Borrello joins call for Hochul to eliminate unemployment insurance debt
In the wake of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s recent announcement regarding an “inflation refund” plan, Republican state senators George Borrello, Dean Murray and Pam Helming have called on the governor to take decisive action to alleviate the burdens facing New York’s small businesses.
In a joint letter earlier this week, the senators — each a member of the Senate Committee on Small Business, Commerce and Economic Development — urged Hochul to dedicate state funds to paying off the roughly $6 billion in Unemployment Insurance
(UI) Fund debt that is still owed to the federal government. They called the move a critical step that would provide a more effective and long-term solution to alleviating inflation and reducing consumer costs.
The senators noted that New York state’s
UI Fund debt, accrued during the COVID-19 pandemic, has placed an undue financial burden on small businesses, forcing them to shoulder higher unemployment insurance premiums. These increased costs threaten to stifle recovery efforts for small businesses already grappling with inflation and other economic pressures.
Emergency heating benefit program open for applications
LITTLE VALLEY
- Cattaraugus County officials announced that the Emergency Benefit component of the Heating and Energy Assistance program opened Thursday, Jan. 2. The Emergency Benefit will be authorized for those HEAP-eligible households that can document a heating/ utility emergency exists.
“Instead of following the common sense approach of other states and using some of the billions in federal COVID aid to pay down the unemployment debt, the governor unfairly shifted the burden to businesses and employers through the Unemployment Insurance Assessment Surcharge (UIAS),” Borrello, R-57th District, said in a statement. “Since the UI deficit stems from the government-mandated shutdown during the pandemic, it is only fair that employers are not left to shoulder these costs.”
An “emergency” is defined as those households that are threatened with a heat/ utility shut-off or their utility service is already off, there is less than 25% fuel left in oil/ propane/kerosene tanks, or there is less than a 10-day supply of wood/ wood pellets/coal. It is not necessary to come into the office
to receive this benefit. There are contactless options for applying, interviewing and submitting necessary documentation. For additional information regarding any component of the HEAP program, please contact the Department of Social Services at the numbers listed below, email CattHEAP@ dfa.state.ny.us, or visit the Heating and Energy Assistance page of the Cattaraugus County website, https:// www.cattco.org/ social-services/HEAP.
If your last name begins with A through M, call 716-701-3773
If your last name begins with N through Z, call 716-701-3774
These are messageonly lines. Please clearly leave a name, contact information and specify the emergency so that staff can best serve you when they return your call.
No face-to-face interview is required for HEAP programs.
Once the Department of Social Services receives your application, a HEAP worker will call you to complete an interview over the phone.
State Sen. George Borrello
Langworthy sworn in for second term
U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-Pendleton, was sworn into the House of Representatives for his second term serving the people of Western New York.
“I am honored to once again serve the people of the Southern Tier and Western New
York in Congress, and I look forward to serving the new constituents in Niagara and Tioga counties,” Langworthy said in a statement. “Now it is time to deliver on President Trump’s agenda of securing our borders, making our streets safer, creating a strong economy and solidifying a strong America for future generations. Let’s get to work!” In addition to Cattaraugus and Allegany counties, the
district includes all of Chautauqua, Chemung, Schuyler and Steuben counties, as well as parts of Erie, Niagara and Tioga counties. In his re-election
campaign, Langworthy stressed the work he has done for constituents across the district, citing his district offices helping to resolve more than 2,200 cases for constituents since January 2023.
He easily won reelection in November over Democrat Tom Carle of Fredonia. He was elected to his first term in the newly redrawn 23rd District in November 2022 with a victory over Democrat Max Della Pia.
It’s hard to go anywhere without using or coming into contact with technology. For drivers, that includes their vehicles, which have come a long way since the Ford Motor Company’s Model T was first introduced more than a century ago.
Devices and driving are now undeniably intertwined. Preoccupation with technology when behind the wheel can pose a threat to motorists, as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that more than 3,100 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted driving in 2020. But technology also can be utilized to great and positive effect. Various apps can help make driving safer, potentially reducing the number of accidents and fatalities on the nation’s roadways.
• OneTap: OneTap was designed to put an end to distracted driving. Once enabled, the OneTap app blocks incoming alerts on drivers’ phones and automatically
replies to let individuals calling or sending messages that drivers will get in touch when they reach their destination. Drivers can manually activate the app each time they get in their vehicles, or set it up so it automatically activates when the car begins moving. The latter approach can be especially useful for drivers who may forget to activate it when getting in their cars.
• DriveMode: DriveMode was designed for drivers who want a hands-free messaging and calling option while behind the wheel. The app utilizes voice-enabled commands so drivers reply to messages or texts using only their voice, and it also can be integrated with navigation, music and voice assistant apps. Drivers can choose to have the app launch automatically when they start driving.
• OtoZen: OtoZen can appeal to any drivers looking to be more safe, but it can be especially useful for
parents of young drivers. Users can track family and friends with the app’s GPS tracker that can share location information in real time. Incoming messages are delivered through users’ car speakers, and speed alerts notify drivers when they exceed safe speed limits.
• OnMyWay: The OnMyWay app automatically disables apps when vehicles are moving faster than 10 miles per hour. That functionality eliminates phonerelated distractions like incoming text messages. But the hands-free component of the OnMyWay app allows users to make phone calls, use navigation apps and even play music.
Modern vehicles are testaments to technological innovation. Drivers can use that to their advantage by utilizing various apps designed specifically to reduce distracted driving.
BY DEB EVERTS ELLICOTTVILLE
The new year is bringing a milestone change to the Ellicottville Chamber of Commerce as Barb Pump will become the organization’s next executive director, succeeding Brian McFadden in his retirement, effective Jan. 31.
Pump brings a wealth of dedication and experience to the position. She has been a key employee at the chamber for eight years, most recently as the executive assistant to the director since November 2023.
Her experience at the chamber gives her a strong foundation in project management, public relations and operations management. She has coordinated several chamber events and has built strong relationships with community members as well as chamber partnerships with clients, vendors and community leaders.
Pump said she already has some ideas for potential new projects that will be announced once solidified. When she briefly left the chamber in 2021, she held the title of Project Development Manager, which encompassed events and public relations.
Before working at the chamber, Pump served in various areas of the banking industry,
Pump takes the reins as McFadden retires from Ellicottville chamber
including loan operations and cash management.
“I went to school for Business Management and have worked in the media industry, which has allowed me to gain knowledge of the different products and opportunities that the chamber can utilize,” she told the Press in a recent interview.
Pump said her most satisfying accomplishment has been the relationships she has had the opportunity to build with the members and the community.
Looking to the future, Pump said her vision is to continue to promote the brand of Ellicottville that McFadden created years ago.
“Ellicottville is a place that everyone loves and we will continue with our goal of bringing new visitors to the area to showcase why we always say, ‘Doesn’t this place feel great?’” she said.
Pump resides in Delevan with her husband, Eriek, a stepdaughter, Adison, and their son, Grayde.
DURING HIS TIME with the chamber, McFadden developed Ellicottville’s brand as a fun-loving, familyfriendly and exciting community. He created strong ad campaigns to draw visitors year-round and increased membership in the chamber to over 300 members.
McFadden has served at the helm of the
chamber as its executive director for 26 years.
“I was a volunteer president and board member for seven years prior,” he told the Press. “When I decided to step down from what became a full-time job, no one wanted to volunteer to fill the position. My job search for an executive director led to me becoming a full-time employee.”
Back then, Ellicottville was pretty much just about snow, McFadden said, and he was hired to develop and build the community’s appeal to what it is today. During his second year in 2000, he put a team together, raised $110,000 in a matter of weeks and hired Longwoods International
to guide the chamber through the transition.
“I made the research regional and it was funded by our two ski resorts, Cattaraugus County tourism and Chautauqua County tourism, St. Bonaventure University and Chautauqua Institution, to name a few,” he said. “We needed to become part of a broader region to make an impact.”
That same year, McFadden also hired one of the country’s foremost research and marketing firms to lay out a path to success for Ellicottville. He said the slogan “Doesn’t this place feel great?” came out of focus groups in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Canada.
McFadden’s education and professional background gave him the expertise to make Ellicottville the top destination that it is today. He said a degree in marketing and finance — as well as his years of working for a multinational company in Toronto — provided him with amazing work experience.
BESIDES THE location and natural resources, McFadden said Ellicottville’s people make the place a destination for thousands of visitors — not only the amazing business community but also the full-time and seasonal residents.
Along with that, he
said there is a long list of things to do both indoors and outdoors, especially Ellicottville’s 18 events and festivals.
“Our big push has been to create a feeling for the visitor that there is always something going on, and it has worked,” he said. “We have made our green season from an afterthought in 1998 to our busiest time of the year.”
Of all the events, projects and other accomplishments he has initiated over the years, McFadden said it’s hard to pick just one that he is most proud of, but he’s especially pleased with the annual Summer Music Festival held in July.
McFadden said his upcoming retirement is bittersweet, in a way, but he is not truly retiring.
“I have worked with so many amazing people, and I plan on continuing to use what I have learned to assist others on various projects,” he said. “I’ve gained a lot of knowledge and amazing work contacts over the years and I will be dabbling in a few new ventures.”
McFadden said he plans to remain an Ellicottville resident and to look for him on the golf course in the warmer months. He will spend more time with his wife, Dona, and his two stepchildren, Gwen Bush and Shanell Kiersz, who are both local residents and involved in the community.
Kitchens are the hub of many homes. Perhaps due to their popularity as gathering spaces, kitchens are popular rooms to renovate to ensure they remain functional and attractive through the years.
Online resources such as Houzz and Fixr indicate kitchens are consistently ranked among the most popular rooms to renovate. In 2022, 42 percent of homeowners were motivated to remodel their kitchens, according to data from Statista. Homeowners looking to enhance the functionality and look of their kitchens can consider these fun and innovative features as they plan their renovations.
Concealed countertop appliances
The latest small appliances and gadgets can make easy work of preparing food, but these devices can add to kitchen clutter. A roll-down door “appliance garage” will conceal appliances kept on counters.
NOW THE LORD IS THE SPIRIT AND WHERE THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS, THERE IS LIBERTY. AND YOU SHALL KNOW THE TRUTH, AND THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE. (2 COR. 3:17,
“FOR THERE IS BORN TO YOU THIS DAY IN THE CITY OF DAVID A SAVIOR, WHO IS CHRIST THE LORD: AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME JESUS” (LUKE 2:11,1:31)
Fun and innovative modern kitchen features
Photo by Deb Everts
After 26 years of serving with the Ellicottville Chamber of Commerce, Executive
Director Brian McFadden (left) is retiring. Barb Pump, current executive assistant to the director, has been named the new executive director, effective Jan. 31.