I almost want to start keeping articles where public funds are being used for private industry. Here Bruno is buying more votes while using our money, yet, here in WNY people are bitching because public funds are being used to build the infrastructure for Bass Pro.

The system is broken and until we can fix it, we have to use it. It will take the legislature to fix what they are doing to violate the New York constitution. I don’t see that happening in the near future. How many people have complained about the 100 million going into the Richardson Towers. Do they even have a use for that building?

Big Bucks Aimed at Keeping Interest High in Tech Valley

Teaching technology gets a big boost from the State Senate.

A quarter-million dollar grant will give a bump to a pair of programs, aimed at keeping students and teachers interested in the subjects that will build Tech Valley. The first is the “Love SAM” program. SAM, standing for “Science and Math,” is aimed at getting kids excited about both. The second is a teacher externship program, that allows area educators to check out careers in the tech sector.

NEWS10’s John McLoughlin explains how the cash will help out.

The folks at SuperPower in Schenectady, where they manufacture state-of-the-art superconductors, say they simply can not find enough qualified workers in the Capital Region.

“We’ve recruited people from all over the world because we simply can’t find the skill sets that we need readily available in the Capital District,” says SuperPower Marketing Manager, Traute Lehner.

So Tuesday, the Chamber of Commerce brought together local educators and businesspeople to thank Senator Joe Bruno for getting the public funds, so that SuperPower and other high-tech companies can employ 27 local teachers for the summer in a state-funded program, exposing them to math and science in the workplace.

English teacher Bruce Allen of Bethlehem High, and others, make 800-dollars a week, and hopefully bring the experience back to their students.

“Any way that I can get kids to buy into the idea that they’re going to need strong communication skills, no matter what field they get into,” Allen says.

Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno secured the public funds - a quarter-of-a-million dollars - not just for the teachers, but also for expansion of the so-called “Love Science and Math” program to include kids like first-graders in Troy, who are in partnership with General Electric.

“We’re really concerned with developing the next generation of world-class technical talent, for our pipeline in the future,” says Chris Horne, with General Electric. more–>