Baci and Ianni’s Trattoria, located at 201 State St., will provide a “fine dining experience” for a lower price, according to head chef Amarissa Scelsi. In 2023, Scelsi met with Mark Yonaty, a local businessman who co-owns several other restaurants in the area, including Station 45 American Chophouse, The Black Sheep Tavern, Garage Taco Bar, Scoopy Dooby’s Ice Cream and Courtside Bar and Grill. The new pasta bar will replace the old Social on State, a popular restaurant and cocktail lounge, also owned by Yonaty, which closed in 2023.

Influenced by her Italian roots, Scelsi crafted the menu and told Pipe Dream she wanted to deliver something beyond more typical, Americanized dishes.

“Our entrees are going to be eight different pasta dishes,” said Scelsi, who attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. “They’re all a different kind of pasta sauce and protein, and then two of those dishes are vegetarian as well. And then pretty much all of the dishes are interchangeable with a gluten-free option of pasta.”

The restaurant’s name combines the Italian word “baci,” which means “kiss” in English and is the name of Yonaty’s dog, and Ianni, which is Scelsi’s grandmother’s maiden name.

The restaurant will also focus on providing a quality dining experience at a reasonable price for local residents and Binghamton University students. Scelsi said none of the plates will be over $40, with the priciest pasta on the menu being a seafood dish. Most of the other courses will be around $30 and come in hearty portions, she added.

“I embrace the University in our community — they are a major part of our community,” said Yonaty. “Even though you’re somewhat guests in our community for four years, it’s important that your experience of Binghamton is wonderful. Coming with that, it can’t only be nightlife like bars, but it should be coffee shops and fun restaurants and arcades. There should be a lot for a college student to do.”

On Aug. 29, Yonaty told the Press & Sun Bulletin that the restaurant will open within 60 days.

“We have very high expectations,” Scelsi said in an interview with the Press & Sun Bulletin. “That’s why it’s just taken a decent amount of time. We’re very excited to be open. I know a lot of people waiting to go to the restaurant, and I’m very excited about it.”

As the restaurant will open in the Downtown Arts District, Yonaty and Scelsi decided to commission three murals inside the restaurant that will feature views into different parts of Italy, including a depiction of the Roman Colosseum.

Scelsi, a Vestal native, has been working in the local restaurant industry since she was 15 years old, when she began working at PS Restaurant, a fine dining establishment owned by her aunt and uncle.

Yonaty and Scelsi hope to distinguish Baci and Ianni’s from other businesses in the area and offer employment for locals and students, creating a space where every generation can enjoy good food.

“I want people to be able to come in when their parents come and visit,” Scelsi said. “They know, ‘Hey, Mom and Dad, we can go to this place. It’s really good. They have great drinks, it’s a great price point and it’s just a fun atmosphere.”

Founded in 1974, the institute cares for children with developmental disabilities, offering educational and diagnostic programs like the Children’s Unit for Treatment and Evaluation, a state approved education school for children with autism, and the Child and Adolescent Diagnostic & Consultation Clinic, which provides diagnostic evaluations for young children and adolescents.

Opened in 2008, the Social Learning Center is an outdoor space built to help children “learn recreational skills and support motor development in a community-like setting,” according to its website.

The ceremony, held at the playground, was dedicated to Timothy Myers, a University Foundation board member who helped create the Social Learning Center and who passed away in July 2021. Funded by the Myers family and community donations, the playground aims to provide a safe and inclusive space for children on the autism spectrum. President Harvey Stenger, staff at the institute and friends and family of patrons came to support the ceremony.

Stenger said the playground environment provides young children a space to learn valuable skills like sharing, competition and making friends. He encouraged workers and staff to keep using the space to support children’s learning.

“To point out those learning moments to our young people is such a great feeling,” Stenger said. “Look at one of them and say, ‘That was really nice, that was really skillful how you did that.’ And also there’s that learning of, ‘Well, maybe you shouldn’t have done it that way, and maybe you should have tried a little different approach.’”

“So we now have this beautiful outdoor classroom, learning center, that we can celebrate Tim, celebrate the Myers family,” he continued.

The renovated center offers new play and enrichment opportunities, including a miniature golf course and new “merry-go-round playground equipment for children of all abilities” (8). Around 70 children aged 3 to 12 play at the facility during the school year.

The institute’s co-directors, Jennifer Gillis Mattson ’99, MA ’02, Ph.D. ’06 and Raymond Romanczyk, its original founder, attended the ceremony.

Kim Myers, a Broome County legislator member of the University Foundation board and wife of Tim Myers, recalled a conversation Tim had about children at the institute who lacked access to a playground with special equipment, which he said was an “injustice.”

The institute also operates the Binghamton Regional Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders, which conducts research and provides training and support to families, helping the community “learn more about autism and how best to support autistic children and adolescents,” per its website. BU hosts one of six similar regional sites in the New York statewide system.

“It’s always been a cornerstone of what the University is all about, in terms of helping the underprivileged,” said Sheila Doyle, executive director of the Binghamton University Foundation and Stenger’s deputy chief of staff. “The Autism Program is significant and well-known throughout the state.”

Doyle added that Tim Myers, one of her friends, “made it his job” to ensure that children with autism could play and enjoy common childhood activities.

Stenger said the University will direct $20,000 from its discretionary endowment for playground maintenance and will match up to “another $10,000 to anyone who wants to contribute.”

“There’s no feeling better than waking up in the morning and [you] can’t wait to get to work, to be part of programs, to helping kids, teaching undergraduates, graduate students, working with great community partners,” Romanczyk said. “It’s just fantastic.”

The lawsuit, filed in the Albany County Supreme Court, was submitted by Citizen Action of New York, People United for Sustainable Housing Buffalo, the Sierra Club and WE ACT for Environmental Justice. The complaint accuses the state of “stonewalling necessary climate action in outright violation of its statutory obligations,” referencing the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.

Under the bill, the state must reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent before 2030 and 85 percent before 2025, compared to 1990 levels. A Climate Action Council was first formed to develop a Scoping Plan, a “roadmap to attain the statewide greenhouse gas limits set by the law,” per the complaint.

“The Scoping Plan is not self-effectuating and does not impose binding requirements on any state or private entity,” it read. “Rather, the Scoping Plan provides recommendations for steps that New York should take to achieve the CLCPA mandates.”

Finalized in December 2022, the plan recommended that regulators create a “comprehensive statewide regulatory program” to reduce emissions and target certain sectors. It called on New York to adopt a “cap-and-invest” scheme, which would set an annual cap on emissions. Some companies that directly release or sell products with significant emissions would be required to purchase allowances “equivalent to those emissions.”

Under the plan, the cap would decrease annually, which the lawsuit claims would gradually reduce emissions statewide.

In January 2023, Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered the environmental conservation department and the state Energy Research and Development Authority to develop the system over the new year. A pre-proposal outline was issued in December 2023, followed by webinars throughout 2024.

Four months ago, staff tasked with developing the system allegedly “met with individuals representing some of the Petitioners” and told them draft regulations would be released in January.

In her 2025 “State of the State” book, Hochul said the state would continue developing the cap-and-invest program and propose new regulations over “the coming months.”

“New York needs to get the transition right and keep our state affordable for families,” the book reads. “We will create new opportunities for New Yorkers from every walk of life and help transition New York households, Main Street businesses, and industry to a clean energy future.”

WE ACT for Environmental Justice, one of the petitioners and an advocacy group focused on promoting environmental justice in marginalized communities, criticized Hochul for a “lack of progress” in launching the initiative. Some Democrats in the state legislature were also disappointed by the apparent delay.

“Governor Hochul claims to be a climate champion, yet she is violating the explicit terms of our state’s 2019 climate law, which requires the state Department of Environmental Conservation to issue regulations setting limits on the greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change,” said Bob Cohen, policy and research director for Citizen Action of New York. “The climate law required the regulations to be in place in January of last year.”

In a March 4 statement, the department’s acting commissioner said cap-and-invest regulations would be released by the end of the month. On March 26, the department released “draft regulations on greenhouse gas reporting” for data collection, which did not include requirements for emission reduction.

The lawsuit claims the state is not on track to meet the 40 percent reduction requirement by 2030, violating the 2019 law and a state constitutional amendment guaranteeing “a right to clean air and water, and a healthful environment.”

Hochul’s office did not return a request for comment, while the Department of Environmental Conservation declined to comment on the pending litigation.

“People want to see renewable energy,” Ethan Gormley MA ‘17, a climate justice organizer for Citizen Action, said. “They want to see clean, affordable energy delivered to their homes and they want to stop seeing their communities polluted by fossil fuels.”

“So what we’re gonna do is make sure people have their voices heard,” he continued. “We’re going to urge the release of all the regulations for cap-and-invest, and we’re gonna make sure the public is well represented.”

Editor’s Note (5/2): A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Bob Cohen is an alumni. He is not, and Ethan Gormley is. The correct graduation year has been added.

Held in the Phelps Mansion Museum, the event comes nearly a month after Kraham first indicated his intent to run for a second term. He was sworn into office as Binghamton’s 51st mayor in January 2022 after defeating Democrat Joe Burns, then a city councilman.

After people ate and mingled, Kraham’s wife, Lucy Spena MSEd ’18, introduced her husband, saying that he “is the spokesperson to sell Binghamton to the rest of the world.”

“As long as I have known him, he has never wavered,” she said. “Four years ago at a much different campaign launch than this one, Jared said, ‘Binghamton is a part of me. You can’t separate it.’ It was true then, and it is even more true today.”

When he took the stage, Kraham acknowledged the 16th anniversary of the mass shooting at the American Civic Association, which killed 13 people and wounded four during citizenship classes. Earlier in the day, he had attended a memorial service to honor the victims and their families.

After thanking his staff and city employees, he began to list a series of accomplishments he said were achieved over his first term, including “some of the lowest crime rates on record” in the past few years, thanking first responders for their work.

“We’re joined tonight by many Binghamton police officers and firefighters,” he said. “These men and women, to me, represent the very best of our community, and they must have an ally and an advocate in the mayor’s office, and we have to keep it that way.”

Turning to affordable housing, Kraham said last year had “set a record for residential construction value” in Binghamton and highlighted efforts to crack down on abusive landlords and demolish blighted property. After reaching a 2023 settlement with Isaac Anzaroot, who Kraham has called Binghamton’s “most notorious slumlord,” the city has demolished at least six of his former properties as of March 7.

He mentioned efforts to bolster the local economy, including $10 million secured from a state program to revitalize historic Clinton Street in the city’s First Ward and efforts by railroad giant Norfolk Southern to repair several privately owned bridges found to be structurally deficient.

“In times of crisis or tragedy, I, as mayor, have strived to be the type of leader that leads with both strength and compassion,” Kraham said.

“But all of that being said, the reason I’m running for reelection is very simple: it’s to continue the leadership I feel that Binghamton deserves, to reimagine our future and to deliver results for residents,” he added.

Kraham faces a challenge from Democrat Miles Burnett, a South Side native who launched his candidacy in February.

Several local officials attended Kraham’s reelection event, including Dan Reynolds, the chair of the Broome County Legislature. Former mayors Richard Bucci and Rich David, who announced a campaign for the county clerkship in February, were also in the audience.

Cody Reed ‘13, MBA ’16, a former assistant wrestling coach at Binghamton University, was at the campaign kickoff. Reed pointed to Kraham’s track record on housing as why he is supporting his reelection bid, saying he “aligned with a lot of his other opinions for the city.”

As he ended his speech, Kraham urged those in attendance to reach out to relatives and ask them to vote in the upcoming election.

“Thank you so much for having faith in me, having faith in the city of Binghamton and having faith in our future,” he said.

Editor’s note 4/9: This article was updated to include Lucy Spena’s graduation year.

Rilind “Ry” Rugova and Emily Arriaga Sandoval, both seniors majoring in psychology, embarked on the trip as undergraduate research assistants for Kimberly Jaussi, an associate professor in the School of Management. They began assisting Jaussi in January 2024 as blind coders for a collaborative project with researchers at Durham University in the United Kingdom and as undergraduate research assistants. Motivated by an interest in industrial and organizational psychology, Rugova and Arriaga’s research centers around inclusive leadership and organizational management.

“We both began our academic journeys at Westchester Community College, where we earned our associate degrees before transferring to Binghamton University,” Rugova wrote to Pipe Dream. “Coming from low-income backgrounds as children of immigrants — whose education was cut short — higher education wasn’t always an obvious path for us. However, through hard work and research opportunities like this one, we’ve been able to immerse ourselves in academic and professional experiences we never imagined possible.”

Rugova is part of the McNair Scholars Program, a federal TRIO program that provides financial support for first-generation students and students historically underrepresented in graduate studies to pursue research. Binghamton University is one of four SUNY institutions to offer this program, which Rugova said was “instrumental” in preparing him for graduate-level study and higher education.

“It has particularly motivated me to ensure that I gain international research experience — hence why we pursued this grant through Harpur Edge and proposed conducting research abroad over spring break,” Rugova wrote. “McNair has not only supported my academic aspirations but also reinforced the importance of expanding my network, gaining hands-on research experience, and preparing for the rigor of graduate school.”

Arriaga and Rugova arrived in the U.K. at the end of February, where they met with Olga Epitropaki and Maria Kakarika, professors at Durham University’s Business School who co-authored their study, collaborating with them in their research. They also accompanied Jaussi to the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and Vrije University in the Netherlands, where they met with Ph.D. students and attended research presentations.

They attended workshops in the U.K. and the Netherlands, the first of which discussed the importance of creativity and art in the workplace and education. The second workshop was a feedback session with the Leadership Quarterly, a social science- and leadership-focused journal, allowing them to observe individuals looking to publish research papers.

“We have essentially been PhD students ourselves, presenting our research whilst learning about other topics,” Arriaga wrote. “The connections we have made through this trip range from friends, mentors, professors, editors, colleagues, leadership scholars, women in power, etc.”

“Our professional development and business etiquette has been refined and enhanced through this experience as well,” she added. “It has been especially inspiring for me seeing many women in power and leadership roles.”

The Harpur High-Impact Student Learning Endowment that Rugova and Arriaga won provides students with up to $4,000 to participate in University-approved research or professional internship programs, with priority given to students with financial need.

Rugova said that as first-generation students, they do not have access to the same “built-in professional networks” others do, which made the experience more impactful.

“The workshops we’ve attended in Durham and Amsterdam have connected us with scholars, researchers, and professionals in ways that would have otherwise been out of reach,” he wrote. “The outcome of this trip will be a massive boost to our professional and academic development — enhancing our research, expanding our network, and preparing us for the next steps in our careers.”

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the lawsuit at a Feb. 12 press conference. Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, the lawsuit argues that the 2019 Driver’s License Access and Privacy Act, or the “Green Light Law,” unlawfully interferes with the enforcement of immigration laws by preventing the Department of Motor Vehicles from sharing “records or information” with any federal agency that “primarily enforces immigration law” absent a court order.

The law allows any individual over 16 to apply for a “standard, not-for-federal purpose, non-commercial driver license or learner permit,” regardless of immigration status. New York’s attorney general, Letitia James, and the head of the DMV, Mark J.F. Schroeder, were the other two officials named in the lawsuit.

“Our state laws, including the Green Light law, protect the rights of all New Yorkers and keep our communities safe,” James wrote in a statement. “I am prepared to defend our laws, just as I always have.”

The lawsuit maintained that the Green Light Law unlawfully targets immigration agencies for “disfavored treatment,” violating the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, which prohibits states from interfering with the powers of the federal government. The lawsuit said a federal immigration statute prohibits states from restricting the ability of a “government entity or official” to send information to federal officials on an individual’s legal status.

“New York is proud that immigrants from across the globe come here searching for a better life — people like my grandparents who left Ireland looking for the American dream,” Hochul said in a statement. “We welcome law-abiding individuals who want to work, pay taxes and contribute to our communities, while at the same time protecting the public safety of all New Yorkers by cracking down on violent criminals.”

The American Civic Association, a nonprofit organization that aids immigrants and fosters cultural understanding, supports recipients of Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival. Under the Trump administration, the future of both programs remains uncertain [HYPERLINK: https://www.bupipedream.com/news/tps-daca-programs-face-uncertain-future-one-month-into-trumps-second-term/162669/]

Kristi Noem, the secretary of homeland security, recently announced the termination of protected status for 350,000 Venezuelans, and a federal court last month ruled that parts of DACA were illegal, but recipients were allowed to renew their protections.

Hussein Adams, the executive director and CEO of the American Civic Association, said that the Green Light Law advances important interests shared by New Yorkers.

“As has been echoed by both our Governor and the NY Attorney General as well, the rights of New Yorkers are protected by our state laws which keep our communities vibrant, affluent and secure,” Adams wrote. “The Green Light Law is no different. Federal immigration officials can access any DMV database so long as they have a judicial warrant signed by a judge.”

“This is not the first time the Green Light Law has been targeted since it was established in 2019, however, since then many other states have followed NYS in implementing similar laws,” he added. “We support laws that inevitably keep our very diverse community safe and allow for a higher rate of self-sufficiency and economic prosperity.”

Ryan Gaire, the president of Binghamton University’s College Democrats and a junior majoring in political science, said he believed that the law promotes safe driving and criticized the Department of Justice for interfering with state policies.

“New York State’s Green Light Law allows our roads to be safer for everyone by enabling undocumented immigrants to legally obtain driver’s licenses and by extension, driver’s insurance,” Gaire wrote. “It also protects undocumented drivers from the federal government accessing DMV records without a warrant. The Department of Justice suing to strike down this law, one that has repeatedly been held up by the courts, is ridiculous and represents yet another example of Donald Trump and his administration’s overreach of federal power.”

“The federal government should not have uninhibited access to New York State DMV records, especially for the purposes of hunting down undocumented immigrants, and this lawsuit is clearly another way to fearmonger and target them,” he added. “It is cruel and has no legal basis, and the courts should rule the same.”

The lawsuit comes at a tumultuous time in state politics, especially on immigration policy. Earlier this month, a Trump-appointed Justice Department official ordered the dropping of federal charges against Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City, saying the proceedings distracted from Trump’s immigration agenda.

“This lawsuit is part of a broader attempt to enforce immigration law and accountability in our country,” wrote Shane Rossi, the president of BU’s College Republicans and a junior majoring in political science. “New York State is guilty of harboring illegals and allowing them to use our services which use our time, wealth, and labour. No one has the right to travel within our country, we will decide that amongst ourselves. By putting a stop to this insanity, we can save our nation from decay and collapse. The DOJ is now fighting for the citizens and only the citizens of this country.”