that this donation is not just about money but an opportunity for nonprofits to expand and improve their services. Springbrook is immensely grateful for this generous gift, which will allow the organization to carefully assess and allocate resources where they will have Continued on page 9
Quilter’s Life, Work Provide a Study in Non-conformity
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Photo provided
Tom Golisano, left, recently gifted Springbrook with $5 million in support of the organization’s mission. Above, Golisano is pictured with Springbrook CEO Patricia Kennedy and former Springbrook board member John Anderson during a 2012 Springbrook “Coming Home Campaign” event.
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tors, she was working alternatively on several different quilts. “I put away a quilt when I’ve lost inspiration and don’t know what the next step is. A quilt can sit for three years before I pick it up again. I don’t plan. I don’t even know what size it will be, and when it’s done, it’s done,” Adams said. “Everything I do is hand-quilted. Appliqué is my forte. I like exploring and manipulating fabric,” Adams said, adding that all her work is made with “found objects,” which she has acquired at yard sales and junk shops, as well as from people just leaving things at her door. “I keep things in a drawer and draw inspiration from them later. I never throw anything away,” she said. If naïve art is a genre characterized by childlike simplicity and frankness, then Adams’ work fits the bill. She works intuitively and Continued on page 8
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S AWARD-WINNING WEEKLIES 2010 WINNERS OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD
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