Category Archives: Cyber / Tech

By Andrea Harwood

Habitat for Humanity of Northern Saratoga, Warren & Washington Counties is working hard to expand the traditional one- and two-family homes  model they’ve been utilizing for years. 

Its new project is called Fairfield, a 25-unit, mixed-income development project intended to do that.

The property is located on Baybridge, off of Bay Road near SUNY Adirondack in Queensbury, at Fairfield Properties. 

“Habitat for Humanity is thrilled to start moving beyond our standard operating model of single family residences. We want to support as many humans as possible. To do that, we need to think beyond one or two homes a year,” said executive director Adam Feldman.

The condo project is intended to create more home-buying opportunities to more low- to moderate-income families in the area. Standard condominium models of separate ownership of individual units and joint ownership of common areas, such as stairways and yard spaces ,will be followed. Owners receive a deed in the same fashion as purchasing a single-family property.

This is not the first time a Habitat for Humanity affiliate has executed a project like this. Habitat for Humanity Sarasota in Florida successfully created a 72-unit mixed-income condominium development intended for home ownership in 2002. 

The development of the Fairfield property will create owner-occupied units between $175,000 and $350,000, all varying in floor plan and square footage. Roughly 30 percent of the units will be sold to low- to moderate-income Habitat for Humanity partner families.

Purdue University, with its semiconductor workforce development and R&D programs, and Malta-based GlobalFoundries have entered  into a strategic partnership to strengthen and expand collaboration on semiconductor research and education. 

The announcement was made in a ceremony in late November with Dr. Mung Chiang, president-elect and executive vice president of Purdue University, and Dr. Thomas Caulfield, president and CEO of GlobalFoundries.

“Purdue launched the semiconductor degrees program (SDP) earlier in 2022, continued to grow world leading research in semiconductors, and welcomed multiple companies to our new Discovery Park District. We are excited to partner with GlobalFoundries to crystalize our offerings into programs relevant to the foundation of digital economy,” Chiang said. “We are intensifying our efforts not only to scale-up the talent pipeline, but also to create the depth of innovation expertise needed to advance U.S. leadership in semiconductors.” 

The agreement “underscores the widespread appreciation of how GlobalFoundries’s feature-rich chips enable many of the devices and technologies humanity relies on every day, and ever-growing recognition of the strategic importance of semiconductors to global supply chains and economic security,” Caulfield said. “To accelerate this forward momentum, GlobalFoundries is proud to partner with Purdue on jointly advancing semiconductor research and development, working together with Purdue’s talented faculty and students.” 

For GlobalFoundries, the partnership with Purdue will be overseen by GlobalFoundries Labs, which leads the company’s research and development efforts to advance GlobalFoundries’s differentiated technology portfolio in partnership with leading academic, government, and industry collaborators. 

New York state has opened applications for $50 million to strengthen safety and security measures at nonprofit, community-based organizations at risk of hate crimes or attacks because of their ideology, beliefs, or mission. 

The funding is the greatest amount ever available through the program, state officials said. Nonprofit organizations that have previously received grants may now apply for new security projects, and for the first time, cybersecurity projects will be considered for funding. 

The state also announced $46 million in federal funding for 240 nonprofit organizations across the state facing an increased risk of terrorist attack. This critical funding will assist in strengthening the security of their facilities, as well as enhance overall preparedness.

“Hate has no place in New York, and we will continue to support organizations that are most vulnerable to vicious and violent attacks,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said. “With this new round of unprecedented funding, these at-risk facilities will be able to fund safety precautions, including cybersecurity projects, to protect vulnerable people from those who would lash out against them due to their ideology, belief or mission.”

Officials said the announcement came as hate and bias incidents persist throughout New York and federal authorities have warned of security threats in neighboring states targeting faith-based institutions. Hate crimes adversely and disproportionately affect entire communities, not just the intended targets. 

While the number of hate crimes reported to police in the state represents a small fraction of total crime, these incidents traumatize and instill fear in the greater community. New York state tracks these incidents separately from other crimes so trends can be monitored, and steps can be taken to prevent them from occurring in the first place, officials said.

ReWire Group, an energy advisory group in Saratoga Springs, has earned a new certification as a vendor for the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC).  The NMSDC advances business opportunities for certified Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs) and connects them to corporate members.

With more than 500 national corporate members that represent some of America’s largest public and privately-owned global companies, NMSDC is a key resource for procurement and purchasing agents in private and public organizations.  

NMSDC acts as a vital conduit between buyers and suppliers seeking to bolster diversity and minority business opportunities. In addition to public and private members, many hospitals, universities, and other regional buying institutions are local members of NMSDC’s 23 affiliated Regional Councils.

“As our business has developed and built a regional network of customers, ReWire is constantly seeking opportunities for collaboration and growth,” said Lee Evans, a partner in the company. “The NMSDC will further open that door to regional and national sales channels for our business, helping us to connect with buyers throughout the New York/New Jersey region as we offer competitively priced options that fulfill MBE procurement standards.”

Saratoga County has entered into an agreement with Verizon Wireless to bring wireless communication services to four communities in the Adirondack Park near the Great Sacandaga Lake.
The expansion of Verizon Wireless services will provide access to wireless phone and high-speed data services to Verizon customers including residents, visitors and first responders.
“I am proud to announce the agreement between Verizon Wireless and the County of Saratoga to bring Verizon cellular and Internet access to the communities of Edinburg, Day, Hadley and Providence,” said Preston Allen, Saratoga County Board of Supervisors Chairman.
In the past year, Verizon worked with the Saratoga County Office of Emergency Services to develop new wireless facilities in northern Saratoga County targeting rural communities, roads and recreational areas along portions of Great Sacandaga Lake and Sacandaga River.
County Emergency Services Commissioner Carl Zeilman said Verizon Wireless has co-located communications equipment and an antenna on existing county-owned communication monopoles and towers in the towns of Providence, Edinburg, and Day. Construction to co-locate equipment on the county-owned monopole site in the Town of Luzerne in Warren County is set to begin shortly.
The 4G LTE Verizon wireless voice and data services, which are either new and significantly improved, will be expanded into these areas including several miles along County Route 4 (North Shore Road) and County Route 7 (South Shore Road), and into the Hamlets of Edinburg, Batchellerville, West Day, Day Center, Lake View and Hadley.