Catt. County Source 03-30-2023

Senecas call for fair treatment of native nations in proposed iGaming legislation

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Senecas call for fair treatment of native nations in proposed iGaming legislation

By Kellen M. Quigley

SALAMANCA —

As a renewed effort is underway to expand interactive gaming in New York state, the Seneca Nation is demanding that native nations be given fair treatment and consideration in any discussions.

Legislation has been introduced in the state Senate and Assembly that would allow individuals physically located in New York to play video slot games and table games such as blackjack, craps and roulette using their mobile phones and other electronic devices.

“Any discussion of new mobile gaming has to take native nations into account,” said Seneca Nation President Rickey Armstrong, Sr. “We can’t have a repeat of how the state ran roughshod over our compacts with previous expansions of state-licensed gaming. The state must keep its promises that our nation s will

have exclusive rights to pursue gaming within our regions of the state, and any effort to expand mobile gaming must respect that.”

New York legalized mobile sports betting in 2021. Original discussions on that legislation sought to include native nations like the Seneca Nation that operate gaming facilities.

However, the approved plan, pushed by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, expressly excluded native nations from any ability to directly participate in the state’s platform. The platform went live in 2022, generating more than $700 million for the state, and leaving native nations unable to offer mobile betting options through their own facilities.

The discussions on expanding mobile betting in the state are just the latest evolution of gaming within New York since the Seneca Nation signed its gaming compact in 2002.

“We have seen

New York push the continued evolution and expansion of the gaming market seemingly every day for the last 20 years, while our compact has stood frozen in time,” Armstrong said.

Since then, the state authorized the operation of Video Lottery Terminals (VLTs) at several gaming facilities and racetracks across the state, including three sites located within the Seneca Nation’s defined exclusivity area.

The state also authorized the operation of four commercial casinos across upstate New York, including a facility located just seven miles outside of the Seneca Nation’s defined exclusivity area, and launched its mobile sports betting platform. The state is also currently in the process of accepting applications for three new commercial casino licenses downstate.

Conversely, the Seneca Nation has, to date, invested nearly $2 billion to

build, operate and expand its three casino properties in Western New York: Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino in Niagara Falls, Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino in Salamanca and Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino in downtown Buffalo.

Together, the Seneca casinos employ approximately 3,000 workers and support thousands of additional jobs in Western New York through the hundreds of millions of dollars in annual spending with local vendors

and suppliers.

“This latest expansion push in Albany underscores the need for a fair gaming compact for the Seneca Nation that reflects the dramatic expansions of statelicensed gaming that have taken place around us over the past two decades,”

Armstrong said. “We are supporting thousands of jobs, individuals, families and businesses in Western New York that can’t be ignored.”

The Seneca Nation is actively engaged in negotiations with

New York state for a new gaming compact. The current compact expires in December. Nearly one year ago, the Seneca Nation Council approved a resolution directing the transfer of more than $564.84 million funds from a restricted escrow account to resolve the Nation’s outstanding gaming compact dispute with New York state as soon as practicable. The amount covers the period of Jan. 1, 2017, to Dec. 31, 2021.

By Bill Peglowski

GOWANDA —

When the Hollywood Theater’s announced its upcoming coming events and attractions for 2023, there were complaints about not showing movies.

Since then, a trio of movies has been scheduled for the near future to judge public support for movies. Honk’s Grape & Grain has stepped up to sponsor the upcoming series.

One of the issues that have plagued the theater in the past with movies has been low attendance. Licensing fees can run anywhere from $300 to over $1,000 per show, a factor in preventing the theater from showing first-run films at the higher end of that

spectrum, as well as making attendance a key consideration for the lower cost screenings.

Leading off the three movie offerings on March 31 is “Top Gun Maverick.”

The 2022 blockbuster features Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly and Val Kilmer. Set 30 years after the first movie, Maverick (Cruise) returns to the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program to train some new pilots, including the son of one of his best friends.

The next day on April 1, the Hollywood will show Disney’s “Frozen II.” Elsa’s story continues with a journey into the enchanted

forest as more of the Frozen story is revealed. Once again, the voices of Kristen Bell (Anna) and Idina Menzel (Elsa) are featured.

The final movie in the current series brings George Clooney and Julia Roberts to the Gowanda screen in “Ticket to Paradise.”

The story revolves around two bickering divorced parents whose daughter, vacationing in Bali, has announced plans to marry one of the locals.

The parents fly off to the tropical paradise intent on preventing their

daughter from making a similar “mistake” to theirs.

The Hollywood Theater is looking for the community to show their interest in movies at the theater by attending. The frequency and types of movies that might be shown going forward will be made with reference to the way these are received by the public.

Times and additional information on these and other upcoming Hollywood Theater offerings can be found online at gowandahollywoodtheater.com.

PUBLIC NOTICE: GREEN CEMETERY ROUTE 219 AND GREEN CEMETERY (NEW SECTION of WILLOUGHBY CEMETERY) HUMPHREY ROAD, TOWN of GREAT VALLEY CATTARAUGUS COUNTY NEW YORK

The Green Cemetery Association is accepting bids for lawn mowing and trimming of the Green Cemetery as described above Grass to be mowed and trimmed to the approval of the cemetery board maintaining grass height of no more than 3 inches and trimmed as close to the grave stones as possible Bidder is to furnish mowing and trimming equipment as necessary and provide a certificate of insurance Bids to be a single price for the entire season of May through October for the year 2023 Bids to be submitted prior to April 20th 2023 in a sealed envelope and mailed or delivered to Becky Kruszynski, 5739 Humphrey Road, Great Valley New York 14741

Please contact Becky Kruszynski secretary with any questions by order of the Green Cemetery Association

LEGAL NOTICE

The Green cemetery association is holding its annual lot owners meeting on April 20th 2023 6:30 p m at the town of Great Valley office bldg located 4808 route 219 Great Valley New York All lot owners are invited to attend For addl info call Green Cemetery Association Sec /Treasurer Becky Kruszynski

LUMBER PROCUREMENT MANAGER

The Salamanca Lumber Co., Inc.

Is seeking a reliable individual to fill a Full-Time position Responsible for purchasing green lumber by phone email and in-person (travel) and corresponding administrative duties Travel includes but is not limited to the NY, OH, and PA areas Bachelor's degree and NHLA certified, or equivalent experience

Interested candidates may submit a resume to PO BOX 416, Salamanca, NY 14779 or info@Salamancalumber com For more info please call 716-945-4810

Jake Owen to headline Cattaraugus County Fair concert

By Kellen M. Quigley

LITTLE VALLEY

— Star country singersongwriter Jake Owen, who has numerous hit songs, will perform in concert during this summer’s Cattaraugus County Fair.

Owen, hailing from Florida, will perform in front of the grandstand on Thursday, Aug. 3. The opening act is Tyler Booth. This year’s county fair runs July 30 to Aug. 5.

Owen began his career in 2005 and has

continued to record and perform regularly since. His new single “Made For You” is rapidly climbing the Billboard Country Airplay charts.

Owen has eight No. 1 songs to his name. “Made For You” follows his fastest-rising charttopping single, “I Was Jack (You Were Diane),” and most recent No. 1 single, “Homemade.”

Owen’s songs have resonated with listeners and audiences throughout North America, including his two-time

platinum anthem and most-played song of the decade “Barefoot Blue Jean Night” and platinum-certified hits “Beachin,’” “Anywhere With You,” “Alone With You” and “The One That Got Away,” as well as the goldcertified “American Country Love Song.”

Owen’s sixth studio album, “Greetings from … Jake,” produced three Top 10 singles, including two No. 1 singles and his current top 30 and climbing “Made For You.”

Signed to Big

Loud Records, Owen is reunited with award-winning Joey Moi, who helped produce his breakout “Barefoot Blue Jean Night” album, which landed at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart and garnered four consecutive No. 1 hits.

Owen is gearing up to join Moi once again to record his seventh studio album. For tour dates and more information, visit jakeowen.net.

Country

up-and-comer Booth, 26, is a Kentucky native whose songwriting and singing career has been blossoming since 2017. Booth signed with Sony Music Nashville in early 2020 and has two EPs and two singles, “Long Comes a Girl” and “Where the Livin’ Is,” available to stream or download.

Tickets go on sale at 9 a.m. Friday. All tickets are sold only through etix.com.

Tickets are $45

for track seats or $40 for the grandstand plus gate admission. Track tickets are for standing while grandstand tickets are assigned seats. Other main grandstand events include the Broken B Rodeo on July 30, the demolition derby July 31, monster truck rallies Aug. 4 and 5 and the big rig truck pull Aug. 6. For more information, visit cattarauguscofair.com or call (716) 938-9146.

By Deb Everts RANDOLPH

— By the time Trout Season opens April 1, area streams and lakes will be teeming with trout released by the Randolph Fish Hatchery.

Managed by Richard Borner, fish culturist 3, the facility keeps a healthy population of brown, rainbow and brook trout well-stocked in Western New York’s waters including those in Allegany State Park, Cattaraugus, Allegany, Chautauqua and Wyoming counties as well as part of Erie County.

“It’s been an easy winter for the fish and they did really well,” Borner said. “They’re really nice, goodsized fish again this year — all between 9 and 10 inches.”

Borner’s staff began stocking Rainbow trout yearlings March 16 at Red House, Quaker and Science lakes in Allegany State Park and the streams of Allegany County Monday. He said they will move on to Wyoming and Cattaraugus counties later this week. The

Hatchery stocking nice, big trout for April 1

stockings for this month will take place through March 31, ending in western Cattaraugus County.

“The streams are in good shape and we expect the stocking to go well,” he said.

“The weather looks good this week, with the temperatures in the 40s.”

Spring stocking will continue through April and into midMay. Borner said there are four stockingextended streams that they do four times a year: Cattaraugus Creek in Arcade, the Genesee River from the Belmont Dam to the Pennsylvania line, Goose Creek from Ashville to Panama in Chautauqua County and East Koy Creek in Wyoming County.

The new Trout Stream Management Plan under New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), initiated in 2021, has set forth a different approach to the way streams are stocked now, Borner said. He said the policy calls for additional stocking of those four streams because they are fished more heavily.

As per DEC’s new management plan, the hatcheries

have been raising a bigger product for the past couple of years. Borner said the new policy requires a 9-inch fish. He said they are also stocking 14- to 15-inch twoyear-old browns that come from the Caledonia Hatchery.

Borner said there are 12 fish hatcheries in New York state and nine raise cold water fish, which are basically trout and salmon. He said some of the fish from those facilities get transferred to other hatcheries for their stocking.

“It’s an ongoing process of transferring fish in and out. Each hatchery has its own niche and all the hatcheries across New York state work together to meet the goals for the entire state,” he said.

INCLUDING

THE fish they transfer to other hatcheries for stocking, Borner said the Randolph hatchery will have raised and handled about 180,000, 9-inch yearling fish this year.

Borner said the Randolph hatchery stocks mostly brown trout because they primarily do the

best in Western New York waters. Brown trout tolerate the warmest water and the poorest water quality of the trout species. Rainbows can tolerate warm water, but not as warm as brown trout.

Brook trout, native to New York state and the official state fish, require the cleanest and highest water quality of all trouts.

The Randolph hatchery is a primary broodstock facility that handles five to six million brook, brown and rainbow trout eggs each year. Annual production totals almost 100,000 pounds of fish.

Each fall, fish culturists at the Randolph hatchery strip, fertilize and incubate roughly 5.3 million eyed eggs. They keep a portion and the rest are sent to other hatcheries in the state. The trout are raised in indoor culture tanks called the nursery and, at about three months old, are transferred to harvest ponds until they reach the required size for release.

All three trout species of the spent broodstock are

released into area streams in mid-to-late October. Borner said people are welcome to come in the fall and watch the staff take eggs. He said the outdoor activity usually takes place the second week of September and the process goes on into early October. Then the fish are released into area streams after 21 days. People wishing to volunteer to help stock trout should contact one of the following coordinators in their area: Larry Dorler, Lakewood Rod and Gun Club, Goose Creek; Jeff Williams, Wyoming Conservation Club, East Koy Creek; Joe Spinelli, Wellsville Rod and Gun Club, Genesee River (Wellsville section); Kevin

Crouch,

Belmont Rod and Gun Club, Genesee River (Belmont section); and Jim Noel, Arcade Conservation Society, Cattaraugus Creek. Because fishing regulations are rather complicated, Borner recommends that anglers call their local Environmental Conservation Officer or check the regulation handbook for further information about which waters they may fish in before April 1. They may also call DEC Region 9 at (716) 851-7201. Located at 10943 Hatchery Road, the Randolph Fish Hatchery is open to the public daily, year-round, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. To learn more, call (716) 358-4755. Call the Stocking Hotline at (716) 358-2050 or visit online at dec.ny.gov.