Young musician from Tennessee wins Grand Prize in Alfred University’s Young Pianist Competition

 Top winners of Alfred University’s (AU) MostArts Festival Young Pianist Competition were honored during a gala concert closing the weeklong event July 12. Grand Prize winner is Mayuki Miyashita (far left) from Maryville, TN. She received $10,000 and an invitation to return to campus during the upcoming academic year for a solo recital. Joining her on stage are (beginning second from left) Kada Qian, third place ($1,500) from Westford, MA; Eden Chen, second place ($2,500), Rowland Heights, CA; Dr. Lisa Lantz, Festival founder and artistic director; and Dr. Charles M. Edmondson, University president.

ALFRED, NY, July 2014 – Mayuki Miyashita, a 14-year-old from Maryville, TN, is the Grand Prize winner in the Young Pianist Competition which highlighted Alfred University’s (AU) weeklong (July 6-12) MostArts Festival 2014.
Miyashita receives $10,000 and will be invited back to campus for a solo recital sometime during the 2014-15 AU academic year.
Eight finalists from the United States and Canada participated in the competition, open to high school students ages 13-18. The finalists performed the first movement of their selected Mozart Concerto (a competition requirement) with the MostArts Festival Orchestra before an international panel of judges - Ukrainian pianist Vladislav Kovalsky, American pianist Anthony Pattin, German-born pianist Andreas Klein - and live audiences.
Second Prize, $2,500, was awarded to Eden Chen, 15, from Rowland Heights, CA. Third place, carrying a $1,500 reward, went to Kada Qian, 16, of Westford, MA.
The awards were made during a gala performance Saturday evening capping off the festival activities. University President Dr. Charles M. Edmondson offered a farewell message to the musicians and the capacity audience. The prizes were made possible through the privately sponsored Hutter Memorial Fund.
Additional honors included:
Judges’ Discretionary Award – Eric Lin, 13, Falls Church, VA; William Wang, 16, Woodbridge, CT; and Duo Xu, a senior at Williamsville East High School, Amherst
Best 20^th Century Composter Performance – Roger Shen, New Hampshire
Best Bach Performance – Anson Hui, 15, Ontario, Canada
Friday Night Audience Favorite – Hui
MostArts Festival Orchestra Favorite – Hui
Miyashita was also selected the Thursday Night Audience Favorite. She has received first prizes in many competitions such as the Music Teachers National Association and the Tennessee Music Teachers Association. In 2013, she performed with the Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra and the Maryville (TN) College Orchestra. She won second prize in the 2013 Kaufman Music Center International Youth Piano Competition in New York. In January 2014, Miyashita appeared as a soloist on NPR’s “From the Top.”
“For me, piano is a way to express myself,” said Miyashita. “Piano can have a huge range of sounds and many colors. When I’m playing the piano, I feel like it’s one big orchestra and I can be a conductor.”
She played Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 12 for the Alfred competition. “What I really like is this piece is so pure and clean. It’s so simple and pretty, so it makes me full of joy when I’m playing it.”
Dr. Lisa Lantz, chairman of the AU Performing Arts Division, associate professor of music/strings, and director of the AU Symphony Orchestra, is the founder and artistic director for the MostArts  Festival and the Young Pianists Competition. Lantz conducted the Festival Orchestra throughout the weeklong series of events, July 6-12.
She envisioned the festival as a forum to bring together prominent classical musicians and aspiring amateur performers. She also saw it as a way to enrich the cultural, economic, and educational potential of the Alfred community.
“The entire MostArts Festival, from the Chamber Music Series, the Piano Competition, recitals, Evening Concert Series, glass blowing demonstrations, art exhibitions, and Wayne Higby’s ‘Raku Extravaganza,’ met all of my expectations and more,” said Lantz. “The ‘more’ pertains to the infectious enthusiasm generated by the community, parents, and musicians... it was a week of magic. The village of Alfred and Alfred University joined together for a rare celebration of music and art. We are on the threshold of a new era.”

A.G. SCHNEIDERMAN SETTLES WITH APPLE IN E-BOOK PRICE-FIXING CASE

Settlement With Apple Could Result In Payments To Consumers Of Up To $400 Million

Schneiderman: This Settlement Proves That Even The Biggest, Most Powerful Companies In The World Must Play By The Same Rules 

NEW YORK – Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced a settlement with Apple Inc. arising out of Apple’s participation in a price-fixing conspiracy that a federal court in New York found raised the prices of E-books sold to consumers in New York and throughout the country. The settlement agreement, which must be approved by the court, has the potential to result in payments to consumers of $400 million, and would resolve claims for consumer damages and civil penalties brought by New York and 32 other states and territories. 
“This settlement proves that even the biggest, most powerful companies in the world must play by the same rules as everyone else,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “In a major victory, our settlement has the potential to result in Apple paying hundreds of millions of dollars to consumers to compensate them for paying unlawfully inflated E-book prices. We will continue to work with our colleagues in other states to ensure that all companies compete fairly with the knowledge that no one is above the law.”
Under the settlement, the amount that Apple must pay E-book consumers is contingent on what happens in Apple’s appeal of the court’s July 2013 finding that Apple violated antitrust laws by orchestrating a conspiracy with five publishers to artificially raise E-book prices. Consumers nationwide (including those represented by private counsel in a related class action) will receive $400 million if the Court’s ruling that Apple violated antitrust laws is ultimately affirmed. If the Court’s ruling is not affirmed, the settlement provides for a smaller recovery of $50 million if liability must be retried, or no recovery if Apple is determined not to have violated antitrust laws. New York consumers are expected to receive approximately 7 percent, or as much as $28 million, from any amount that Apple is ultimately required to pay. In the event that the Court’s decision is upheld on appeal, Apple will also make payments to the 33 states of $20 million to resolve the states’ claims for costs, fees, and civil penalties. 
Any amount received by consumers pursuant to the settlement with Apple will be in addition to those amounts already recovered from several E-book publishers.  E-book purchasers nationwide have already received compensation from $166 million in settlement funds paid by the five publishers involved in the conspiracy – Penguin Group (USA), Inc. (now part of Penguin Random House); Holtzbrinck Publishers LLC d/b/a Macmillan; Hachette Book Group Inc.; HarperCollins Publishers LLC, and Simon & Schuster Inc.  Many E-Book consumers received these funds through automatic credits sent by Amazon and other E-book retailers.
The E-book antitrust cases involved lawsuits brought by the state attorneys general, a related action by the U.S. Department of Justice, and a related class action brought by private counsel representing consumers in 18 additional states. New York, together with Texas and Connecticut, played a leading role in the state AG cases during the damages phase of the litigation.  Apple has also agreed to make a payment of attorneys’ fees to counsel in the class action in the event that there is a consumer recovery under the settlement.
For New York, this matter was handled by Assistant Attorneys General Bob Hubbard and Linda Gargiulo; Acting Antitrust Deputy Bureau Chief Geralyn Trujillo; Antitrust Bureau Chief Eric Stock, and Executive Deputy Attorney General Karla G. Sanchez.

Canaseraga teen: Student in Alfred University renewable energy camp lends design assistance to Solar Decathlon ’15 Team

 Canaseraga Central School student Cameron Schmidt, who will be a sophomore this fall, became involved in the Alfred University/Alfred State College Solar Decathlon ’15 project while attending AU’s summer Renewable Energy Camp. Schmidt looked at the Solar Decathlon 2013 House, currently in Wellsville, and examined designs made by the AU/ASC team this past spring before recommending changes to roofing and the placement of each room including an electric car garage charging station. Here he works on the design model on the AU campus.

ALFRED, NY, July 2014 - Over the next year and a half, students on 20 teams representing a number of disciplines, from environmental engineering to mathematics to mass communications, will design, fund, and build a solar-powered, net-zero home, test it, disassemble it, and transport it for competition in fall 2015 at the US. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon 2015 at the Orange County Great Park, Irvine, CA.
One of those teams is made up of students from Alfred University (AU) and Alfred State College (ASC). Their task is to build a solar-powered, highly energy-efficient house that combines affordability, innovation, and design excellence. The competition is based on architecture, interior design, construction, engineering, media, and market appeal.
The AU/ASC team will be competing against students from institutions ranging from Clemson University, New York College of Technology and Stanford University to the State University of New York at Buffalo, California Polytechnic State University and Yale University. 
“The Solar Decathlon can be a positive, life-changing experience for participating students,” said Richard King, the program director. “In addition to developing leadership, team spirit, and problem-solving skills, this competition bridges formal education with hands-on experience that helps decathletes excel once they enter the workforce.”
This summer, the AU/ASC team has had some assistance from area high school student Cameron Schmidt who will be a sophomore at Canaseraga Central School this fall. Schmidt participated in the summer Renewable Energy Camp where he became involved with the solar house design. He looked at the Solar Decathlon 2013 House, currently in Wellsville, and examined designs made by the AU/ASC team this past spring before recommending changes to roofing and the placement of each room including an electric car garage charging station, said Zingwu Wang, AU professor of electrical engineering and an adviser to the AU/ASC Solar Decathlon 2015 team.
Following his summer camp experience at AU, Schmidt wrote: “One common issue that has brought nations together or driven them to competition is energy and how to alter today’s main usage of fossil fuels and other non-renewable resources. When most people hear presentations about renewable energy, they start thinking what is the price included to install these renewable energy systems? Most people do not realize the upfront cost will pay off in the long run, and they might be able to live “off the grid”, and even formulate enough electricity to make a profit!”

DiNAPOLI ANNOUNCES STATE CONTRACT & PAYMENT ACTIONS FOR JUNE 2014

State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced today his office reviewed 2,067 contracts valued at $2.3 billion and approved more than 840,600 payments worth nearly $10.8 billion in June. His office also rejected 224 contracts and related transactions valued at $320.7 million and more than 1,400 payments valued at nearly $4.1 million due to fraud, waste or other improprieties.

As the state’s chief financial officer, DiNapoli’s office reviews contracts for all state agencies and certain contracts for state public authorities and audits all state payments. This independent review ensures that costs are reasonable, the playing field is level and taxpayers get the best value for their money. The Comptroller’s office averages 11 to 13 days for contract reviews and two days to audit payments.

DiNapoli releases this monthly notice to provide current information about the number and types of contracts and payments entered into by the state. This builds on his commitment to added transparency via his Open Book New York website.

Highlights for June 2014:

Major Contracts Approved
Governor’s Office of Employee Relations
·        $70 million contract with United University Professions Benefit Fund to support benefits negotiated under a collective bargaining agreement with the state.

Office of General Services
·        $62.9 million contract with the Albany Convention Center Authority to fund construction of the new Albany Convention Center pursuant to the 2014-15 state budget.
·        $9.4 million contract with Yankee Trails Inc. for shuttle bus services for state employees in Albany.

Thruway Authority
·        $29 million contract with Kapsch Trafficom IVHS Inc. to implement all-electronic tolls at four travel plazas, including the replacement Tappan Zee Bridge.
·        $16.2 million contract with Tilcon New York Inc. for Rockland County pavement.
 
SUNY Stonybrook
·        $20.2 million contract with Worldwide Insurance Services LLC for  international student health insurance.

State Education Department
·        $12.8 million contract with the Akron Central School District to pay for Native American tuition.

Department of Agriculture & Markets - New York State Fair
·        $10.7 million revenue contract with WG Wade Shows for midway services for up to 10 years.

Gaming Commission
·        $5.2 million contract with SUNY Morrisville Auxiliary Corp. for equine testing services.

Department of Transportation
·        Approved a $17.9 million contract with Ammann & Whitney Consulting Engineers for construction inspection services for the Major Deegan Expressway bridge rehabilitation in the Bronx.
·        Approved a $12.8 design/build contract with El Sol Contracting & Construction Group to construct the new Carlls Straight Path Bridge in Huntington, Suffolk County.

Major Payments Approved
Tax Refunds
·        Paid 110,000 personal income tax refunds valued at more than $137 million, and nearly 33,000 corporate and other refunds worth $107 million.

Local Government Assistance
·        $359.2 million to 12 cities for the Aid and Incentives for Municipalities (AIM) Program.  
·        $2.4 million to the city of Salamanca and $596,000 to Cattaraugus County for payment of Tribal State Compact moneys associated with revenues from the Seneca Allegany Casino.

Department of Transportation
·        $21.4 million to Skanska-Kiewit-Ecco III JV, to replace the Kosciuszko Bridge in New York City.
·        $3.1 million to Sealand Contractors Corp. to reconstruct Routes 5, 8, and 12 in Utica.
·        $577,000 to Rifenburg Construction to upgrade Whiteface Mountain Veteran’s Memorial Highway.

New York State Assembly
·        $73,000 to Rossein Associates for outside counsel related to sexual harassment policy development and investigations.
New York State Senate
·        $122,000 to Code and Theory LLC for website development.

Office of General Services
·        $975,000 to Murnane Building Contractors and $458,000 to DiGesare Mechanical Inc. to renovate Building 5 at the Harriman State Office Campus.
·        $253,000 to Otis Elevator Company to upgrade the Corning Tower elevators.

State Education Department
·        $96,000 to CTB/McGraw-Hill LLC to develop paper and computer-based high school equivalency exams to replace the GED.
Payment Rejections and Other Cost Recoveries
The Comptroller rejected more than 1,400 payments valued at nearly $4 million including 770 tax refunds for more than $1.6 million. DiNapoli’s auditors also recovered $192,000 from vendors owing debts to the state, and held $502,000 pending resolution of disputes between subcontractors and prime contractors.
Open Book New York
For access to billions of dollars in state and local government spending and nearly 50,000 state contracts, visit http://www.openbooknewyork.com/. The easy-to-use website was created by Comptroller DiNapoli to promote openness in government and provide taxpayers with better access to the financial workings of government.

Corning Declares Quarterly Dividend

CORNING, N.Y., July 16, 2014 – The Board of Directors of Corning Incorporated (NYSE: GLW) today declared a quarterly dividend on the company’s common stock of $0.10 per share, payable on September 30, 2014, to holders of record on August 29, 2014.

The New York State’s Division of Consumer Protection Warns New Yorkers about Military Identity Theft

In 2013, members of the U.S. armed forces and their families filed over 65,000 consumer complaints of identity theft with the Federal Trade Commission. 862 of those complaints came from New York State.  As we observe the second annual National Military Consumer Protection Day today, the New York State’s Division of Consumer Protection is advising armed forces personnel, and their families, to protect their personal information and guard against identity theft.

 

Service members and their families are particularly vulnerable to identity theft because their social security numbers and other personal data are often used for identification, giving thieves ample opportunities to steal their information.  Until recently, social security numbers were included on military identification cards and dog tags.

Military personnel are also at risk for identity theft due to non-standard work schedules, lengthy absences from home, frequent relocations and duty assignments to remote locations.   Documents containing personal information are susceptible to loss or theft if not kept in a safe place or shredded.  If deployed, the fact that their personal information has been stolen may go undetected for months. Service members who rely on remote internet access to manage their finances while away from home are also at risk of identity theft.

The Division of Consumer Protection offers these valuable tips:

• Keep your personal information in a secure place.  Make sure your personal identifiable documentation is kept in a safe and trusted place.
• Protect your Social Security Number. Do not provide it to others unless it is a trusted source.  Ask if you may provide another type of identification instead.
• Use an Active Duty Alert.  If you are deployed and do not expect to seek new credit while you are gone, place an “active duty alert” on your credit report.  An active duty alert requires creditors to take steps to verify your identity before granting credit in your name. It lasts for a year, but can be renewed.
• Make Arrangements for mail delivery. Make sure you have your mail forwarded to your most recent address or make arrangements to have someone you trust pick up your mail.

·         Secure your computer.  Use security software and a firewall to protect your computer and keep them up to date. Avoid providing personal identifiable information when using remote internet access.

• Choose passwords carefully.  Don’t choose an obvious password such as your birth date, mother’s maiden name, or your social or Military ID card numbers.  Your passwords should be a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters.  Don’t use the same password for more than one account.
• Shred documents.  Cross shred all documents containing your personal, financial, and medical information before you discard them.
• Monitor your financial accounts.  Review your bank, credit card, and account statements regularly to check for suspicious activity.
• Check your credit report regularly for any inaccuracies.  You are entitled to a free credit report every 12 months from each of the three major credit reporting agencies.  To order, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call 1-877-322-8228.
• If your identity is stolen take steps to mitigate the damages.  Immediately file a police report with military law enforcement or the local police.  Contact the credit reporting agencies to place fraud alert on your credit report.  Request a free copy of your credit report and review it carefully for inaccuracies.

Drug Task Force makes arrest in Olean