I hope you are enjoying this western New York summer. It is such a fantastic time of year to take in all that this region has to offer; from boating on the great lakes, Niagara River, and the smaller lakes, to enjoying the beaches, pools, and backyard barbeques. It is also a great time of year, where nearly weekend has some festival celebrating our heritage, cultures, food, music and more.
The Independence Day festivities are among my favorite summer events. From the flag raising in the morning to the parade making its way through Lancaster, it’s a great opportunity for all of us to come together in celebration. The weather was perfect and the turnout tremendous for this year’s parade.
The opening of the new Buffalo AKG Art museum is another cause for celebration. The Albright-Knox Art Gallery put this region on the map as a destination for art enthusiasts. Its transformation to the AKG Art Museum brings it to another level, a destination that will attract tourists from around the world. The collection highlights some of the greatest artistic achievements throughout the decades and centuries, and the architecture is spectacular. It is open to the public, and the Jeffrey E. Gundlach Building will open later this summer.
Another great gathering of community support came when hundreds gathered together for the rededication of the Russell Salvatore Patriots and Heroes Park. You may recall the park was vandalized a few months ago. When community members stepped up offering to help restore the park, Russell Salvatore realized how much the park meant, not just to him, but to thousands of others, and had artist Donald Parrino redesign the memorial.
It was my great honor to congratulate the Depew Wildcats High School baseball team on the school’s first-ever state championship. The team made their NYSPHSAA state playoff debut in June, and launched a sixth inning comeback to claim the state title. The team is led by head coach Dennis Crawley who two years ago was diagnosed with ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. No question his team, and all of us, are inspired by Coach Crawley.
One of the greatest challenges we face in society today is addiction. We are losing so many young people to overdose deaths, largely because of the deadly opioid fentanyl. I was glad to be able to participate in a roundtable discussion led by Congressman Nick Langworthy on the HALT Fentanyl Act. That measure would make the class one narcotics classification permanent for all fentanyl and fentanyl related drugs. The office of New York State Comptroller says opioid deaths in New York have increased 68% from 2019 to 2021 and are the leading cause of death in adults ages 18 to 49. It’s an epidemic that needs our immediate attention and solutions.
Please be careful on the roads, as crews are out working on a number of projects this summer. If you have any county related issues, please contact my office at 716-681-2071 or by email, Frank.Todaro@erie.gov
